National Police Officer Selection Test (NPOST / Stanard & Associates POST) Grammar and Usage Syllabus

What does the FANBOYS acronym stand for?

The seven coordinating conjunctions: For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So.

What is verb tense consistency?

Keeping verbs in the same tense throughout a passage unless a logical time shift requires a change, so the timeframe stays clear (e.g., don't switch from past to present without reason).

Identify the error: 'She walked into the office and sits at her desk.' How is it fixed?

It shifts from past ('walked') to present ('sits'). Fix by keeping one tense: 'She walked into the office and SAT at her desk.'

When is it correct to shift verb tense within a sentence?

When the actions actually occur at different times, e.g., 'I learned (past) that the academy starts (present, ongoing fact) in June.'

What is the difference between simple past and present perfect tense?

Simple past states a completed action at a definite time ('He filed the report yesterday'); present perfect links a past action to the present or an unspecified time ('He has filed the report').

What is a misplaced modifier?

A word or phrase positioned so that it appears to modify the wrong word, creating confusion (e.g., 'He served sandwiches to the children on paper plates').

What is a dangling modifier, and how is it corrected?

A modifier whose intended subject is missing from the sentence (e.g., 'Walking to the car, the rain started'). Fix it by adding the logical subject: 'Walking to the car, I felt the rain start.'

Where should a modifier be placed for clarity?

As close as possible to the word it modifies, so the relationship is unmistakable.

How does placement of 'only' change a sentence's meaning?

'Only' modifies the word it precedes: 'Only she hit him' (no one else did) vs. 'She only hit him' (didn't do more) vs. 'She hit only him' (no one else was hit).

What is parallel structure (parallelism)?

Using the same grammatical form for items in a series, list, or comparison (e.g., 'running, jumping, and swimming,' not 'running, jumping, and to swim').

Identify the parallelism error: 'The job requires honesty, patience, and being dependable.' How is it fixed?

The items aren't parallel. Fix: 'The job requires honesty, patience, and dependability' (all nouns).

What correlative conjunction pairs require parallel structure?

Pairs like 'either...or,' 'neither...nor,' 'both...and,' and 'not only...but also' must be followed by the same grammatical form on each side.

What is the comma rule for items in a series?

Use commas to separate three or more items in a list (e.g., 'a badge, a radio, and a flashlight'); the final comma before 'and' is the optional Oxford/serial comma.

When do you use a comma with a coordinating conjunction?

Place a comma before a coordinating conjunction (FANBOYS) when it joins two independent clauses (e.g., 'He knocked, and she answered').

What is the comma rule for introductory elements?

Place a comma after an introductory word, phrase, or dependent clause before the main clause (e.g., 'After the briefing, the officers left').

How are commas used with nonessential (nonrestrictive) information?

Set off nonessential clauses or appositives with commas (e.g., 'My partner, who is new, did well'). Do not use commas around essential information needed to identify the noun.

What are the three end marks, and when is each used?

Period (.) ends a statement or mild command; question mark (?) ends a direct question; exclamation point (!) ends an emphatic or emotional statement.

When do you use commas in dates and addresses?

Separate the day from the year and the year from the rest ('July 4, 1776, was...'), and separate city from state ('Chicago, Illinois, is...').

What is the basic rule for forming a singular possessive?

Add an apostrophe plus s ('s) to the singular noun, even if it ends in s in many style guides (e.g., 'the officer's badge,' 'the boss's car').

How do you form the possessive of a plural noun ending in s?

Add only an apostrophe after the s (e.g., 'the officers' lockers,' 'the witnesses' statements').

How do you form the possessive of an irregular plural that does not end in s?

Add apostrophe plus s ('s), e.g., 'the children's toys,' 'the women's department.'

What is the difference between 'its' and 'it's'?

'Its' is the possessive form ('The dog wagged its tail'); 'it's' is the contraction of 'it is' or 'it has' ('It's raining'). Possessive pronouns never take an apostrophe.

What is the difference between 'your/you're,' 'their/there/they're,' and 'whose/who's'?

Your=possessive, you're='you are'; their=possessive, there=place, they're='they are'; whose=possessive, who's='who is/has.'

Besides possession, what is the other main use of the apostrophe?

To mark contractions by showing omitted letters (e.g., 'do not' becomes 'don't,' 'cannot' becomes 'can't').

What categories of words must always be capitalized?

The first word of a sentence, the pronoun 'I,' and all proper nouns and proper adjectives (specific people, places, organizations, days, months, holidays, nationalities).

When are titles like 'officer,' 'captain,' or 'president' capitalized?

Capitalize a title when it directly precedes a name or replaces it as a proper name ('Captain Reyes'), but lowercase it when used generally ('the captain spoke').

What is the capitalization rule for the seasons versus days, months, and holidays?

Days, months, and holidays are capitalized (Monday, July, Thanksgiving); the seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter) are not capitalized.

What is the main rule for capitalizing words in a title?

Capitalize the first and last words and all major words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns); lowercase short articles, coordinating conjunctions, and short prepositions unless they begin the title.

What is the primary function of a colon?

A colon introduces a list, explanation, or quotation after a complete independent clause (e.g., 'Bring three items: a pen, a badge, and a radio').

How is a semicolon used to join clauses?

A semicolon joins two closely related independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction (e.g., 'The alarm sounded; everyone evacuated'), often before a conjunctive adverb like 'however' or 'therefore.'

When is a semicolon used within a list?

Use semicolons to separate list items that themselves contain commas, to keep the items clear (e.g., 'We visited Reno, Nevada; Provo, Utah; and Boise, Idaho').

What are the basic rules for using quotation marks with other punctuation in American English?

Enclose direct quotations and certain titles in quotation marks; periods and commas go inside the closing quotation mark, while colons and semicolons go outside. Question/exclamation marks go inside only if they belong to the quotation.