Police Officer Selection Test (POST) Spelling, Grammar, and Vocabulary Skills Syllabus

What is a synonym? Give an example.

A synonym is a word with the same or nearly the same meaning as another word (e.g., 'big' and 'large').

What is an antonym? Give an example.

An antonym is a word with the opposite meaning of another word (e.g., 'hot' and 'cold').

Give a synonym and an antonym for 'apprehend' (as used in law enforcement).

Synonym: arrest/capture/seize. Antonym: release/free/liberate.

Give a synonym and an antonym for 'lenient.'

Synonym: merciful/tolerant. Antonym: strict/harsh/severe.

Give a synonym and an antonym for 'credible.'

Synonym: believable/reliable. Antonym: incredible/unbelievable/dubious.

What does the word root 'spect' mean, and give an example word?

'Spect' means to look or see (inspect = to look into; spectator = one who watches).

What does the prefix 'in-' / 'im-' / 'il-' / 'ir-' typically mean?

It typically means 'not' or 'into' (e.g., invisible = not visible; impossible = not possible; illegal = not legal; irregular = not regular).

What does the prefix 'mis-' mean? Give an example.

'Mis-' means wrong or wrongly (misconduct = wrong conduct; misdemeanor = a minor wrongdoing).

What does the suffix '-able' / '-ible' indicate? Give an example.

It indicates 'capable of' or 'able to be' (e.g., punishable = able to be punished; visible = able to be seen).

What does the root 'jud'/'jur'/'jus' mean? Give a law-related example.

It relates to law or justice (judge, jury, justice, jurisdiction).

What does the prefix 're-' mean? Give an example.

'Re-' means again or back (e.g., reoffend = offend again; return = bring back).

What does the suffix '-tion'/'-sion' indicate?

It forms a noun indicating an action, state, or result (e.g., detention, arrest → arrestation is wrong; investigation = the act of investigating).

Define the law enforcement term 'probable cause.'

Probable cause is a reasonable basis, supported by facts and circumstances, to believe that a crime has been or is being committed, justifying an arrest or search.

Define the difference between a 'felony' and a 'misdemeanor.'

A felony is a serious crime typically punishable by more than one year in prison; a misdemeanor is a less serious offense usually punishable by a fine or up to one year in jail.

What is the legal term 'Miranda warning'?

The Miranda warning is the statement of rights (to remain silent and to an attorney) that police must give a suspect in custody before interrogation.

Define the law enforcement term 'apprehend.'

To apprehend means to take a person into custody; to arrest.

What does 'jurisdiction' mean in law enforcement?

Jurisdiction is the official authority to enforce laws or make legal decisions within a defined geographic area or over certain matters.

Define the term 'warrant' as used by police.

A warrant is a legal document issued by a judge authorizing police to make an arrest, conduct a search, or seize property.

What is a 'subpoena'?

A subpoena is a legal order requiring a person to appear in court to testify or to produce evidence.

What is the difference between 'homicide,' 'murder,' and 'manslaughter'?

Homicide is the killing of one person by another (a general term); murder is unlawful killing with malice/intent; manslaughter is unlawful killing without premeditated malice.

In error identification, what is a subject-verb agreement error? Give an example.

It occurs when the verb does not match the subject in number. Example: 'The officers was on patrol' (should be 'were' because 'officers' is plural).

Identify the error type: 'Each of the suspects were questioned.'

Subject-verb agreement error: 'Each' is singular, so it should be 'Each of the suspects was questioned.'

What is a pronoun-antecedent agreement error? Give an example.

A pronoun must agree in number with the noun it refers to. Error: 'Every officer must file their report' — strictly, 'their' (plural) disagrees with singular 'every officer' (use 'his or her' in formal grammar).

How do you correct a run-on sentence (comma splice)?

Separate the two independent clauses with a period, a semicolon, or a comma plus a coordinating conjunction (e.g., 'The officer arrived; he secured the scene').

How do you correct a sentence fragment?

Add the missing subject or verb (or attach it to a nearby independent clause) so the group of words expresses a complete thought.

Correct the sentence: 'The report was wrote by the detective.'

'The report was written by the detective' — use the past participle 'written,' not the past tense 'wrote,' with the helping verb 'was.'

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

A misplaced modifier is a word/phrase positioned so it seems to modify the wrong word; correct it by placing the modifier next to the word it actually describes (e.g., 'Running down the street, the officer saw the suspect').

What is paragraph coherence and what creates it?

Paragraph coherence is the logical, smooth flow of ideas; it is created by clear topic sentences, logical sentence order, and transitional words that connect ideas.

Give three transitional words/phrases that signal a contrast or addition in a paragraph.

Contrast: however, on the other hand, nevertheless. Addition: furthermore, moreover, in addition.

When ordering sentences for paragraph coherence, where does the topic sentence usually belong and why?

The topic sentence usually comes first because it states the main idea; supporting details and examples follow logically, and a concluding/transition sentence ends the paragraph.