Professional Sentences for Police Reports: Part II

by Jean Reynolds, Ph.D.

Today we’re going to look at two advanced types of professional sentences.

You might be surprised to see how easy they are to learn...

…and to use in your police reports.

Let’s look at the first one: Sentences with semicolons.

Semicolons are like periods.That’s almost all you have to know!

And there’s one more thing. Don’t use a capital letter after a semicolon...unless the word or name needs a capital letter.

Here are more examples.Are you see starting to see how semicolons work?

Semicolons are easy once you understand them!

Remember: You can almost always change a period to a semicolon. (Be sure to decide whether or not you need a capital letter.)

You can write more elaborate sentences with words like however and therefore. Use a period or a semicolon—it’s your choice.

Here are more examples. (Notice that “I’m” requires a capital “I.”)

Compare these sentences.Are you feeling more confident about semicolons?

And here’s something you probably didn’t hear in school: There’s no special rule for when to use a semicolon.

You can almost always choose either a period or a semicolon.Either is correct.

Let’s go on to sentences with interrupters.

An “interrupter” is something that interrupts a sentence.Read this sentence aloud. Can you hear the interrupter?

Read these sentences aloud. Can you hear the interrupter in each one?

Read your sentences aloud, and trust your ear. It will help you identify interrupters.

Now let’s look at punctuation. (It’s easy!) An interrupter needs two commas—one to lower your voice, and one to raise it.

“Who” and “which” are often found in interrupter sentences.

Here are some interrupters with “who” and “which.” (Notice there are two commas.)

But if the interrupter is placed at the end of a sentence, use just one comma. (The period will bring your voice back up.)

Try reading these sentences aloud. Can you hear your voice go down and back up?

Now you know two advanced sentence patterns. Practice them often, and incorporate them into your writing.

They are powerful professional tools.

You can learn more about professional sentence patterns at

www.YourPoliceWrite.com.

Everything there is free, and no registration is needed:

www.YourPoliceWrite.com.

And if you’re looking for a low-cost, practical book that covers sentence patterns, English usage, and police reports…

Criminal Justice Report Writing is available from www.Amazon.com for just $17.95.

View a free sample online.

An e-book edition is available from www.Smashwords.com for only $11.99.

A free Instructor’s Manual is available on request: Send an e-mail to jreynoldswrite at aol.com.