Grammar is the fastest-paced section of the test: 20 items in 15 min, about 45 seconds each. The sentences read like lines from a police report, and the items test word choice, verb tense and agreement, punctuation and spelling.
20items on the test
15 minsection time
18questions on this page
What the grammar items ask
The test owner’s guide names two item types: complete the sentence, and find the misspelled word. Inside the first, expect:
Confusable forms: its/it’s, whose/who’s, there/their/they’re, who/whom, plurals and possessives.
Tense and agreement: a run of past events stays in the simple past; verbs match their subjects.
Sentence joins: comma splices, run-ons, semicolons and parallel structure.
Modifiers: an opening phrase has to describe the person who did the action.
Spelling: one word in the sentence is misspelled, and you pick which one.
Pacing at 45 seconds an item
There is no time to reread the whole sentence for every option. Read the sentence once, including the words after the blank (the guide warns that the answer can depend on them), decide what the gap needs, then look for it. Some wrong options here fix one error and leave another, or swap a past-tense verb for “has reported” or “was reporting.”
For spelling items, sound each word out syllable by syllable, and practice on words you would write in a report: victim, receive, separate.
18 grammar questions
0 of 18 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
During the foot pursuit, the suspect not only ran through the muddy alley but also he jumped over a six-foot fence to escape.
Which choice best replaces the words from "not only" through "fence" so that the sentence has parallel structure?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "Jumping" is an -ing form, so it does not match the past-tense verb "ran."
B
Incorrect: Moving "not only" before "through" sets a phrase against the clause "he jumped," so the halves still do not match.
C
Correct: After "not only ran," the matching half is "but also jumped": two past-tense verbs sharing the subject "the suspect."
D
Incorrect: This changes "ran" to "was running" and still leaves a full clause, "he jumped," on the other side.
E
Incorrect: The added "he was jumping" puts a full clause in a new tense against the single verb "ran."
Question 2 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Officer Patel arrived on scene. A witness then told her about smoke and the evacuation of the building. Which sentence states this correctly?
Answer explanations
A
Correct: The opening clause names Officer Patel as the one who arrived, and the rest of the sentence is a complete, properly joined clause.
B
Incorrect: The opening phrase attaches to "it," so no person is shown arriving.
C
Incorrect: Two complete sentences are joined with only a comma, which is a comma splice.
D
Incorrect: The opening phrase attaches to "smoke," as if the smoke arrived on scene.
E
Incorrect: "Arriving on scene" now describes the witness, who did not arrive; Officer Patel did.
Question 3 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which sentence correctly joins two independent clauses without a coordinating conjunction?
Answer explanations
A
Correct: A semicolon by itself can join two complete sentences that are closely related.
B
Incorrect: "And" is a coordinating conjunction, which the question rules out, and a semicolon does not belong before it here.
C
Incorrect: With no punctuation between the two complete sentences, this is a run-on.
D
Incorrect: "Therefore" is a transition word, not a joining conjunction, so a comma before it still leaves a comma splice.
E
Incorrect: A comma alone between two complete sentences is a comma splice.
Question 4 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which revision uses pronouns consistently? "I contacted the complainant, who said they saw suspicious activity. The complainant told me he would provide video footage."
Answer explanations
A
Correct: One complainant is "he" throughout, and both facts, the activity and the footage, are kept.
B
Incorrect: "To them" brings in a new pronoun with nothing it can refer to.
C
Incorrect: The same person is called "he" and then "they."
D
Incorrect: The same person is called "they" and then "he" in one sentence.
E
Incorrect: "Complainants" is plural, but "he" still refers to one person.
Question 5 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Sergeant Ellis wrote: "Victims who report crimes promptly are assisted by the support unit." She meant that the support unit helps every victim who reports a crime, and helps without delay. Which revision states her meaning clearly?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "Promptly" sits after "Victims," where it attaches to no verb, so the sentence is garbled.
B
Incorrect: This is the original sentence, where "promptly" can describe either the reporting or the help.
C
Correct: Putting "promptly" next to "assisted" says the help comes quickly, which is what the sergeant meant.
D
Incorrect: Adding "then" leaves "report crimes promptly" as unclear as before.
E
Incorrect: This says only victims who report quickly get help, the opposite of her point that every victim is helped.
Question 6 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which sentence uses pronouns correctly?
Answer explanations
A
Correct: After the preposition "to," the object pronoun "me" is needed: "give the reports to me."
B
Incorrect: Here the pronoun is part of the subject, which needs "I," not the reflexive "myself."
C
Incorrect: "I" is a subject pronoun; it cannot follow the preposition "to."
D
Incorrect: "Me" cannot be part of a subject; it should be "Sergeant Miller and I will review."
E
Incorrect: "Myself" is reflexive and needs an "I" earlier in the same sentence.
Question 7 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
The box of seized evidence ___ moved to the property room before the end of the shift.
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "Being" cannot be the main verb of a sentence by itself.
B
Incorrect: "Have been" is plural, and "box" needs a singular verb.
C
Incorrect: "Are" is plural and present tense.
D
Incorrect: "Were" is plural; it agrees with "evidence" or an imagined plural, not with "box."
E
Correct: The subject is "box," which is singular, so the past verb is "was."
Question 8 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which revision removes the unclear pronoun reference?
"Officer Davis assisted Officer Miller with the arrest, and he completed the booking sheet."
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "This officer" does not say which of the two officers is meant.
B
Correct: Naming Miller leaves no doubt about which officer completed the booking sheet.
C
Incorrect: "By him" is just as unclear as "he," and the sentence is now passive.
D
Incorrect: "He himself" adds emphasis but still does not say which officer.
E
Incorrect: "He then" still could mean either Davis or Miller.
Question 9 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: A colon should not come directly after a verb such as "included."
B
Incorrect: The semicolons split each item in half, putting "size large" with the receipt and "dated May 10" with the keys.
C
Correct: Each item already contains a comma, so semicolons separate the three items.
D
Incorrect: With commas everywhere, a reader cannot tell where one item ends and the next begins.
E
Incorrect: This drops the commas inside the items and adds a stray comma after "and."
Question 10 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which revision makes the list parallel?
"The investigator told me to collect the samples, to analyze them, and reporting the results quickly."
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: This is the original sentence; "reporting" breaks the series of infinitives.
B
Incorrect: "Collecting" is an -ing form placed before two infinitives.
C
Incorrect: "Analyzing" breaks the series in the middle.
D
Incorrect: "That I report" is a clause, not an infinitive like the first two items.
E
Correct: All three instructions are infinitives: to collect, to analyze, to report.
Question 11 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
The suspect was seen leaving the building, and he ___ a bag in his hand.
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "Have" does not agree with "he" and is present tense.
B
Incorrect: "Were having" is plural and progressive.
C
Incorrect: "Having" cannot be the main verb of the clause "he ___ a bag."
D
Incorrect: "Has" agrees with "he" but is present tense in a past account.
E
Correct: "Had" is past tense and fits the singular subject "he" and the past event.
Question 12 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which revision removes the filler phrase and states the fact most clearly in the active voice?
"It should be noted that the witness was questioned by detectives who had arrived after the initial unit."
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: The second clause, "the witness was then questioned by them," is still passive.
B
Incorrect: The filler is gone, but "was questioned by" keeps the passive voice.
C
Correct: The detectives are the subject of the active verb "questioned," and the filler opening is gone.
D
Incorrect: This reverses the roles, so the witness asks the questions.
E
Incorrect: This is active, but it keeps the filler phrase "It should be noted that."
Question 13 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which sentence is written correctly?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "Officer Ruiz" is left with no verb, so the sentence falls apart.
B
Correct: A dependent clause followed by a comma and a complete main clause is correct.
C
Incorrect: Two complete sentences joined only by a comma form a comma splice.
D
Incorrect: "After the alarm sounded." is a fragment standing as its own sentence.
E
Incorrect: "After sounding" says Officer Ruiz did the sounding.
Question 14 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which revision replaces the wordy noun phrases with strong verbs without changing the meaning?
"The detective made a decision to conduct an investigation of the suspect's alibi."
Answer explanations
A
Correct: "Made a decision" becomes "decided" and "conduct an investigation of" becomes "investigate," with the meaning unchanged.
B
Incorrect: Dropping "alibi" changes what is being investigated.
C
Incorrect: "Considered" turns a decision into a possibility, which changes the meaning.
D
Incorrect: "Made a decision" is still a wordy noun phrase; only half the sentence is fixed.
E
Incorrect: "Decided on investigating of" is not grammatical.
Question 15 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which sentence is punctuated correctly?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: A comma between the subject and its verb is wrong.
B
Incorrect: A simple series uses commas; a semicolon before the last item is wrong.
C
Correct: Three actions in a series are separated by commas, with "and" before the last.
D
Incorrect: The comma between the first two actions is missing, so they run together.
E
Incorrect: No comma belongs right after "and" in a series.
Question 16 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Officer Reyes entered the home alone. The defense attorney later objected to the ______ warrantless entry.
Select the word that correctly completes the second sentence.
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "Officers's" is not a correct form of any possessive.
B
Incorrect: "Officers" is a plain plural with no apostrophe, so it shows no possession.
C
Incorrect: "Officer" with no apostrophe shows no possession.
D
Correct: One officer entered, so the singular possessive "officer's" is needed.
E
Incorrect: "Officers'" is the plural possessive and would mean several officers entered.
Question 17 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which sentence correctly shows that ONLY the officers who were late received a reprimand?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: The single comma after "late" splits the subject from the verb "were reprimanded."
B
Incorrect: With commas on both sides, "who were late" becomes extra information about all the officers, so every officer was late and reprimanded.
C
Correct: Without commas, "who were late" tells which officers were reprimanded: only the late ones.
D
Incorrect: "Which" is used for things, not people; officers take "who."
E
Incorrect: The single comma after "officers" opens a clause that is never closed.
Question 18 of 18 · Grammar · 20 itemsNot answered
Which question is written correctly?
Answer explanations
A
Incorrect: "When the chief did announce…?" leaves the subject before "did," which is statement order, not question order.
B
Incorrect: "When did announce the chief…?" puts the main verb before the subject.
C
Incorrect: "When the chief announced the new policy?" has no helping verb, so it reads as a fragment, not a question.
D
Correct: "When did the chief announce…?" puts the helping verb "did" before the subject and follows it with the base form "announce."
E
Incorrect: "When did the chief announced…?" uses the past form "announced" after "did," which already carries the past tense.
Answer every question to see your score
!
Trap: the sentence that sounds right
“Arriving on scene, the witness reported smoke” reads smoothly but says the witness arrived. Check who does each action, not how the sentence sounds.
Yes, inside the grammar section: some items ask which word in a sentence is misspelled. Spelling also counts in report writing, where a misspelled word costs you credit.
What grammar is on the NPOST?
Practical report grammar: confusable words, verb tense and agreement, punctuation between clauses and misplaced modifiers. You pick the correct form; you never have to name the rule.