WRITING THE

REPORT
 SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION

• NORMAL SENTENCE PATTERN

The police officer smiled.

Subject verb
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Adverbs
Examples of adverbs used in opening a sentence:
• Quickly, the victim attempted to flee but was held back by the suspect.
• Immediately, the suspect brandished a .45 caliber pistol and started firing
indiscriminately.
• Instinctively, SPO4 Bartolay went toward the suspect and grabbed his arm in an
attempt to disarm him.
• Slowly and cautiously, the snipers crept toward the location of the kidnappers.
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Prepositional Phrase

A phrase is a group of words, without a subject and verb, which functions in a sentence
as one part of speech.
A prepositional phrase consists of a preposition and an object, usually a noun. Together,
the preposition and the object (or the phrase) functions either as an adjective phrase
modifying nouns and pronouns, or an adverb phrase modifying adjectives and adverbs.
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Prepositional Phrase

Examples of prepositions:
under around
above behind
across in
during over
from on
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Prepositional Phrase

Examples of prepositional phrases:
under the piles of documents
across the street
around the neighbourhood
behind the wheels
in the bedroom
during the camp drill
over dinner
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Present Participial Phrase

Present participles are verb forms ending in -ing that are used a adjectives or
descriptive words.

Examples of present participles and present participial phrases:

Present Participle Present Participial Phrase
running running wildly
working working hard
speaking speaking in a low voice
laughing laughing boisterously
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Present Participial Phrase

Examples of present participial phrase used in opening a sentence:
Sensing danger, SPO2 Cariñaga ordered the suspect to raise his hands and
look face down.

Sleeping soundly, the victim was awakened by the incessant

barking of his dog.
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Past Participle or Participial Phrase

A past participial phrase ends in ed (t or en) and is used as an adjective to describe the
word (noun or pronoun) that follows it.
(e.g. sworn affidavit, mutilated body, burnt documents, etc.)

Examples of past participles and past participial phrases:

Past Participle Past Participial Phrases
horrified horrified by the news
captured captured by arresting officers
arrested arrested inside his office
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Past Participle or Participial Phrase

Examples:
1. Exhausted, SPO3 Galang, the duty desk officer, stood up and
stretched his arms and legs.
2. Confused, Martin uttered unintelligible remarks in answer to the
investigator's questions.
3. Shocked, the members of the media moved toward the crime scene.
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Perfect Participle or Perfect Participial Phrase

A perfect participle or perfect participial phrase can also be used to open a
sentence. It consists of helping verbs having or having been together with the past participle
form of the verb. It is used to indicate a completed action before another action. It functions
mainly as an adjective describing the subject of the sentence.
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Perfect Participle or Perfect Participial Phrase

A perfect participle or perfect participial phrase can also be used to open a
sentence. It consists of helping verbs having or having been together with the past participle
form of the verb. It is used to indicate a completed action before another action. It functions
mainly as an adjective describing the subject of the sentence.
Examples:
having shot
having beaten
having arrested
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Perfect Participle or Perfect Participial Phrase

Examples:
Having shot the stray dog, the security guard apologized to his superiors.
Having beaten the man with a club, he was charged with serious physical
injuries.
Having arrested the man who has gone berserk, PO2 Zuelo reported
back to his chief of police.
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Use of Subordinate or Dependent Clause

A subordinate clause contains a subject and a verb, but it cannot stand alone as a
complete idea. It is used to clarify the meaning of the main clause or the independent clause.
It starts with a subordinating conjunction such as "because," "when," "after," "although,"
"before,"
"since," "as," "even though," etc.
Example:
subordinate clause main clause
Because he was their father’s favorite son, Mar Revillame was resented by his
siblings.
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Inverted Order
In the inverted order, the writer opens the sentence with the predicate first. In other
words, the verb comes first before the subject.
• Examples:
• Inverted Order: Recovered from the crime scene were five (5) shells of .45 caliber
pistol believed to have been used by the unidentified gunman.
• Natural Order: Five (5) shells of .45 caliber pistol believed to have been used by the
unidentified gunman were recovered from the crime scene.
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Infinitive Phrase (to + main or base form of the verb)

Examples:

To divert the attention of the suspect, Nilda Silva screamed at the top of her lungs
before pretending to collapse.

To subdue the enemy, the responding team used high-powered guns.

EXPANDING SENTENCES
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Past Participial Phrase

(describing predicate nouns)
Examples:
These are unlicensed firearms seized by the police operatives.
• Infinitives (to + verb)
(can be used as an adjective or adverb)
As Adverb:
The ground commander sent the best sniper to neutralize the hostage taker.
 OPENING SENTENCES

• Infinitives (to + verb)

(can be used as an adjective or adverb)
As Adjective:
This is an important mission to accomplish.

Use of Appositives
This is an explanatory noun placed in "apposition" or side-by-side relationship with
the subject or noun.
Police Senior Inspector Felix Carillo, the chief of police accommodated us.
(Underlined word is the appositive)
 COMBINING SENTENCES

• Two sentences can be combined using compound verb or predicate.

PO2 Walde boarded the patrol car. He proceeded to the crime scene.

Combined sentence:
PO2 Walde boarded the patrol car and proceeded to the crime scene.
 COMBINING SENTENCES

• The two examples are combined into a compound sentence using the coordinating
conjunction “but” preceded by a comma.
• Semicolon can also be used to connect ideas in lieu of a coordinating conjunction.
Example:
The investigator did not find any trace of forcible entry at the
main entrance. He proceeded to the back door for clues.
Combined:
The investigator did not find any trace of forcible entry at the
main entrance, so he proceeded to the back door for clues.
 COMBINING SENTENCES

Example:
With semicolon:
The investigator did not find any trace of forcible entry at the main
entrance; he proceeded to the back door for clues.

• Sentences can also be combined by changing one of them into a phrase.

• With participial phrase:
Not finding any trace of forcible entry at the main entrance, the investigator
proceeded to the back door for clues.
 COMBINING SENTENCES

• Another way to combine sentences is to change one of them into a subordinate clause to
create a complex sentence. This makes use of subordinating conjunctions such as:
• When
• Whenever
• Before
• After
• although
• Example:
 COMBINING SENTENCES

• Example:
Mrs. Elsie Gao learned about the tragedy that befell her son. She
became hysterical.
Combined:
When Mrs. Elsie Gao learned about the tragedy that befell her
son, she became hysterical.
 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

• Time-Order Words
 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Example:
The three students- Molino, Salama, and Torre, alighted from the jeepney and proceeded to
the Maharlika restaurant. They occupied a table near a window. After about five minutes, a
waitress approached them and took their order. Then, Torre left his seat to go to the men's room.
Shortly after closing the door of the men's room, he heard successive gunshots. Immediately, he
hid inside a cubicle, and waited until the commotion stopped. Thereafter, he slowly opened the
door of the men's room and slowly peeked through it. From his position, he saw a gun-wielding
man fleeing the restaurant. At the same time, he also saw bloodied bodies strewn on the floor
and slumped on tables.
 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Spatial-Order Words

inside beneath
outside On one side
Above In front
behind beside
 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Example:
The protesters at Plaza Rizal were assembled in a formation of three phalanxes. The
front line was composed of student leaders from the universities in Naga City. Behind
them are fraternity and sorority members bearing lighted candles and chanting "Justice for
James!" Alongside them were their teachers and fellow sympathizers. At the back and far
end of the assembly were security escorts aboard their motorcycles
 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Comparison or Contrast

likewise nonetheless
In the same manner otherwise
however On the contrary
still In spite of
 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Example:

Operatives of this station composed of SPO3 Rudy Armea, SPO2 Chris Bayola and
PO3 Rico Gaston proceeded to Tandang Sora Public Market to serve the Warrant of Arrest
of a certain "Burloy Acosta" who faces murder charges. However, after two hours of
diligent search, suspect was nowhere to be found. Nonetheless, the three police officers
decided to stay put for another hour as they were tipped off that the suspect was just in the
vicinity.
 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Cause and Effect

thus so accordingly

hence since As a result

In effect Because of therefore

 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Example:
The three identified suspects were investigated on the same evening by SPO3 Fidel
Felipe and PO3 Roel Alaoag during which they revealed having kidnapped and killed their
employer's son.
They also confessed to having thrown the body in a grassy field in Barangay Mapagong,
Calamba City. Immediately, police investigators, namely SPO3 Amorao, SPOl Bo and
other civilian agents, accompanied the suspects to Brgy. Mapagong where they found the
lifeless body of the victim. Consequently, the suspects were charged with kidnapping with
murder.
 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Emphasis
indeed in fact even in other words especially

Example:
The fire victims, especially the smallest, who was believed to be a five-year old boy,
were charred beyond recognition.
 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Addition

and Also In addition

Next As well as furthermore

Moreover last Over and above

 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Addition

Example:
Besides a plastic bag containing three packs of cigarettes, and a piece of lighter
and crumpled foil paper, the police operatives also recovered from the suspects two pieces
of 9-inch fan knives with wooden handles. Furthermore, they discovered a tickler
containing names and addresses, including contact numbers.
 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Examples

Namely In particular That is

For example For instance specifically

In other words particularly As an illustration

 USING TRANSITIONAL WORDS OR PHRASES

Example:

The victim was 5'2" in height, medium build and with fair complexion. In
particular, he bore a snake tattoo on his left chest and a mole on his forehead.
Let's wrap it up
and see what
we've learned!