And or Or and Yes It Matters

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Yesterday I talked about reading comprehension and how words matter.  I told you how Law Enforcement Officers need to understand and differentiate words such as 'and' and or.  Why are these two words so important?  When you make an arrest you need to know what the charge/s are.  If you look at the penal Law/Code for your state you will often see that certain charges are listed as say X and Y meaning that both X and Y are necessary to charge that offense.  If it says X or Y then you only need one of those elements to be present to charge that offense.  Not that complicated; actually pretty simple, you just need to pay attention to the words that are used.  

Which is Better? Can or May?

When I was in grade school I had a teacher who would always correct us whenever we would ask, "Can I go to the bathroom?"  She would continually remind us, "May I go to the Bathroom?"  What's the difference?  Can means am I capable, while may requests permission.  As kids we would laugh about it, but the lesson stuck.  This lesson was just a small part of the reading comprehension I would learn, and also that words matter.  My reading comprehension skills would serve me well, first when I took civil service tests and then when I became a law enforcement officer.  Any Law Enforcement Officer knows that it is of utmost importance to understand and differentiate words like: may, must, should, shall, and even 'and' and or.

The new Ford commercials humorously drive home the point.  Watch, learn and enjoy.