Bow Tie Kreative Writing System
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Rules / clarity

CLR-016 Context default layer: sentence

Match specificity to decision need

IF the reader must choose or act, THEN include the distinctions that can change that choice and omit distinctions that cannot ELSE select detail for understanding or experience.

Why the rule exists

Useful detail changes comprehension, judgment, or action.

Condition

The rule fires when this evaluates true. Paths marked below must be present in the fact base; the engine reports the rest rather than guessing them.

  • document.expected_outcome in [decision, action]

Facts this rule reads

PathSource
document.expected_outcome You supply it

Then

  1. filter — target sentence.details

Else

  1. retain — target current_text, No triggering condition is present.

LAKA

Smallest sufficient intervention
Yes
Primary axes

Sources

  • Developing Quality Technical Information — Michelle Carey; Moira Lanyi; Deirdre Longo; et al.
    Quality dimensions for usable technical information.
  • Technical Communication — Mike Markel; Stuart A. Selber
    Audience, design, ethics, research, and technical genres.
  • ISO 24495-1:2023 Plain language — Part 1 — ISO https://www.iso.org/standard/78907.html
    Governing principles for documents readers can find, understand, and use.
The raw rule record

Verbatim from 11-clarity-style-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/CLR-016.

{
  "id": "CLR-016",
  "name": "Match specificity to decision need",
  "domain": "clarity",
  "layer": "sentence",
  "strength": "context_default",
  "human_logic": "IF the reader must choose or act, THEN include the distinctions that can change that choice and omit distinctions that cannot ELSE select detail for understanding or experience.",
  "when": {
    "path": "document.expected_outcome",
    "operator": "in",
    "value": [
      "decision",
      "action"
    ]
  },
  "then": [
    {
      "action": "filter",
      "target": "sentence.details",
      "keep_when": "can_change_reader_choice_or_execution"
    }
  ],
  "else": [
    {
      "action": "retain",
      "target": "current_text",
      "reason": "No triggering condition is present."
    }
  ],
  "unless": [],
  "because": "Useful detail changes comprehension, judgment, or action.",
  "diagnostics": [],
  "examples": {},
  "source_ids": [
    "BK-024",
    "BK-026",
    "WEB-009"
  ],
  "laka": {
    "smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
    "primary_axes": [
      "scope",
      "depth",
      "magnitude",
      "reversibility"
    ]
  }
}

Other clarity rules

  1. CLR-001 Prefer the precise familiar word IF two words are equally accurate AND one is more familiar to the audience, THEN use the familiar word ELSE keep the precision-bearing term. Context default
  2. CLR-002 Define necessary jargon IF a domain term is necessary AND the intended reader may not know it, THEN define it at first use and use it consistently ELSE replace it with plain language. Context default
  3. CLR-003 Expand unfamiliar abbreviations IF an abbreviation is not universally familiar to the audience, THEN spell it out at first use and pair it with the abbreviation ELSE retain. Context default
  4. CLR-004 One term per concept IF multiple terms refer to the same technical concept without rhetorical need, THEN select one preferred term and replace the variants ELSE retain. Context default
  5. CLR-005 One concept per term IF the same term denotes multiple concepts in one context, THEN rename or qualify the concepts ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  6. CLR-006 Replace vague reference words IF THIS, THAT, IT, THEY, FORMER, or LATTER has an uncertain referent, THEN repeat or summarize the referent ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  7. CLR-007 Quantify actionable vagueness IF vague quantity, frequency, time, or probability affects a decision, THEN provide a range, threshold, date, or defined category ELSE retain approximate language. Context default
  8. CLR-008 Use concrete examples after abstractions IF a central abstraction lacks a concrete instance AND the audience knowledge gap is moderate or large, THEN add one representative example ELSE retain. Heuristic