GRM-003 Context default layer: clause

Or/nor proximity agreement

IF subject alternatives are joined by OR or NOR, THEN agree with the closest subject OR rewrite when the result sounds unstable ELSE retain.

Why the rule exists

Proximity agreement is conventional, but a rewrite can reduce processing friction.

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.

ALL
- clause.subject.coordinator in [or, nor]
- clause.subject.head_count gte 2

Facts this rule reads

Fact paths read by GRM-003 and whether the analyser derives them
Path	Source
`clause.subject.coordinator`	You supply it
`clause.subject.head_count`	You supply it

Then

align — target clause.verb.number, value from clause.subject.nearest_head.number
flag — target clause

Else

retain — target current_text, No triggering condition is present.

LAKA

Smallest sufficient intervention

Yes

Primary axes

Sources

Garner's Modern English Usage — Bryan A. Garner
Modern American usage and editorial judgment.
Practical English Usage — Michael Swan
Advanced grammar and usage reference for learners and teachers.
Grammar, Punctuation, and Sentence Structure — Purdue Online Writing Lab link
Practical mechanics, clause, sentence, punctuation, and style guidance.

The raw rule record

Verbatim from 07-core-grammar-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/GRM-003.

{
  "id": "GRM-003",
  "name": "Or/nor proximity agreement",
  "domain": "grammar",
  "layer": "clause",
  "strength": "context_default",
  "human_logic": "IF subject alternatives are joined by OR or NOR, THEN agree with the closest subject OR rewrite when the result sounds unstable ELSE retain.",
  "when": {
    "all": [
      {
        "path": "clause.subject.coordinator",
        "operator": "in",
        "value": [
          "or",
          "nor"
        ]
      },
      {
        "path": "clause.subject.head_count",
        "operator": "gte",
        "value": 2
      }
    ]
  },
  "then": [
    {
      "action": "align",
      "target": "clause.verb.number",
      "value_from": "clause.subject.nearest_head.number"
    },
    {
      "action": "flag",
      "target": "clause",
      "when": "mixed_number_heads",
      "message": "Consider rewriting to avoid distracting proximity agreement."
    }
  ],
  "else": [
    {
      "action": "retain",
      "target": "current_text",
      "reason": "No triggering condition is present."
    }
  ],
  "unless": [],
  "because": "Proximity agreement is conventional, but a rewrite can reduce processing friction.",
  "diagnostics": [],
  "examples": {},
  "source_ids": [
    "BK-003",
    "BK-010",
    "WEB-011"
  ],
  "laka": {
    "smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
    "primary_axes": [
      "scope",
      "depth",
      "magnitude",
      "reversibility"
    ]
  }
}