Bow Tie Kreative Writing System
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Rules / punctuation

PUN-020 Hard constraint layer: sentence

Punctuation preserves hierarchy

IF nested structures use indistinguishable boundaries, THEN assign stronger marks to higher-level divisions OR split the sentence ELSE retain.

Why the rule exists

Readers use punctuation strength to reconstruct grouping and relation.

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.

  • sentence.boundary_hierarchy_clear eq false

Facts this rule reads

PathSource
sentence.boundary_hierarchy_clear You supply it

Then

  1. restructure — target sentence.boundaries
  2. split — target sentence

Else

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

LAKA

Smallest sufficient intervention
Yes
Primary axes

Sources

  • The Sense of Style — Steven Pinker
    Reader-centered clarity informed by linguistics and cognition.
  • Eats, Shoots & Leaves — Lynne Truss
    Punctuation and the effect of marks on meaning.
  • Grammar, Punctuation, and Sentence Structure — Purdue Online Writing Lab link
    Practical mechanics, clause, sentence, punctuation, and style guidance.
The raw rule record

Verbatim from 08-punctuation-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/PUN-020.

{
  "id": "PUN-020",
  "name": "Punctuation preserves hierarchy",
  "domain": "punctuation",
  "layer": "sentence",
  "strength": "hard_constraint",
  "human_logic": "IF nested structures use indistinguishable boundaries, THEN assign stronger marks to higher-level divisions OR split the sentence ELSE retain.",
  "when": {
    "path": "sentence.boundary_hierarchy_clear",
    "operator": "eq",
    "value": false
  },
  "then": [
    {
      "action": "restructure",
      "target": "sentence.boundaries",
      "order": [
        "comma",
        "semicolon",
        "period"
      ]
    },
    {
      "action": "split",
      "target": "sentence",
      "when": "hierarchy_still_unclear"
    }
  ],
  "else": [
    {
      "action": "retain",
      "target": "current_text",
      "reason": "No triggering condition is present."
    }
  ],
  "unless": [],
  "because": "Readers use punctuation strength to reconstruct grouping and relation.",
  "diagnostics": [],
  "examples": {},
  "source_ids": [
    "BK-008",
    "BK-009",
    "WEB-011"
  ],
  "laka": {
    "smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
    "primary_axes": [
      "scope",
      "depth",
      "magnitude",
      "reversibility"
    ]
  }
}

Other punctuation rules

  1. PUN-001 Terminate complete sentences IF a prose sentence is complete, THEN end it with a mark matching statement, direct question, or strong exclamation ELSE keep it joined to its governing structure. Hard constraint
  2. PUN-002 No comma splice IF two independent clauses are joined only by a comma, THEN add a coordinator, use a semicolon, or make two sentences ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  3. PUN-003 Comma before coordinating conjunction IF a coordinating conjunction joins two independent clauses, THEN place a comma before it unless the clauses are very short and unambiguous ELSE retain. Context default
  4. PUN-004 Comma after introductory material IF introductory material is long, clausal, or potentially misread, THEN add a comma before the main clause ELSE use the lightest mark that preserves clarity. Context default
  5. PUN-005 Set off nonrestrictive material IF a modifier adds nonessential information rather than identifying the referent, THEN set it off with paired punctuation ELSE do not set it off. Hard constraint
  6. PUN-006 Do not isolate restrictive material IF a modifier identifies which person or thing is meant, THEN remove punctuation that falsely marks it as optional ELSE evaluate as nonrestrictive. Hard constraint
  7. PUN-007 Serial comma follows declared style IF a series contains three or more coordinated items, THEN apply the selected serial-comma policy consistently AND add a comma when omission causes ambiguity ELSE retain. Context default
  8. PUN-008 Semicolon joins related independent clauses IF two independent clauses are closely related AND no coordinator is used, THEN a semicolon is available ELSE choose another boundary. Context default