Bow Tie Kreative Writing System
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Rules / syntax

SYN-010 Heuristic layer: clause

Convert avoidable nominalizations

IF an abstract noun hides a clear actor and action AND the noun is not a stable technical term, THEN convert it to a verb ELSE retain.

Why the rule exists

Verbs often expose agency and reduce unnecessary support words.

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.nominalization_count gt 0
    • clause.actor_hidden eq true
    • clause.nominalization_is_term eq false

Facts this rule reads

PathSource
clause.nominalization_count Derived from text
clause.actor_hidden You supply it
clause.nominalization_is_term You supply it

Then

  1. convert — target clause.nominalization

Else

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

Test cases

TST-007 · [object Object]

Before
The implementation of the update was performed by the team.
After
The team implemented the update.
Reason
Actor and action become visible.

LAKA

Smallest sufficient intervention
Yes
Primary axes

Sources

  • The Elements of Style — William Strunk Jr.; E. B. White
    Conciseness, conventional usage, and composition principles.
  • On Writing Well — William Zinsser
    Clarity, simplicity, voice, and nonfiction craft.
  • Principles of plain language — Digital.gov / U.S. General Services Administration link
    Design content so the intended audience can find, understand, and use it.
  • Microsoft Writing Style Guide — Microsoft link
    Warm, clear, concise, helpful technical communication.
The raw rule record

Verbatim from 09-syntax-and-sentence-rules.json. Also available at /v1/rules/SYN-010.

{
  "id": "SYN-010",
  "name": "Convert avoidable nominalizations",
  "domain": "syntax",
  "layer": "clause",
  "strength": "heuristic",
  "human_logic": "IF an abstract noun hides a clear actor and action AND the noun is not a stable technical term, THEN convert it to a verb ELSE retain.",
  "when": {
    "all": [
      {
        "path": "clause.nominalization_count",
        "operator": "gt",
        "value": 0
      },
      {
        "path": "clause.actor_hidden",
        "operator": "eq",
        "value": true
      },
      {
        "path": "clause.nominalization_is_term",
        "operator": "eq",
        "value": false
      }
    ]
  },
  "then": [
    {
      "action": "convert",
      "target": "clause.nominalization",
      "to": "actor_plus_active_verb"
    }
  ],
  "else": [
    {
      "action": "retain",
      "target": "current_text",
      "reason": "No triggering condition is present."
    }
  ],
  "unless": [],
  "because": "Verbs often expose agency and reduce unnecessary support words.",
  "diagnostics": [],
  "examples": {},
  "source_ids": [
    "BK-001",
    "BK-013",
    "WEB-002",
    "WEB-004"
  ],
  "laka": {
    "smallest_sufficient_intervention": true,
    "primary_axes": [
      "scope",
      "depth",
      "magnitude",
      "reversibility"
    ]
  }
}

Other syntax rules

  1. SYN-001 Complete clause for formal prose IF a unit is presented as a formal prose sentence AND lacks an independent clause, THEN attach it, complete it, or label it as a fragment ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  2. SYN-002 Separate fused independent clauses IF adjacent independent clauses have no valid boundary, THEN add a coordinator and punctuation, a semicolon, or a period ELSE retain. Hard constraint
  3. SYN-003 Prefer visible actor–action order IF the reader must act or identify responsibility AND no stronger reason favors passive voice, THEN place the actor before the action ELSE retain. Context default
  4. SYN-004 Use passive voice for a reason IF a clause is passive, THEN retain it only when the receiver is the topic, the actor is unknown or irrelevant, blame should be softened, or domain convention requires it ELSE convert to active. Context default
  5. SYN-005 Put conditions before instructions IF an instruction applies only under a condition, THEN state the condition before the imperative ELSE give the action directly. Context default
  6. SYN-006 One principal action per procedural step IF a step contains multiple independently verifiable actions, THEN split them into ordered steps ELSE retain a tightly coupled action. Context default
  7. SYN-007 Limit nested clauses for general audiences IF clause nesting exceeds two levels AND the audience is not expert-only, THEN split or promote a buried clause ELSE retain necessary complexity. Heuristic
  8. SYN-008 Given information before new information IF a sentence introduces new information before the anchor it depends on, THEN reorder from shared context to new contribution ELSE retain a deliberate surprise. Heuristic