Every rule, and how hard it binds

20 rules match. Clear filters

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
9. SYN-009 End-weight complex material IF a long complex phrase separates subject from verb OR delays the core relation, THEN move that weight later when meaning permits ELSE retain. Heuristic
10. SYN-010 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. Heuristic
11. SYN-011 Remove empty openings IF THERE IS/IT IS delays a concrete subject without serving information structure, THEN make the concrete subject the grammatical subject ELSE retain. Heuristic
12. SYN-012 Preserve logical connector meaning IF two propositions are joined, THEN choose a connector whose relation matches addition, contrast, cause, condition, concession, sequence, example, or result ELSE state the relation explicitly. Hard constraint
13. SYN-013 Coordinate equals; subordinate dependencies IF two ideas have equal rhetorical rank, THEN coordinate them; IF one supplies cause, condition, time, concession, or support, THEN subordinate it ELSE use separate sentences. Context default
14. SYN-014 Avoid ambiguous scope of only, not, and even IF a focusing or negative operator can modify more than one constituent, THEN move it directly before the intended scope ELSE retain. Hard constraint
15. SYN-015 Resolve misplaced relative clause IF a relative clause can attach to the wrong noun, THEN move it beside the intended antecedent or repeat the noun ELSE retain. Hard constraint
16. SYN-016 Keep correlative pairs balanced IF BOTH/AND, EITHER/OR, NEITHER/NOR, or NOT ONLY/BUT ALSO joins items, THEN place each half before parallel units ELSE retain. Hard constraint
17. SYN-017 Avoid accidental garden paths IF the opening strongly invites a wrong parse that must be revised later, THEN add a boundary, determiner, complementizer, or reorder ELSE retain intentional suspense. Heuristic
18. SYN-018 Match sentence force to intent IF the intended speech act is command, question, assertion, offer, or warning, THEN select a grammatical form that makes that act clear ELSE request intent. Hard constraint
19. SYN-019 Use fragments deliberately IF a fragment improves pace, voice, emphasis, dialogue realism, headline force, or UI economy AND its meaning is recoverable, THEN allow it ELSE complete it. Creative option
20. SYN-020 Split overloaded sentences by proposition IF a sentence contains more than three major propositions OR more than one unrelated rhetorical move, THEN split at the strongest logical boundary ELSE retain. Heuristic