Term checker rules for ASD-STE100 issue 8

Archive: Term checker rules for ASD-STE100 issue 7.

ASD-STE100 issue 8 rules

The term checker is not a grammar checker. Before you use the term checker, make sure that the text is correct English. The term checker finds many ASD-STE100 errors in text that does not conform to standard English grammar, but it does not find all errors.

ASD-STE100 issue 8 rules that the term checker verifies
Rule number	Summary of rule	In term checker	Comment
1.1	Use approved words from the dictionary, technical names (TNs), and technical verbs (TVs).	Yes	The term checker finds unapproved terms, approved terms that possibly are used incorrectly, and unknown terms. You must add your organization's technical names and technical verbs to the term checker.
1.2	Use an approved dictionary word only with the approved part of speech.	Yes, with limits	Most of the part-of-speech rules are for nouns and verbs. If an approved adjective is used as a noun, the term checker does not give a warning. For example, for the sentence, "When a general tells you to ...", the term checker does not give a warning about the noun general. For problems of disambiguation, refer to Use a word only with the approved part of speech (rule 1.2).
1.3	Use an approved word only with its approved meaning.	Yes	Refer to Use a word with its approved meaning (rule 1.3).
1.4	Use only the approved forms of verbs and adjectives.	Yes
1.5	Use words that that you can include in a technical name category.	Yes	The term checker includes a set of basic technical names. Rules in rulegroup STE_RULE_1_5_POSSIBLE_TN find possible 2-word technical names and 3-word technical names (refer to Use technical names: noun clusters (rule 1.5 and rule 2.1)). Use these rules to help you to find the technical names that you use for your projects. Add your technical names to disambiguation-projectterms.xml.
1.6	Use an unapproved word only if it is a technical name or part of a technical name.	Yes
1.7	Do not use a technical name as a verb.	Yes
1.8	Use technical names that agree with the approved nomenclature.	Yes	Refer to the comment for rule 1.5.
1.9	When you must select a technical name, use one which is short and easy to understand.	No	Refer to the comment for rule 1.5. Although the term checker finds possible 2-word technical names and 3-word technical names, it cannot help you to select your organization's technical names. Select the technical names and the unapproved alternatives before you start to write the technical documentation. Refer to Case study: text simplification for shipping procedures.
1.10	Do not use slang or jargon words as technical names.	Yes	The term checker finds all slang and jargon words because they are not approved or they are unknown. ASD-STE100 rule 1.10 has this example: Remove your gear from the work area. The noun gear is approved as a project term in disambiguation-projectterms.xml. The noun gear is not slang or jargon, but it is used incorrectly in the example. It is possible to use most approved words incorrectly (refer to Use a word with its approved meaning (rule 1.3)). If necessary, make a project rule that tells writers to use the word gear with its approved meaning.
1.11	Do not use different technical names for the same thing.	Yes	To identify this problem, you must add the unapproved alternatives to grammar-projectterms.xml. For examples, refer to rulegroup `PROJECT_RULE_1_11` in `grammar-projectterms.xml`.
1.12	Use words that that you can include in a technical verb category.	Yes	The term checker includes a set of basic TVs. You must add other technical verbs to disambiguation-projectterms.xml.
1.13	Do not use a technical verb as a noun.	Yes
1.14	Use American English spelling (unless other official directives tell you differently).	Yes, with limits	Refer to Use American English spelling (unless other official directives tell you differently) (rule 1.14).
2.1	Write noun clusters of not more than 3 nouns.	Yes
2.2	When a technical name has more than three words, write it in full. Then simplify it as follows: Give a shorter name. Use hyphens.	Yes, with limits	The term checker does not clarify noun clusters automatically. For each long noun cluster, add the approved term to disambiguation-projectterms.xml and add the unapproved term to grammar-projectterms.xml.
2.3	When applicable, use an article or a demonstrative adjective before a noun.	Yes	Refer to When applicable, use an article or demonstrative adjective before a noun (rule 2.3).
3.1	Use only those forms of the verb that are given in the dictionary.	Yes
3.2	Use the approved forms of the verb to make only: infinitive, imperative, simple present tense, simple past tense, past participle as an adjective, future tense.	Yes
3.3	Use the past participle as an adjective.	Yes, with limits	The term checker has a rule only for get + past participle. You can also use the past participle as a verb because you can use the passive voice (rule 3.6).
3.4	Do not use helping verbs to make complex verb structures.	Yes
3.5	Use the '-ing' form of a verb only as technical name or as a modifier in a technical name.	Yes	A verb cannot be a noun. "the '-ing' form of a verb" means "the '-ing' form of a word".
3.6	Use only the active voice in procedural writing. Use the active voice as much as possible in descriptive writing.	Yes	The term checker does not identify procedural text and descriptive text. The rule finds the passive voice in all sentences. Refer to Use only the active voice in procedural writing (rule 3.6)
3.7	Use an approved verb to describe an action (not a noun or other part of speech).	Yes	Refer to Use an approved verb to describe an action (not a noun or other part of speech) (rule 3.7).
4.1	Write short and clear sentences.	No
4.2	Do not omit words or use contractions to make your sentences shorter.	Yes, with limits	The term checker finds contractions, for example, don't and isn't, but it does not find omissions.
4.3	Use a vertical list for complex text.	No
4.4	Use connecting words and phrases to connect sentences that contain related topics.	No
5.1	Write short sentences.	No
5.2	Write only one instruction in each sentence unless two or more actions occur at the same time.	No
5.3	Write instructions in the imperative (command) form.	Yes, with limits	The term checker finds unapproved verb structures (rule 3.2), complex verb structures (rule 3.4), and passive voice (rule 3.6). Thus, if an instruction does not use the imperative form, the term checker usually finds the incorrect verb form. The term checker does not find an instruction that has this structure: You + modal verb + verb base. Example: You must open the door.
5.4	When you start an instruction with a descriptive statement, divide that statement from the command with a comma.	No
5.5	Write notes only to give information, not instructions.	No
Section 6	Descriptive writing	No
7.1	Use an applicable word to identify the level of risk.	Yes	Rule 7.1 uses WARNING and CAUTION, but the rule tells you that other words are possible. Thus, the rule must be a project rule. Refer to rule `PROJECT_RULE_7_1` in grammar-projectterms.xml. If necessary, change the terms in the rules in this rulegroup.
7.2	Start a safety instruction with a clear and simple command or condition.	No
7.3	Give an explanation to show the specific risk or possible result.	No
8.1	Use all standard English punctuation marks except the semicolon (;).	Yes
8.2	Use hyphens (-) to connect closely related words.	Yes	Refer to Use hyphens (-) to connect closely related words (rule 8.2).
8.3	You can use parentheses.	No	The term checker does not have an STE rule for parentheses because rule 8.3 gives no examples of the incorrect use of parentheses. But refer to the Global English Style Guide rule 8.8.6.
8.4	In a vertical list, a colon has the same effect on word count as a full stop.	No
8.5	When you put text in parentheses, it counts as one word in the sentence.	No
8.6	Count each of these as one word:	No
8.7	Hyphenated words count as one word.	No
9.1	Use a different construction to write a sentence when a word-for-word replacement is not sufficient.	No	The term checker cannot tell you how to rewrite text.
9.2	Use each approved word correctly.	Yes, with limits	The term checker helps you, but it cannot make sure that you use a word correctly. Rule 9.2 is not necessary, because it gives the same information that is in rule 1.2, rule 1.3, and rule 9.3.
9.3	When you use two words together, do not make phrasal verbs.	Yes, with limits	The term checker finds some phrasal verbs. Refer to When you use two words together, do not make phrasal verbs (rule 9.3).
9.4	When you select terminology or wording, always use a consistent style.	No	The term checker does not have authoring memory.
GR-1	The conjunction 'that'	Yes, with limits	The rule is available only for the verb MAKE SURE.
GR-2	The preposition 'with'	Yes
GR-3	How to use pronouns	No
GR-4	The pronoun 'this'	Yes	Refer to The pronoun "this" (GR-4).
GR-5	False friends	Yes, with limits	The term checker does not have a rule for GR-5. Unknown terms that are false friends are found by rule 1.1. ASD-STE100 gives the example disposition, but the term is not approved in the dictionary. If a false friend is an approved term, add a grammar rule in grammar-projectterms.xml to tell writers to use the word correctly.
GR-6	Latin abbreviations	Yes	Abbreviations that are 2 or more characters are found by rule 1.1. Most rules for GR-6 are for terms that have a letter and a full stop. Examples: c.f., e.g., v.v.

Compare the rules in the TechScribe term checker for ASD-STE100 to the Supported Rules Within the ASD-STE100 Specification for Acrolinx.

Global English Style Guide rules

The term checker includes rules that are derived from The Global English Style Guide by John R Kohl, used with permission.

Guidelines from The Global English Style Guide that the term checker uses
Number	Guideline	In term checker	Comment
3.12	Write positively	Yes, with limits	Only for approved adjectives and approved adverbs that contain a prefix of negation and that have the word not in front of the word. Examples: not unusual, not incorrect, not impossible (impossible is not-approved, but possible is approved).
8.1	Ampersands	Yes
8.8.6	Do not use (s) to form plural nouns	Yes	Although STE rule 8.3 lets you use (s), to make translation as easy as possible, do not use (s).
9.17	Eliminate wordy phrases	Yes

Refer also to

The Global English Style Guide: a review

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