Simplified English

Write user-facing comments, plans, and documents in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English — short, unambiguous sentences with approved words and one meaning each — so readers understand them the first time.

When an agent writes something a person will actually read — a comment on a task, a plan, a handover document — you want that person to understand it on the first pass. This skill holds the agent to ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English: short sentences, one instruction at a time, active voice, and a controlled vocabulary where each word carries a single meaning.

This is an optional catalog skill — opt-in (install when you need it). For how to install, audit, update, assign, and reset catalog skills, see the Skills reference.

When to use

• Your readers include people who work in a second language, and ambiguity costs them time.
• An agent writes plans, comments, or documents that humans act on directly.
• You want a consistent house style for user-facing writing across a team of agents.

When not to use

• The output is code, config, or machine-read data rather than prose for a reader.
• The surface needs marketing voice or narrative flourish — a controlled vocabulary works against that.

Catalog metadata

File inventory

Full skill definition

Skill frontmatter

• name: simplified-english
• description: Write user-facing comments, plans, and documents in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English — short, unambiguous sentences with approved words and one meaning each — so readers understand them the first time.
• key: paperclipai/optional/content/simplified-english
• recommendedForRoles:
  • engineer
  • product
  • writer
  • devrel
• tags:
  • writing
  • communication
  • clarity
  • style

Skill instructions

Simplified English

For user-facing comments, plans, and documents, write using only ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English.

Core rules

• Use short sentences (procedures ≤ 20 words, descriptions ≤ 25 words).
• Give one instruction per sentence.
• Use approved words with one meaning each; avoid synonyms and jargon.
• Use the active voice and the present tense.
• Use articles ("the", "a") and do not drop words to save space.
• Write positive instructions; avoid negative or vague qualifiers.
• Keep paragraphs to one topic.

Approved words

The approved words are the ASD-STE100 controlled vocabulary — the Dictionary in the current ASD-STE100 specification, plus the technical names and technical verbs that your subject needs. When a word is not approved, use the simplest common word that has one meaning. Prefer these house choices:

• "start" / "stop" (not "initiate", "commence", "terminate", "kill")
• "make" (not "implement", "leverage", "utilize")
• "before" / "after" (not "prior to", "subsequent to")
• "about" (not "regarding", "in relation to")
• "help" (not "facilitate")
• "use" (not "utilize", "employ")

See also

• Optional skills — all optional catalog skills grouped by category.
• Skills reference — file shape, install pipeline, catalog browse/install/audit/update/reset, assignment, and troubleshooting.
• App-shipped catalog — how bundled and optional catalog skills are versioned and kept current.
• Skills guide — the UI walkthrough and built-in catalog overview.