warning · Section 1: Words
Rule 1.4: Use only the approved forms of verbs and adjectives
Use each approved verb only in the specific forms the dictionary lists for it (typically infinitive/imperative, simple present, simple past, and past participle — e.g. REMOVE, REMOVES, REMOVED, REMOVED) and each approved adjective only in its dictionary-given base, comparative, and superlative forms (e.g. SLOW, SLOWER, SLOWEST). Adjectives that regularly form comparatives/superlatives with 'more'/'most' are not given separate dictionary forms, since 'more' and 'most' are themselves approved words — except where a more specific rule (e.g. rule 1.5, category 17 colors) bans comparison for that word outright.
What a checker looks for
Usually a deviation, and context can excuse it.
- Flag a verb used in an inflected form that is not one of the dictionary-listed forms for that verb (e.g. an invented or regularized form).
- Flag an adjective used in a comparative or superlative form that is neither the dictionary's given irregular form nor a regular 'more'/'most' construction — unless a more specific rule (e.g. rule 1.5 category 17) prohibits comparison for that word entirely.
What this rule does not cover
- A verb or adjective used in one of its dictionary-listed forms, or a regular adjective compared with 'more'/'most', is compliant with this rule.
- Whether a past-participle-as-adjective clearly shows who performed the action is governed by rules 3.3 and 3.4, not this rule.
- Comparative/superlative color-noun restrictions (e.g. 'blacker') are governed by rule 1.5, category 17, not this rule.
How to fix it
Replace the non-dictionary form with the correct dictionary-listed form for that verb, or use the correct base/comparative/superlative adjective form (including a regular 'more'/'most' construction where applicable, subject to category-specific bans such as rule 1.5's colors).
Constraints on the fix
- Keep the sentence's tense and meaning intact.
- Do not use this rule to police passive voice or participle-as-adjective clarity (see rules 3.3/3.4) or color comparatives (see rule 1.5) — those are governed elsewhere.
Examples
Not STE: The technician removeed the panel.
STE: The technician removed the panel.
Related rules
- Rule 1.2: Use approved words as the specified part of speech
- Rule 1.5: You can use technical nouns from approved categories
- Rule 3.1: Use only the verb forms that are given in the dictionary
- Rule 3.2: Use only approved verb forms and tenses
- Rule 3.3: Use the past participle form as an adjective
- Rule 3.4: Do not use auxiliary verbs to make complex verb constructions
Where this fits in AI governance
A rule a checker can test is a rule a model can be held to. The same discipline, on the governance side of this site.
- Hallucination
An approved word used in an unapproved sense is the controlled-language version of a plausible wrong answer. - Misinformation and confabulation
The register entry for text that reads correctly and is not. - Output validation guardrails
A controlled language is a checkable output constraint. This is the control that treats model output as something to be checked rather than trusted.
Source
ASD-STE100 Issue 9, Section 1 - Words, page 1-1-4.
This page is commentary and does not reproduce the standard. About this rule pack.