error · Section 3: Verbs
Rule 3.4: Do not use auxiliary verbs to make complex verb constructions
Do not build complex verb constructions with auxiliary verbs used as the main verb of a perfect tense or a passive/modal construction — for example 'have/has' plus a past participle to form a perfect tense, or 'is/are/can/must/will' plus a past participle to form a modal or passive construction where the participle functions as the action verb, not as an adjective. This does not cover a past participle used purely as an adjective (rule 3.3) or the narrow permitted descriptive passive with a genuinely unknown agent (rule 3.6) — those are separate, permitted constructions that happen to share the same surface 'be + past participle' form. These disallowed constructions produce non-approved tenses and passive-voice sentences. Instead, identify the true agent of the action and use it as the subject of an approved simple tense (see rule 3.2), or use the imperative for procedural instructions.
What a checker looks for
A clear deviation from the rule.
- Flag 'have/has + past participle' (present perfect, e.g. 'has adjusted') and other auxiliary + past-participle combinations that create a perfect tense.
- Flag modal or auxiliary passive constructions such as 'is to be installed,' 'can be adjusted,' 'must be adjusted,' 'will be adjusted by.'
- Flag these constructions even when combined across a full sentence, e.g. 'The seat is to be installed before you install the cushion.'
What this rule does not cover
- A past participle used purely as an adjective after 'to be/become/stay' (rule 3.3) is not a violation of this rule — only participles functioning as the main verb of a complex tense or passive construction are.
- When the text or context names the actual agent (e.g. 'The robot will adjust the sleeve.'), keep that agent as the subject — do not replace a stated agent with 'you'/'we'.
How to fix it
First identify whether the actual agent is stated or clearly implied by context (e.g. an operator, a robot, a named system) and, if so, make that agent the grammatical subject in a simple approved tense. Use 'you' only when the reader is genuinely the agent, and 'we' only when the writer's organization genuinely is. If no agent is supported by the context, do not fabricate one — convert to the imperative for procedural instructions, or, for descriptive text with a truly unknown agent, use an allowed descriptive passive (rule 3.6) instead of inventing 'you'/'we'.
Constraints on the fix
- Do not invent an agent that is not supported by the context.
- Never default to 'you'/'we' as a fallback when the agent is unknown — prefer an allowed descriptive passive in that case.
Examples
Not STE: The operator has adjusted the linkage.
STE: The operator adjusted the linkage.
Not STE: The volume control can be adjusted.
STE: You can adjust the volume control.
Related rules
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.
- Testing AI systems
Verb-form rules are deterministic tests, which is what makes them a useful regression suite for generated text. - Model drift, performance regression and versioning
A rule-level pass rate is a baseline; a provider update that changes the model changes the pass rate. - 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 3 - Verbs, page 1-3-3.
This page is commentary and does not reproduce the standard. About this rule pack.