Rule 4.4: Use connecting words and phrases to link related sentences

What a checker looks for

Usually a deviation, and context can excuse it.

• In descriptive text, flag a sentence that lacks a connecting word/phrase or demonstrative-adjective link to the related idea in the sentence before it, unless the logical relationship is already unmistakable from wording alone — the positive requirement is to use these links, not merely to avoid ambiguity.
• In procedures or safety instructions, flag an explanatory sentence that lacks a connecting word or demonstrative adjective linking it back to the preceding work step, warning, or caution, unless the link is already unmistakable.
• Flag connecting words or phrases that are not approved in the STE dictionary in place of a simple approved connector.
• (Detector heuristic, non-normative) When triage capacity is limited, prioritize cases where the missing link makes the relationship genuinely unclear over cases where it is merely stylistically absent — but do not use this as a reason to skip the rule's positive requirement entirely.

What this rule does not cover

• A short sequence of simple, self-explanatory imperative work steps does not need an explicit connecting word between every step.
• A related sentence whose logical relationship to the previous one is already obvious from context and wording is compliant without an explicit connector — connecting words/phrases are one method for showing a link, not a requirement on every adjacent pair.

How to fix it

Where the logical relationship between adjacent sentences is genuinely unclear, add an approved connecting word or phrase, or a demonstrative adjective, at the start of the dependent sentence to make it explicit.

Constraints on the fix

• Use only connecting words or phrases approved in the STE dictionary.
• Keep the linked sentences separate — do not merge them into a single sentence.
• Do not insert a connector into every adjacent sentence pair regardless of need.