error · Section 6: Descriptive writing
Rule 6.6: No paragraph may have more than six sentences
Limit each paragraph in descriptive text to a maximum of six sentences. If a paragraph would require more than six sentences, divide it into two or more smaller paragraphs, each covering a distinct part of the topic.
What a checker looks for
A clear deviation from the rule.
- Count the sentences in each paragraph and flag any paragraph with more than six sentences.
- For a flagged paragraph, identify the point where the topic narrows or shifts, since that is the natural split point (see rule 6.5).
What this rule does not cover
- How a vertical-list item counts toward sentence-length limits is governed by rule 8.4, not this rule — do not apply a separate list-counting assumption here.
How to fix it
Divide the over-length paragraph into two or more smaller paragraphs at a logical topic boundary, giving each new paragraph its own topic sentence (rule 6.4) and no more than six sentences.
Constraints on the fix
- Keep any item numbering or part-number labels (e.g., '(25)', '(27)') unchanged when redistributing sentences.
Examples
Not STE: The shut-off valve operates in the valve body (21). The valve body (21) has an aluminum alloy ball (27), a retaining ring (31), two seals (26), and a spring (25). The spring (25) holds the ball (27) in position to prevent internal leakage. The preformed packings (18), (2) and (30) are installed on the seals (26), the shaft (28), and in the valve body. They prevent external leakage. One of the two seals (26), on which the spring (25) operates, has the function of a relief valve. It operates when the pressure applied in the opposite direction is more than a set value.
STE: The shut-off valve operates in the valve body (21). The valve body (21) has an aluminum alloy ball (27), a retaining ring (31), two seals (26), and a spring (25). The spring (25) holds the ball (27) in position to prevent internal leakage. The preformed packings (18), (2) and (30) are installed on the seals (26), the shaft (28), and in the valve body. They prevent external leakage. One of the two seals (26), on which the spring (25) operates, has the function of a relief valve. It operates when the pressure applied in the opposite direction is more than a set value.
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.
- Explainability
Descriptive writing rules exist so that a description can be verified against the thing described. The same demand, made of a model. - 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 6 - Descriptive writing, page 1-6-7.
This page is commentary and does not reproduce the standard. About this rule pack.