error · Section 9: Writing practices
Rule 9.3: Do not combine approved words into phrasal verbs
Do not combine an approved verb with a preposition or particle to form a phrasal verb whose combined meaning differs from the individual approved meanings of its parts (e.g. 'put out' meaning 'extinguish'). Use the single approved word that expresses the intended meaning instead. A small number of phrasal verbs with a restricted approved meaning (e.g. 'put on', 'come on') are dictionary exceptions and remain permitted.
What a checker looks for
A clear deviation from the rule.
- Flag a verb-plus-preposition/particle combination whose meaning is not the literal sum of the two approved words' individual approved meanings (e.g. 'put out' a fire, 'give off' fumes).
- Before flagging, check the combination against the small set of dictionary-approved phrasal-verb exceptions (e.g. 'put on', 'come on'); do not flag those when used with their restricted approved meaning.
What this rule does not cover
- A verb followed by a preposition used with its literal, separate physical meaning (e.g. 'put the tool on the table') is not a phrasal verb and is not a violation.
How to fix it
Replace the phrasal verb with the single approved word that carries its intended abstract meaning (e.g. 'extinguish' for 'put out' a fire, 'release' for 'give off' fumes).
Constraints on the fix
- Do not leave the phrasal verb in place even if both of its component words are individually approved — it is the combination itself that is disallowed.
Examples
Not STE: After you put out the fire, close the valve on the fire extinguisher.
STE: After you extinguish the fire, close the valve on the fire extinguisher.
Not STE: This compound can give off poisonous fumes.
STE: This compound can release poisonous fumes.
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.
- Prompt engineering
Writing practices are the closest thing the standard has to prompt guidance, and they were written for humans first. - LLM governance, operationally
The prompt is a governed artefact. This is what governing it looks like day to day. - 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 9 - Writing practices, page 1-9-7.
This page is commentary and does not reproduce the standard. About this rule pack.