What it does. Writes text in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE), Issue 9, the controlled language standard for technical documentation. Use it when the user asks for STE, Simplified Technical English, ASD-STE100, or a controlled language, or wants clear technical documentation, procedures, or manuals. From cfcosta/writing-styles, listed on Agent skills.


Upstream	cfcosta/writing-styles
Skill file	asd-ste100/SKILL.md
License	MIT
Author	Cainã Costa (cfcosta)
Fetched	2026-09-10

Install

npx skills add cfcosta/writing-styles --skill writing-styles: asd-ste100, or copy the skill folder into ~/.claude/skills/writing-styles: asd-ste100/.
Raw file: curl -sL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/cfcosta/writing-styles/HEAD/asd-ste100/SKILL.md

SKILL.md (verbatim)

name: asd-ste100
description: Writes text in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (STE), Issue 9, the controlled language standard for technical documentation. Use it when the user asks for STE, Simplified Technical English, ASD-STE100, or a controlled language, or wants clear technical documentation, procedures, or manuals.

ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English (Issue 9)

STE is a controlled natural language and an international standard for technical documentation. Its writing rules (Part 1) have 9 sections that contain 53 rules. Its dictionary (Part 2) gives 875 approved words and alternatives for words that are not approved. This skill tells you how to apply the rules and the dictionary when you write.

When to use

Apply this skill when you write or rewrite technical documentation in STE. STE has two types of writing:

Procedural writing (Section 5). Procedures give instructions that tell the reader how to do a task. Write each instruction in the imperative (command) form.
Descriptive writing (Section 6). Descriptions give information, not instructions. The imperative form is not permitted. Examples: a description of a system, a report, or a note in a procedure.

How to write STE

Identify the type of text: procedural (Section 5) or descriptive (Section 6).
Select the words. Obey the word-selection flow in references/word-selection.md. When you do not know if a word is approved, find it in the dictionary files:
- Approved words: grep -i "^ACCESS " references/dictionary-approved.md
- Words that are not approved: grep -i "^accomplish " references/dictionary-unapproved.md
Apply the core limits in the table below.
Apply all 53 rules in references/writing-rules.md.
Write the safety instructions. Obey Section 7 and the "Safety instructions" section below.
Do a check of your text with the checklist below.

Core limits

These limits always apply. The rule numbers refer to Part 1 of the standard.

Limit	Rule
Maximum 20 words in each sentence of a procedure (safety instructions included)	5.1
Maximum 25 words in each sentence of descriptive text	6.3
Maximum 25 words in each sentence of a note	5.5
Maximum of six sentences in each paragraph	6.6
Multi-word nouns of no more than three words	2.1
Only the approved verb forms and tenses: infinitive, imperative, simple present, simple past, simple future, past participle (as an adjective)	3.2
Use the active voice. In descriptive writing, the passive voice is permitted only if the agent is unknown	3.6
Only one instruction in each sentence, unless two or more actions occur at the same time	5.2
No semicolon (;)	8.1
In a vertical list, a colon (:) has the same effect on word count as a period	8.4
Text in parentheses counts as one word in its sentence	8.5
These count as one word each: numbers, numbers with units, abbreviations, alphanumeric identifiers, quoted text, titles, headings, placard text, and proper nouns	8.6
Hyphenated words count as one word	8.7
When applicable, use an article (the, a, an) or a demonstrative adjective (this, these) before a noun or a multi-word noun	4.5

Safety instructions

A warning tells the reader that there is a risk of injury or death. A caution tells the reader that there is a risk of damage to objects (Section 7, Definitions). If the two levels of risk occur together, use a warning (Rule 7.1). A note gives only information, not instructions (Rule 5.5). Start each safety instruction with a clear and accurate command or condition (Rule 7.2). Then give an explanation to show the risk or possible result (Rule 7.3).

Check your text

Make sure that your text obeys these rules:

Each word is approved in the dictionary, a technical noun, or a technical verb (1.1).
Each approved word keeps its approved part of speech and meaning (1.2, 1.3).
Verbs use only the approved forms and tenses (3.2). The voice is active (3.6).
Instructions use the imperative form (5.3). Each sentence has only one instruction (5.2).
Sentences obey the limits: 20 words in procedures (5.1), 25 words in descriptions (6.3) and notes (5.5).
Each paragraph has one topic (6.5) and a maximum of six sentences (6.6).
Each multi-word noun has a maximum of three words (2.1).
The text has no semicolons (8.1). Word counts obey rules 8.4 thru 8.7.
Notes give information only, not instructions (5.5).
Each safety instruction shows the risk level, a command or condition, and an explanation (7.1 thru 7.3).
Articles and demonstrative adjectives come before nouns, when applicable (4.5).

References

references/writing-rules.md — The 53 writing rules with explanations and examples. Read it when you apply the rules to your text.
references/word-selection.md — The procedure to select words correctly. Read it before you select or replace words.
references/dictionary-approved.md — The 875 approved words with their approved meanings. Find a word here to make sure that it is approved.
references/dictionary-unapproved.md — The 1274 words that are not approved. Find a word here to see its approved alternatives.

Scope: this skill does not cover GR-7 (inclusive language) because the user excluded it.

Other files in this skill

BUILD-REPORT.md (verbatim)

Build report — asd-ste100 skill

Built 2026-07-21 from ASD-STE100_ISSUE9.pdf (434 pages, Issue 9, issue date 2025-01-15). Method: two multi-agent workflows — one to read the spec in batch parts (27 agents, ~1.46M tokens, 13 min), one to write, fact-check, fix, and audit the skill (19 agents, ~1.58M tokens, 44 min). Every factual claim in the skill was verified against the extracted spec text; 1,263 claims/entries were checked in total.

User constraint honored throughout: GR-7 (Inclusive language) content is excluded. Only its existence is recorded (see "GR-7 exclusion" below).

Stage 0 — Extraction (orchestrator)

pdfinfo showed 434 pages (the file's embedded metadata wrongly claimed 33). The PDF is encrypted (copy: no) but text extraction is permitted.
pdftotext -layout extracted all 434 pages, split into 26 chunks aligned to the document structure:
- r1–r7: Part 1 front matter + writing rules, Sections 1–9 (pdf 1–130; internal pages HI-1..SRI-4, i–viii, 1-1-1..1-9-14).
- r8: Part 2 Dictionary introduction (pdf 131–148; pages 2-0-3..2-0-19).
- d01–d18: Part 2 word list A–Z (pdf 149–434; pages 2-1-A1 onward), ~16 pdf pages per chunk.
Three graphics that pdftotext cannot extract were rendered to PNG at 150 dpi and transcribed by hand (see "Graphics supplement").

Stage 1 — Reading workflow (`ste100-read`, 27 Opus agents)

Eight rule readers, one per chunk. Each read its chunk top to bottom, extracted every rule statement with details and Non-STE/STE example pairs, scanned for inclusive-language content (skipped where found, per the constraint), and logged anomalies:

Reader	Spec coverage	What it extracted
r1	Highlights HI-1..HI-6, TOC, Subject-to-rule index SRI-1..SRI-4, General introduction i–viii	Issue 9 change log, complete subject index (GR-7 row skipped), full general introduction, history table, 13-entry bibliography
r2	Section 1 (Words), pages 1-1-1..1-1-18	Rules 1.1–1.14, all 22 technical-noun categories (Rule 1.5), all 4 technical-verb categories (Rule 1.12)
r3	Sections 2–3, pages 1-2-1..1-3-10	Rules 2.1–2.2 (multi-word nouns), 3.1–3.7 (verbs, active voice, the four passive-to-active methods)
r4	Section 4 (Sentences), pages 1-4-1..1-4-10	Rules 4.1–4.5 incl. the vertical-list checklist and article rules
r5	Sections 5–6, pages 1-5-1..1-6-8	Rules 5.1–5.5 (procedural, 20-word limit), 6.1–6.6 (descriptive, 25-word limit, 6-sentence paragraphs)
r6	Sections 7–8, pages 1-7-1..1-8-8	Rules 7.1–7.3 (warning/caution/note), 8.1–8.7 (punctuation and the word-count conventions)
r7	Section 9, pages 1-9-1..1-9-14	Rules 9.1–9.4 and GR-1..GR-8; GR-7 (page 1-9-12) recorded as a one-line skip note only
r8	Dictionary introduction, pages 2-0-3..2-0-19	875/1274 word counts, 4-column format, 8 parts of speech, 4 verb types, 4 Help categories, 39 recurring errors, 208 approved verbs (per-letter subtotals re-summed)

Eighteen dictionary readers (d01–d18) transcribed the A–Z word list: UPPERCASE headwords = approved (with meanings), lowercase = not approved (with approved alternatives), preserving part-of-speech tags and (TN)/(TV) markers. Each verified its batch opened and closed on complete entries (no truncation at chunk boundaries).

One synthesis agent built map.md: verified the rule inventory (14+2+7+5+5+6+3+7+4 = 53 rules, matching the General introduction's own "9 sections that contain 53 rules"), checked all 17 alphabetical junctions between dictionary batches for contiguity (A "A (art)" through Z "zero", no gaps), and reconciled counts: 879 approved / 1,319 not-approved entry lines vs the spec's claimed 875 / 1,274 words — the delta is per-part-of-speech row counting (confirmed by independent recount in Stage 2: 1,257 distinct not-approved headwords + 62 extra multi-POS lines = 1,319).

Graphics supplement

Three items exist only as graphics in the PDF and were rendered + transcribed separately:

"How to select words correctly" flowchart (page 2-0-16, pdf 144) — the 6-step decision flow now in references/word-selection.md.
Rule 1.5 category 9 symbols (page 1-1-7, pdf 51) — confirmed ° (degree), Ω (ohm), ″ (arc-second) in the example list.
Rule 3.6 passive-to-active diagram (page 1-3-7, pdf 73) — the agent/subject inversion (Method 1), described in the Rule 3.6 entry.

Stage 2 — Writing workflow (`ste100-write-skill`, 19 Opus agents)

Five files drafted in parallel, each then fact-checked by dedicated checkers, each finding re-verified against the spec text by a fixer before any edit. 13 findings total: 12 applied, 1 rejected with evidence.

SKILL.md (82 lines) — drafted from the digests of the General introduction, Sections 5–8, and the dictionary introduction; the prose is written in STE itself (imperative instructions, active voice, 20/25-word limits, no semicolons, no contractions, recurring-error words avoided). Two checkers verified 52 factual claims and 56 style/sentence claims. 1 finding: line 82 used a reduced passive ("…, excluded on user instruction") with a known agent, violating Rules 3.6 and 3.3 (pages 1-3-6..1-3-8) — rewritten in active voice.

references/writing-rules.md (458 lines) — all 53 rules with normative statements, condensed details, and one example pair each; Rule 1.5's 22 categories; Rule 1.12's 4 categories; GR-1..GR-8; subject-to-rule index (Appendix A); Issue 9 changes (Appendix B). Three checkers verified 515 claims. 5 findings, all applied:

CRITICAL: Appendix A still contained the "Inclusive language | 9 – GR-7" row (spec SRI-2) — deleted per the user constraint.
Rule 4.3 list-marker set: spec's normative set is "a number, letter, punctuation mark, or symbol" (page 1-4-4); dash/bullet are only examples — reworded.
Rule 4.3 checklist was missing the spec bullet "use an article before the noun that is the subject of each item" (page 1-4-4) — inserted.
Rule 3.7 ohmmeter pair is labeled "Do not write:/WRITE:" in the spec (page 1-3-9; both sentences are STE, the direct verb is just clearer) — relabeled.
Rule 8.3 title truncated the second parenthesis use ("…that identify items on an illustration or in a text", page 1-8-3) — completed.

references/word-selection.md (252 lines) — the flowchart as a numbered decision list, dictionary format, verb types, Help categories, the 39 recurring errors, the 208 approved verbs (both counts machine-verified). One checker verified 384 claims. 2 findings: one applied (step 5a phrase-alternative parenthetical not in the flowchart transcription — removed); one rejected with evidence — the checker doubted the "light-bulb icon" description, but the spec states it twice ("Help (light bulb symbol)", Highlights and subject index, incl. "Part 2, applicable entries"), so the text stood.

references/dictionary-approved.md (941 lines) — 18 digests merged; 117 irregular-verb/comparative form blocks normalized into bracketed notes; 100 case fixes; every apparent alphabetical inversion checked against the spec's printed order (all matched — none "repaired"). One checker sampled 148 entry lines across 55 words letter-by-letter against the spec tables. 3 findings applied (18 line edits): 13 irregular verbs (DO, GIVE, HANG, HEAR, HIT, HOLD, KEEP, KNOW, MAKE, MAKE SURE, READ, TELL, THINK) got their spec verb forms restored; LIGHT (adj) got (LIGHTER, LIGHTEST); SUPPLY (v) and SYNCHRONIZED (adj) got their numbered meanings back.

references/dictionary-unapproved.md (1,325 lines) — merged, with the d08/d09 chunk junction at "impact" explicitly audited (no dropped or doubled row). One checker verified 108 claims incl. all 9 multi-POS headwords letter-perfect. 2 findings applied: the "perform" hint was misattributed to MEASURE instead of DO (spec page 2-1-P3); the header now states honestly that the spec introduction claims 1,274 words while the table yields 1,257 distinct headwords / 1,319 per-POS lines.

Audit — one whole-skill audit agent re-read everything against the spec: verdict clean, with 3 cosmetic residuals and zero content errors. finalFixes: 0.

Post-audit manual fixes (orchestrator)

22 lines in dictionary-unapproved.md used [TN]/[TV] inside instrument parentheticals — normalized to (TN)/(TV). Note: the spec's own typography prints [TN] when nested inside parentheses (e.g. "WITH A BOLT [TN]", page 2-1-B7); the file normalizes to (TN) because its legend reserves square brackets for rewording hints. Semantics identical.
2 lines had unspaced ellipses (IF …NOT, MAKE…SOFT) — normalized to the spec's spaced form (IF … NOT, as printed in e.g. "TIGHTEN … WITH YOUR FINGERS").
The SKILL.md Rule 8.6 table row was a 36-word cell — compressed to 22 words so the skill obeys the limit it teaches; the full rule wording remains in writing-rules.md.

GR-7 exclusion

Per user instruction, GR-7 (Inclusive language) content was not extracted, summarized, or reproduced anywhere. Locations recorded only as existence notes: GR-7 body (page 1-9-12), its Highlights change line, its subject-index row (SRI-2). Two external bibliography citations touching the topic were kept in Stage-1 digests as part of the spec's complete reference list but do not appear in the skill. The skill carries one scope line stating the exclusion.

Known deviations and spec-internal notes

Dictionary counts: the skill states the spec's own numbers (875 / 1,274) and its files' real line counts (935 / 1,319 entry lines) side by side.
Spec-internal inconsistencies recorded, rule-box wording treated as canonical: Rule 3.6 "when/if the agent is unknown" (summary vs rule box); Rule 4.3 "text/texts"; Rule 8.6 "Structural/Structure Repair Manual"; subject-index footer date 2024-04-30 vs 2025-01-15 elsewhere.
FOR EXAMPLE (approved) and such as (not approved) carry no part of speech in the spec; the files preserve that.

Inventory

File	Lines	Content
SKILL.md	82	Entry point: workflow, core limits, safety instructions, checklist
references/writing-rules.md	458	All 53 rules + GR-1..GR-8 + indexes
references/word-selection.md	252	Selection flowchart, dictionary format, recurring errors, approved verbs
references/dictionary-approved.md	941	875 approved words (935 per-POS entry lines)
references/dictionary-unapproved.md	1,325	1,274 not-approved words (1,319 per-POS entry lines) with alternatives
BUILD-LOG-reading.md	—	Unabridged per-agent Stage-1 explanations
BUILD-LOG-writing.md	—	Unabridged per-agent Stage-2 explanations (drafts, checks, fixes, audit)

references/word-selection.md (verbatim)

Word selection in STE

Source: ASD-STE100 Issue 9 (2025-01-15), Part 2 (Dictionary) Introduction, pages 2-0-3 to 2-0-19. The word-selection flowchart is the graphic on page 2-0-16.

General facts (page 2-0-3):

The dictionary gives 875 approved words — the most frequent words used in technical writing — with examples that show how to use each one correctly.
It also includes a selection of 1274 words that are not approved.
For each non-approved word there are one or more approved alternatives; for each alternative there is an example that communicates the same information correctly — either a word-for-word replacement or a different sentence construction.

Other general facts about the dictionary:

It does not include technical nouns or technical verbs as headwords, but some appear as alternatives, identified by (TN) (technical noun) or (TV) (technical verb).
Entries do not include antonyms (opposite meanings) of the listed word.
Spelling is American English as defined in Merriam-Webster's dictionary; punctuation in the examples obeys American English rules.

Illustration entries from the introduction:

AID (n) — approved; meaning "Help that is given".
accuracy (n) — not approved → PRECISION (n). STE: "THE PRECISION OF THE ADJUSTMENT CAN CHANGE." / Non-STE: "The accuracy of the adjustment can vary."

Related material stated elsewhere in the specification: Rule 1.5 (conditions to use technical nouns), Rule 1.12 (conditions to use technical verbs), Part 1, Section 1 (parts of speech), Part 1, Section 3 (verbs).

How to select words

From page 2-0-16: "STE is a controlled natural language with a restricted dictionary. As a result, it is not possible to use all the words that you want. If you are not sure about a word that you want to use, refer to this flowchart."

The complete decision flow:

Is the word in the dictionary?
- Yes → go to step 2.
- No → go to step 6.
Is the word approved? (an UPPERCASE headword)
- Yes → go to step 3.
- No → go to step 5.
Does the word have the same part of speech (as your intended use)?
- Yes → read the meaning and the related examples, then go to step 4.
- No → select the correct alternative, then go to step 5a.
Is the meaning correct (the approved meaning says what you want to say)?
- Yes → USE THE WORD. (end)
- No → do not use the word with this meaning; go to step 6.
Read the alternative, its meaning, and the related examples. Select the correct alternative, then go to step 5a.
- 5a. Does the alternative have the same part of speech?
  - Yes → do a word-for-word replacement. (end)
  - No → use a different sentence construction. (end)
Is the word a technical noun or a technical verb? (Refer to the technical noun and technical verb categories — Rules 1.5 and 1.12.)
- Yes → add the word to the project glossary with the applicable technical noun or technical verb category, then USE THE WORD. (end)
- No → DO NOT USE THE WORD. (end)

Terminal states of the flowchart:

"Use the word." (green) — reached from step 4 (approved word, correct part of speech, correct meaning) or from step 6 (technical noun/verb added to the project glossary).
"Do not use the word." (red) — reached from step 6 when the word is not in the dictionary (or its meaning is not approved) and it is not a technical noun or technical verb.
"Do a word-for-word replacement." (orange) — reached from step 5a when the selected alternative has the same part of speech.
"Use a different sentence construction." (orange) — reached from step 5a when the selected alternative has a different part of speech.

The dictionary format

The dictionary has four columns (page 2-0-3):

Column	Content
1 — Word (part of speech)	The word and its part of speech.
2 — Approved meaning/ALTERNATIVES	The approved meaning of an approved word, OR the approved alternatives for a word that is not approved.
3 — STE EXAMPLE	Examples that contain correct words and constructions in STE.
4 — Non-STE example	Examples that contain words that are not approved and constructions that are not permitted in STE.

Column 1: Word (part of speech) (pages 2-0-4 to 2-0-8)

All words are in bold typeface.
A word in UPPERCASE letters = approved; you can use it. Examples: ABRASIVE (adj) — "That can remove material by friction"; AID (n) — "Help that is given".
A word in lowercase letters = not approved; you cannot use it. Replace it with a different word or a different sentence construction. Examples: main (adj) → PRIMARY (adj); build (v) → ASSEMBLE (v) ("ASSEMBLE THE UNIT.", not "Build the unit.").
The part of speech is in parentheses with its recognized abbreviation. Use an approved word only as the specified part of speech (refer to Part 1, Section 1).

The eight parts of speech

noun (n) — the name of a person, place, object, idea, quality, or activity.
verb (v) — shows a state of being or an action; its tense (present, past, future) tells you when the action occurs.
adjective (adj) — gives details about a noun, noun phrase, or multi-word noun (type, size, color, number). Can be qualitative or quantitative, can have comparative and superlative forms, and can come before nouns or after verbs.
adverb (adv) — modifies a verb, an adjective, or a different adverb; answers "how", "where", "when", "how often", and "how much".
pronoun (pron) — replaces a noun, noun phrase, or multi-word noun.
article (art) — tells you if a noun phrase is new (indefinite = a, an) or one you already know (definite = the).
preposition (prep) — shows how a noun, noun phrase, multi-word noun, or pronoun is related to other parts of the sentence.
conjunction (conj) — a word or phrase that connects words, phrases, and clauses.

Forms of approved words

Nouns: given only in the singular form; the plural of countable nouns is permitted unless the help says differently. Some nouns that are not approved can still be technical nouns in some contexts — Rule 1.5 gives the conditions. Example: AGENT (n) — "One of a group of materials made to do a specified task".
Verbs: given only in the permitted verb forms — see "Verbs in STE" below.
Adjectives: given in the base form with the comparative and superlative forms in parentheses, e.g. SLOW (adj) (SLOWER, SLOWEST) — "MAKE SURE THAT THE MOVEMENT OF THE ELEVATORS IS SLOW." Adjectives that form their comparative/superlative with "more" and "most" do not have those forms listed (MORE and MOST are approved words).
Adverbs: frequently (but not always) made from an adjective plus "-ly" (e.g. SLOWLY (adv) — "In a slow manner"; briskly (adv) → QUICKLY (adv)). You make their comparative/superlative with "more" and "most"; those forms are not listed.

Column 2: Approved meaning/ALTERNATIVES (pages 2-0-9 to 2-0-10)

For an approved word, this column gives the approved meaning (definition). The definition text is not itself STE. If a meaning is not given in the dictionary, you cannot use the word with that meaning — use a different word that has the meaning you want. Example: BEHIND (prep) — "In a position at the rear of".
For a word that is not approved, this column gives the approved alternatives, in UPPERCASE. The alternatives are only suggestions to help you. Example: addition (n) → ADD (v) — STE: "TO GET THE CORRECT CLEARANCE, ADD SPECIAL SHIMS, AS NECESSARY." / Non-STE: "Adjust the clearance by the addition of special shims, as necessary."
An approved alternative can have a different part of speech from the non-approved word. Usually the first alternative has the same part of speech. Example: maintain (v) → KEEP (v), HOLD (v), MAINTENANCE (n).
Column 2 can include technical nouns/verbs as alternatives, marked (TN) or (TV). Example: uncovered (v) → COVER (TN) ("DO NOT PUT A COVER ON THE CONTAINER.", not "Leave the container uncovered.").
An alternative can be a phrase; phrase alternatives have no part-of-speech marker. Example: simultaneously (adv) → AT THE SAME TIME ("DO THESE TWO STEPS AT THE SAME TIME.").

Column 3: STE EXAMPLE (page 2-0-14)

Shows how to use the approved word, how to use the approved alternative (usually a word-for-word replacement), and how to keep the same meaning with a different sentence construction.
The examples are recommendations — each shows one method; different constructions with other approved words can keep the same meaning.
Many examples come from aircraft maintenance; adapt them to other subject fields/domains by replacing the terms. You can send a change form with your own examples for possible inclusion in the dictionary.
Examples: A (art) — "Function word: indefinite article"; manufacture (v) → MAKE (v) — STE: "YOU CAN MAKE THE CLEARING TOOL LOCALLY." / Non-STE: "The clearing tool can be manufactured locally."

Column 4: Non-STE example (page 2-0-15)

Shows how a non-approved word is used in standard technical English, to help you apply the approved alternatives or different constructions.
One non-STE example can contain more than one non-approved word or non-permitted construction; the STE example replaces them all.
For approved words, Column 4 is empty — unless there is help about other/restricted meanings. Example: ABOVE (prep) = "In (or to) a position farther up than something"; for other meanings use MORE THAN ("THE PRESSURE VALUE MUST BE MORE THAN 800 kPa.", not "The pressure value must be above 800 kPa.").

Verbs in STE

(Pages 2-0-5 to 2-0-7.) Approved verb forms:

Verbs are given in the dictionary only in the verb forms that are permitted (refer to Part 1, Section 3).
Do not use verb forms that are not in the dictionary.
The meaning of a verb can differ if it has an object (transitive) or no object (intransitive).
A verb can have more than one approved meaning and more than one STE example.
Some verbs that are not approved can be technical verbs in some contexts — Rule 1.12 gives all necessary information and conditions.

Verbs in the dictionary can be one of four types:

Regular verbs — obey a constant pattern for the simple past tense and the past participle, usually adding "-ed" to the base form for both. The dictionary shows four forms (base, -s, past, past participle). Do not use the past participle form if it is not in the dictionary.
- Example: ADAPT (v), ADAPTS, ADAPTED, ADAPTED — "To change or adjust to that which is necessary." STE: "ADAPT THE PRESSURE CONNECTION TO THE PITOT HEAD." / "THE SYSTEM INTERFACE CIRCUITS ADAPT TO THE PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF THE CONNECTED SYSTEMS."
Irregular verbs — do NOT obey the standard rules for the simple past tense and the past participle.
- Example: GIVE (v), GIVES, GAVE, GIVEN — "To provide." STE: "THIS SECTION GIVES THE CLEANING PROCEDURES FOR THE DISASSEMBLED PARTS."
Irregular auxiliary verbs — auxiliary verbs with unusual forms for tenses.
- Example: BE (v), IS, WAS (also ARE, WERE) — no other verb forms. Meanings: (1) "To occur, exist" — STE: "IF THERE IS CORROSION ON THE PUMP VANES, REPLACE THE PUMP."; (2) "To have a property to be equal to" — STE: "ACID SOLUTIONS ARE DANGEROUS."
Defective modal verbs — modal verbs in which some verb forms are missing.
- Example: CAN (v), CAN, COULD — no other verb forms permitted. "Auxiliary modal verb that means to be possible, to be able to, or to be permitted to." STE: "A MIXTURE OF FUEL AND OXYGEN CAN CAUSE AN EXPLOSION." / "YOU CAN CLEAN THE DRAIN HOLES WITH THE CLEANING TOOL." / "YOU CAN OPERATE THE VEHICLE AFTER THE INSPECTION IS COMPLETED."
- Help for CAN: do not use COULD (v) to show possibility — STE: "IF YOU DO NOT OBEY THIS WARNING, AN EXPLOSION CAN OCCUR." / Non-STE: "...an explosion could occur."
- Example: WILL (v) — no other verb forms. "Auxiliary modal verb that shows simple future tense." STE: "WARNINGS AND CAUTIONS IN THIS MANUAL WILL HELP YOU TO DO THE WORK SAFELY AND CORRECTLY."

Help categories

Some entries have a graphic symbol (light-bulb icon) plus text that tells you to use a different approved alternative or a different sentence construction. This is called "help". There are four categories (pages 2-0-11 to 2-0-13):

Recommendations — gives more information or instructions about how to use the approved word correctly.
- Example: PUSH (v), PUSHES, PUSHED, PUSHED — meanings (1) "To apply a force to something to move it away from the source of the force"; (2) "To move with a force against something." Help: Use this word together with a preposition or an adverb to show direction.
Restricted meaning — tells you that some approved words have a restricted meaning, so you must use approved alternatives for the other meanings. When help refers to restricted meanings, the dictionary gives STE and non-STE examples in columns 3 and 4.
- Example: ABOUT (prep) = "Concerned with" — STE: "FOR DATA ABOUT THE LOCATION OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS, REFER TO THE WIRING LIST." For other meanings use APPROXIMATELY (adv) ("DRAIN APPROXIMATELY 2 LITERS OF FUEL FROM THE TANK.", not "Drain about 2 liters...") or AROUND (prep) ("TURN THE SHAFT AROUND ITS AXIS.", not "Rotate the shaft about its axis.").
Single-context words — be careful with words that are approved for only one context; you must not use them in other contexts.
- Example: SWALLOW (v), SWALLOWS, SWALLOWED, SWALLOWED = "To take through the mouth and esophagus into the stomach." Help: Use this word for safety instructions only. STE: "IF YOU SWALLOW NITRIC ACID, DO NOT CAUSE VOMITING. GET MEDICAL AID IMMEDIATELY."
Important information — gives important information about the listed words, including non-approved ones.
- Examples: BE (v) (see "Verbs in STE"); already (adv) → IN PROGRESS (adv), NO OTHER — Help: Frequently, an alternative for this word is not necessary. STE: "THE DATABASE SYNCHRONIZATION IS IN PROGRESS." / "YOU CAN DO THIS REPAIR PROCEDURE ONLY IF THERE IS NO OTHER DAMAGE." / "MAKE SURE THAT THE SOFTWARE IS INSTALLED IN THE REPOSITORY."

Recurring errors

The most frequently recurring errors that writers make in STE (pages 2-0-17 to 2-0-18). If a word is not approved in the dictionary, do not use it. Complete list — 39 mappings (Non-STE → STE):

#	Non-STE	STE
1	acceptable (adj)	PERMITTED (adj)
2	alternate (adj)	ALTERNATIVE (adj)
3	any (adj)	None or a different sentence construction
4	avoid (v)	PREVENT (v)
5	both (adj)	THE TWO (TN)
6	check (v)	CHECK (n)
7	cover (v)	COVER (TN)
8	complete (adj)	COMPLETED (adj)
9	damage (v)	DAMAGE (n)
10	ensure (v)	MAKE SURE (v)
11	fit (v)	INSTALL (v)
12	follow (v)	OBEY (v)
13	further (adj)	MORE (adj)
14	further (adv)	MORE (adv)
15	have to (v)	Use an action verb in the imperative form
16	however (adv)	BUT (conj)
17	insert (v)	PUT (v)
18	main (adj)	PRIMARY (adj)
19	may (v)	CAN (v)
20	need (v)	NECESSARY (adj)
21	now (adv)	AT THIS TIME
22	old (adj)	REMAINING (adj), USED (adj), EXPIRED (adj)
23	over (prep)	ABOVE (prep), ON (prep), ALONG (prep)
24	people (n)	PERSON (n), PERSONNEL (n)
25	perform (v)	DO (v)
26	portion (n)	PART (n)
27	press (v)	PUSH (v)
28	reach (v)	GET (v)
29	repeat (v)	DO (v) … AGAIN
30	required (v)	NECESSARY (adj)
31	rotate (v)	TURN (v)
32	secure (v)	ATTACH (v), SAFETY (v)
33	shall (v)	MUST (v)
34	should (v)	MUST (v)
35	since (conj)	BECAUSE (conj)
36	test (v)	TEST (n)
37	therefore (adv)	THUS (adv), AS A RESULT
38	under (prep)	BELOW (prep), IN (prep), LESS THAN
39	using (v)	USE (v), WITH (prep)

Notes on the list:

further (adj) and further (adv) are two separate entries (different parts of speech, both mapping to MORE).
In the printed specification the list runs 31 entries on page 2-0-17 and 8 entries on the continued page 2-0-18 (31 + 8 = 39).
Some replacements change the part of speech (e.g. check (v) → CHECK (n), need (v) → NECESSARY (adj)) — these need a different sentence construction, not a word-for-word swap.
Two replacements are technical nouns: THE TWO (TN) and COVER (TN).

Approved verbs

The dictionary's quick-reference list of approved verbs (page 2-0-19). Every entry is an approved verb (v). Total = 208 verbs. Letters J, N, Q, V, X, Y, Z have no approved verbs.

A (12): ABSORB, ACCEPT, ACTIVATE, ADAPT, ADD, ADJUST, AGREE, ALIGN, APPLY, ARM, ASSEMBLE, ATTACH
B (11): BALANCE, BE, BECOME, BEND, BLEED, BLOW, BOND, BREAK, BREATHE, BURN, BYPASS
C (25): CALCULATE, CALIBRATE, CAN, CANCEL, CANNOT, CATCH, CAUSE, CHANGE, CHARGE, CLEAN, CLOSE, COLLECT, COME, COME ON, COMPARE, COMPLETE, COMPRESS, CONNECT, CONTACT, CONTAIN, CONTINUE, CONTROL, CORRECT, COUNT, CUT
D (16): DEACTIVATE, DECREASE, DE-ENERGIZE, DEFLATE, DEFUEL, DEPLOY, DISARM, DISASSEMBLE, DISCARD, DISCONNECT, DISENGAGE, DIVIDE, DO, DRAIN, DRINK, DRY
E (9): EAT, EJECT, ENERGIZE, ENGAGE, ERASE, EXAMINE, EXPAND, EXTEND, EXTINGUISH
F (12): FALL, FEATHER, FEEL, FILL, FIND, FIRE, FLASH, FLOW, FLUSH, FOLD, FOLLOW, FREEZE
G (5): GET, GIVE, GO, GO OFF, GROUND
H (6): HANG, HAVE, HEAR, HELP, HIT, HOLD
I (9): IDENTIFY, IGNORE, ILLUMINATE, INCLUDE, INCREASE, INFLATE, INSTALL, INTERCHANGE, ISOLATE
J (0): none
K (3): KEEP, KILL, KNOW
L (9): LATCH, LET, LIFT, LISTEN, LOCK, LOOK, LOOSEN, LOWER, LUBRICATE
M (10): MAKE, MAKE SURE, MEASURE, MELT, MIX, MONITOR, MOOR, MOVE, MULTIPLY, MUST
N (0): none
O (5): OBEY, OCCUR, OPEN, OPERATE, OVERRIDE
P (12): PAINT, PARK, POINT, POLISH, PREPARE, PRESSURIZE, PREVENT, PROTRUDE, PULL, PUSH, PUT, PUT ON
Q (0): none
R (14): READ, RECEIVE, RECOMMEND, RECORD, RECYCLE, REFER, REFUEL, REJECT, RELEASE, REMOVE, REPAIR, REPLACE, RETRACT, RUB
S (24): SAFETY, SCHEDULE, SEAL, SEE, SELECT, SEND, SENSE, SET, SHAKE, SHOW, SIMULATE, SMELL, SMOKE, SOAK, SPEAK, SPILL, SPRAY, START, STAY, STOP, STOW, SUBTRACT, SUPPLY, SWALLOW
T (14): TAG, TAP, TELL, THINK, TIGHTEN, TILT, TORQUE, TOUCH, TOW, TRANSMIT, TRY, TUNE, TURN, TWIST
U (4): UNFOLD, UNLOCK, UNWIND, USE
V (0): none
W (8): WAIT, WALK, WANT, WEAR, WEIGH, WILL, WIND, WRITE
X (0): none
Y (0): none
Z (0): none

Letter-count check: A 12 + B 11 + C 25 + D 16 + E 9 + F 12 + G 5 + H 6 + I 9 + K 3 + L 9 + M 10 + O 5 + P 12 + R 14 + S 24 + T 14 + U 4 + W 8 = 208.