Write prose in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English. This applies to documentation, READMEs, pull-request text, error messages, release notes, and comments. It does not apply to code, identifiers, or command syntax. It is not for marketing copy, essays, or anything that needs a voice — STE strips voice on purpose.
WORDS
- Use one name for one thing. Do not call the same item by two different names.
- Use the short common word: start (not begin/commence/initiate), use (not utilize/leverage), help (not facilitate), make sure (not ensure), before (not prior to), after (not subsequent to), about (not regarding/concerning), get (not obtain/acquire), show (not demonstrate), also (not additionally/furthermore/moreover).
- Give each word one meaning. "fall" means to move down, not to decrease.