# Page 81 of 434

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**ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English**

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# Page 82 of 434

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**Part 1 - Writing rules**

**Issue 9**

**2025-01-15**

**ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English**

# **Section 5 - Procedural writing**

|**Sentences**|**Summary of the rules**<br>|
||---|---|
||Rule 5.1|Write short sentences. Use a maximum of 20 words in each sentence.|
||Rule 5.2|Write only one instruction in each sentence unless two or more actions occur at the<br>same time.|
||**Verbs in p**|**rocedures**|
||Rule 5.3|Write instructions in the imperative (command) form.|
||**Descriptiv**|**e statements in instructions**|
||Rule 5.4|When there is a condition that the reader must know about first, start the instruction<br>with a descriptive statement. Then, divide that descriptive statement from the<br>command with a comma.|
||**Notes**|
||Rule 5.5|Write notes only to give information, not instructions.|

### **Sentences**

#### **Rule 5.1 Write short sentences. Use a maximum of 20 words in each sentence.**

Procedures give instructions that tell you how to do a task. Long sentences in work steps are not easy to understand.

In STE, the maximum length of a sentence for procedures is 20 words.

Warnings, cautions, and other safety instructions must also obey this rule.

##### **Examples in STE:**

<mark>Install the three auxiliary screws (2) in the flange of the motor assembly (9).</mark> (This sentence has 14 words.)

<u>CAUTION:</u> WHEN YOU REMOVE THE SHROUD (26), BE CAREFUL NOT TO CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE SURFACE OF THE FLANGE ASSEMBLY (22). (This sentence has 20 words.)

**Issue 9 2025-01-15**

**Part 1 - Writing rules**

# Page 83 of 434

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**ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English**

|_<mark>Non-STE:</mark>_|<mark>_Put preservation oil into the unit through the vent hole until the oil level is_<br>_approximately 6 mm (0.24 inches) below the surface of the flange cover._<br>(25 words)|
||---|---|
||STE:|Put preservation oil into the unit through the vent hole. (10 words) Continue until<br>the oil level is approximately 6 mm (0.24 in) below the surface of the flange cover.<br>(16 words)|

In the last STE example, the long sentence is divided into two shorter sentences, which are easier to read. You cannot divide this instruction into two different work steps, because the two actions occur at the same time.

Section 8 gives all the rules about word count.

Notes (rule 5.5) do not obey rule 5.1. Notes are important in procedures, but they contain information only. Thus, the maximum length of a sentence in a note is 25 words.

#### **Rule 5.2 Write only one instruction in each sentence unless two or more actions occur at the same time.**

If there are too many instructions in a sentence, the sentence is not easy to read and understand. Write only one instruction in each sentence and clearly show (usually with numbers or letters) the sequence of the work steps. You can use as many work steps as you want in a procedure.

##### **Examples:**

|STE:|(1)  Set the TEST switch to the middle position.<br>(2)  Make sure that all the switches on the control panel are OFF.<br>(Two work steps)|
||---|---|
|_<mark>Non-STE:</mark>_|<mark>_Set the TEST switch to the middle position and release the SHORT-CIRCUIT_<br>_TEST switch._</mark>|
||STE:|A.   Set the TEST switch to the middle position.<br>B.   Release the SHORT-CIRCUIT TEST switch.|
|||(The original sentence is divided into two different work steps because the two<br>actions do not occur at the same time.)|

You can write more than one instruction in a sentence when two actions occur at the same time.

##### **Examples in STE:**

<u><mark>Hold the panel in its open position and install the fastener.</mark></u>

<mark>Slowly extend the rod fully and make sure that it does not touch other parts.</mark> <u><mark>Cut and remove the wire. Remove and discard the seal.</mark></u>

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**Issue 9 2025-01-15**

**ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English**

You can write more than one sentence in a work step:

- When actions occur at the same time
- When a result occurs immediately after an action.

##### **Examples in STE:**

<u>Make sure that the locking torque of each of the four bolts (6) is a minimum of 0.30 Nm. Then, torque each of the four bolts (6) to 4.20 Nm.</u>

(During a torque procedure, the torque action immediately follows the check of the locking torque in one action. Thus, you cannot divide the sentence into two different work steps.)

<u><mark>Measure the leakage from the outlet port. The leakage must not be more than 0.5 cc/minute.</mark></u> (The second sentence here gives the limit for the result of the test. The work step occurs in one action, and you cannot divide the sentence into two different work steps.)

### **Verbs in procedures**

#### **Rule 5.3 Write instructions in the imperative (command) form.**

An instruction tells the reader to do something. Write the verb in the imperative (command) form.

##### **Examples in STE:**

<u><mark>Set the switch to ON. Remove the four bolts. Increase the pressure to 60 psi. Inflate the tires. Install the new O-ring.</mark></u>

The imperative form gives the reader a clear instruction. If you use other types of sentence structure, you can cause ambiguity. Thus, the reader will not know:

- If it is important to do a work step.
- If a different person did the work step.
- If a different person must do the work step in the future.

##### **Examples:**

<_<mark>Non-STE: The test can be continued.</mark>_ <mark>STE:</mark> <u><mark>Continue the test.</mark></u>

<_<mark>Non-STE: Oil and grease are to be removed with a degreasing agent.</mark>_ <mark>STE:</mark> <u><mark>Remove oil and grease with a degreasing agent.</mark></u>

Do not use the verb "must" before the imperative form, unless the instruction is very important for safety (for example, in a safety instruction) or when you give an important condition.

**Issue 9 2025-01-15**

**Part 1 - Writing rules**
