English Writing
Overview
This skill enforces clear, consistent, and professional English in all generated content, code comments, documentation, and prompts. It ensures that all outputs meet the project's language and style standards.
Objective
Guarantee that all written output is in English and follows best practices for clarity, directness, and technical accuracy.
When to Use
- •When generating or editing code, documentation, prompts, or reference material
- •When reviewing or validating any written output
Don't use when:
- •Translating to other languages (unless explicitly requested)
Critical Patterns
✅ REQUIRED: All content in English (American spelling)
All generated code, documentation, comments, and prompt content must be written in English, using American spelling.
✅ REQUIRED: ASCII apostrophes and hyphens
Use only ASCII apostrophes (') and hyphens (-) in all written content, code, and documentation.
# CORRECT Don't use smart quotes or typographic dashes -- use ' and - only. # WRONG Don’t use “smart quotes” or – en dashes.
✅ REQUIRED: Consistent punctuation, spacing, and capitalization
Ensure all content uses standard punctuation, single spaces after periods, and consistent capitalization for headings, lists, and code comments.
# CORRECT // Fetch user data. ## Usage # WRONG // fetch user Data . ## usage
✅ REQUIRED: Clear, direct language
Use clear, direct, and unambiguous language for both AI and human readers. Avoid filler, redundancy, and vague statements.
# CORRECT Return an error if the file is missing. # WRONG It might be a good idea to return an error if the file is missing.
✅ REQUIRED: Active voice
Use active voice for clarity and directness.
# CORRECT Use useState for local state. # WRONG useState should be used for local state.
✅ REQUIRED: Imperative mood
Write instructions in imperative mood.
# CORRECT Add the dependency to package.json. # WRONG You should add the dependency to package.json.
✅ REQUIRED: No hedging
Avoid hedging language ("consider", "might", "could").
# CORRECT Use strict typing for all TypeScript files. # WRONG Consider using strict typing for TypeScript files.
✅ REQUIRED: Minimal direct address
Avoid unnecessary use of "you"; focus on direct, actionable statements.
Decision Tree
Is the content, code, documentation, or prompt in English (American spelling)? → Proceed Otherwise → Rewrite in English (American spelling) Are only ASCII apostrophes and hyphens used? → Proceed Otherwise → Replace with ASCII characters Is punctuation, spacing, and capitalization consistent? → Proceed Otherwise → Fix formatting Is the language clear and direct? → Proceed Otherwise → Rewrite for clarity Is the sentence in active voice? → Proceed Otherwise → Rewrite in active voice Is the instruction in imperative mood? → Proceed Otherwise → Rewrite in imperative mood Is there hedging language? → Remove hedging Is there unnecessary direct address? → Remove or rephrase Otherwise → Content is compliant
Conventions
Refer to conventions for:
- •General coding standards
- •Formatting and structure
Scope
These rules apply to all generated code, documentation, comments, and prompt content. They do not apply to conversational responses in chat or user-facing explanations unless those are part of generated documentation or code comments.
Example
# CORRECT Add the dependency to package.json. # WRONG You should add the dependency to package.json.
Edge Cases
- •If a code example requires a non-English string (e.g., for i18n), clearly comment the exception.