Applying Style

What this skill does

# Applying Style

## Style Guide

- Write precise, clear sentences
- Use first person for opinions ("I think", "I believe")
- Let ideas flow logically without heavy transitions
- Use periods instead of em dashes
- Prefer active voice
- Be personal and direct
- Take user instructions seriously

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## Rules

### Rule 1: Remove Dramatic Words

Eliminate intensifiers that add no meaning.

**Banned words:**

- deeply, profoundly, struck, critical, crucial, key, perfect, disturbing
- fascinating, alarming (use sparingly)
- synergy, converge, "realizes X's vision"

**Check:** Does removing the word change the meaning? If not, remove it.

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### Rule 2: Remove Filler Phrases

Delete phrases that occupy space without adding information.

**Banned phrases:**

- "key insight", "But here's what bothers me", "perfect [adjective]"
- "This changes everything", "game-changer", "paradigm shift"
- "In other words"

**Check:** Can you delete the phrase entirely? If yes, delete it.

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### Rule 3: Remove Unnecessary Adverbs

Cut adverbs that only boost confidence or redundantly enhance meaning.

**Enhancement-only:** "contrasts sharply" → "contrasts"

**Confidence-boosting:** definitively, conclusively, undeniably, clearly, obviously, certainly

**Check:** Does the verb already imply the adverb? If yes, remove the adverb.

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### Rule 4: Don't Start Sentences with Adverbs

Move sentence-initial adverbs or remove them.

**Bad:** "Critically, this distinction matters."

**Good:** "This distinction matters."

**Check:** Does the sentence start with an adverb ending in "-ly"? If yes, rewrite or remove.

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### Rule 5: Replace Rhetorical Questions with Statements

Convert questions into direct statements.

**Bad:** "Why do X?"

**Good:** "X happens."

**Check:** Is the question rhetorical (not expecting an answer)? If yes, convert to statement.

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### Rule 6: Remove Meaningless Contrasts

Delete "not X but Y" when Y alone suffices.

**Bad:** "We are not using tools to think but thinking through direct engagement with external structures."

**Good:** "We are thinking through direct engagement with external structures."

**Check:** Does the "not X" clause add meaning? If not, delete it and keep only Y.

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### Rule 7: Move Negations from End to Beginning

Restructure sentences that end with "not [passive alternative]" by moving the contrast to the beginning.

**Bad:** "This requires learners to progressively refine mental schemas, not passively receive information."

**Good:** "In contrast to passively receiving information, this requires learners to progressively refine mental schemas."

**Check:** Does the sentence end with ", not [something]"? If yes, move the negation to the beginning.

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### Rule 8: Replace Fancy Words with Clear Alternatives

Use simple words when they convey the same meaning.

**Bad:** "This dual-layer mediation operates together"

**Good:** "These two layers operate together"

**Check:** Is there a simpler word that means the same thing? If yes, use the simpler word.

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### Rule 9: Simplify Intensifiers

Replace dramatic intensifiers with moderate alternatives.

**Bad:** "This distinction is critical."

**Good:** "This is an important distinction."

**Check:** Does the sentence use "critical", "crucial", or similar? If yes, replace with "important" or remove.

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### Rule 10: Remove Dramatic Build-up

Delete rhetorical staging phrases like "This sets the stage for" or "This raises the question".

**Bad:** "This sets the stage for the next question: how should learners interact with AI?"

**Good:** "How should learners interact with AI?"

**Check:** Does the sentence use meta-commentary about what's coming next? If yes, delete the meta-commentary and state the point directly.

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### Rule 11: Limit Em Dashes

Use periods instead of em dashes for separation.

**Check:** Are you using more than one em dash per paragraph? If yes, replace some with periods.

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### Rule 12: Avoid Overly Formal Transitions

Let logical flow carry the connection between ideas.

**Check:** Are you using transitions like "Moreover", "Furthermore", "In addition"? If yes, consider removing them if the logical connection is clear.

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## Genre-Specific Application

These rules apply differently across writing genres. Personal experience is content in some genres, filler in others.

### Analytical Writing (Essays, Reports, Technical Docs)

- Remove personal voice unless giving opinions
- Lead with claims, not narrative
- Cut meta-commentary about structure

**Example:**

- ❌ "I really like this approach because it works well"
- ✅ "This approach works well"

### Reflective Writing (Academic Reflections, Personal Statements)

- Keep substantive personal narrative
- Remove meta-commentary about the reflection itself
- Maintain first person throughout

**Substantive personal narrative (KEEP):**

- "I have always struggled with X" → Shows pattern/growth
- "For a long time, that made me feel Y" → Demonstrates evolution
- "When I encounter Z now, I think about..." → Shows current practice

**Meta-commentary (REMOVE):**

- "I really like this quote because..." → Just discuss the quote
- "This passage is interesting to me because..." → Discuss the passage directly
- "I find it fascinating that..." → State the observation

**Example from philosophy reflection:**

- ❌ "I really like this quote because I've always disliked a lot of things..."
- ✅ "I have always disliked a lot of things I observe in life. For a long time, that would just make me feel bad. But reflecting on Xunzi has helped me reframe these moments..."

The first version talks about the quote. The second version uses personal experience to engage with the philosophical idea.

### Technical Documentation

- Maximum brevity
- Remove all personal voice
- Direct instructions only

### Blog Posts/Opinion Pieces

- Personal voice encouraged
- Authentic examples valued
- Balance personality with precision

## Decision Framework

**Is this personal content substantive or filler?**

Ask:

1. Does it show growth, pattern, or evolution? → Substantive
2. Does it demonstrate engagement with ideas? → Substantive
3. Is it meta-commentary about my feelings toward the text? → Filler
4. Could I delete it and lose no meaning? → Filler

**Genre check:**

- Reflection/personal statement → Keep substantive personal narrative
- Analytical essay → Remove unless giving explicit opinion
- Technical doc → Remove all personal voice

## Note

User-specific instructions override this style guide.

Other Rules:

- Don't overuse Yet as a word. For example, instead of: "Yet we so easily brag about our meetings with VCs", have "However, we so easily brag about our meetings with VCs"
  Or "Through this they persisted," instead of "Yet they persisted"

Note that I don't want you to have so many quotes around everything that is not actually a quote around thins.