Pattern catalog

Rule numbers are stable ids. A removed rule leaves a gap; never renumber. Each rule names the pattern and the fix. The tests in SKILL.md decide whether a passage is a finding; this catalog names what to look for and what to write instead.

False-positive floor. A single device is a choice, not a tell. Flag a passage when patterns accumulate (SKILL.md test 5), and never flag: text inside quotation marks, titles, or code; a term the domain uses for one exact meaning; deliberate repetition for emphasis; a scope statement, safety notice, or real correction; one short sentence for emphasis; a heading or sign-off in a letter.

Content

1. Puffery. A claim of importance stapled to an ordinary fact: "marks a turning point", "plays a vital role", "a testament to", "in today's landscape". Delete the claim and keep the fact.
2. Trailing -ing analysis. A clause bolted on the end that explains significance: "highlighting", "ensuring", "reflecting", "showcasing", "underscoring". Delete the clause; the sentence survives.
3. Promotional adjectives. "Vibrant", "seamless", "robust", "groundbreaking", "stunning", "thoughtfully designed", "powerful yet simple". State the property or delete the claim.
4. Vague attribution. "Experts believe", "industry reports suggest", "widely regarded", "studies show". Name the source or cut the claim. Never invent a source.
5. Formulaic outlook. "Despite challenges, continues to thrive"; a closing paragraph about the bright future. Keep one real limitation or plan, stated plainly, and end on the last concrete fact.
6. Setup-reversal copy. "Ten features. Zero headaches." "Everything changed. Your invoice didn't." State what the thing does; if the reversal was carrying the sentence, the sentence had no content.
7. Faux insight. "The part everyone misses", "what nobody tells you", "the real question is", "at its core". Cut the setup and let the claim stand.
8. Metadiscourse. "This matters more than it sounds", "the key point is", "as you can see", "in other words" when nothing was unclear. Delete the aside; if the point is unclear, add support instead.
9. Rejecting an alternative no one raised. "A tempting approach would be", "some might say", "this isn't about X". Remove the fake option and state the real constraint.

Language

1. Model vocabulary. Delve, tapestry, testament, underscore, showcase, garner, interplay, intricate, enduring, foster, crucial, pivotal, additionally, moreover, enhance, leverage, utilize, facilitate, landscape and realm and journey as abstractions. Use the plain word for the actual claim.
2. Dressed-up copulas. "Acts as", "functions as", "serves as", "offers", "boasts", "represents" where the sentence means "is" or "has". Use the short verb.
3. Not X but Y. "It's not just a linter, it's a system." "The question isn't A, it's B." Nobody claimed X; state Y.
4. Forced triads. Three adjectives, three examples, three beats when the natural number is one or two. Keep the items that are true and specific.
5. Synonym cycling. The same thing called three names in one passage. Pick one term and repeat it; in technical writing, repetition is precision.
6. A span that is really a list. "From onboarding to billing" when onboarding and billing are two items, not the ends of anything. Name the items.
7. Filler. "In order to" is "to". "Due to the fact that" is "because". "It is important to note that" is nothing. "At this point in time" is "now".
8. Stacked hedges. "Could potentially possibly" is "may". One hedge, and only when the uncertainty is real.
9. Adverbs doing a verb's work. "Runs quickly" becomes "finishes in 40 ms"; "significantly improves" becomes the measured change. When the adverb carries the meaning, replace the verb or supply the number.
10. Nominalizations. "The demotion of the grid is the change" is "demote the grid". Prefer the verb.
11. Borrowed metaphors for ordinary operations. Words from physics, strategy, or machinery standing in for a plain code action: a "vector" that is a method, a "surface" that is an API, a "primitive" that is a function, a "lever" or "wedge" that is a change, a "north star" that is a goal, a "flywheel" that is a feedback loop, "evacuating" code that is being moved. Name the operation or the thing.
12. Feeling instead of mechanism. "Deploys feel effortless", "errors are handled gracefully", "the API gets out of your way". Name what the reader can do or check: "a failed deploy rolls back within one minute", "a malformed row is skipped and logged with its line number".

Structure

1. Dense sentences. A sentence the reader parses twice. One idea per sentence; a chain of semicolons becomes a list.
2. Passive hiding the actor. "Queries are validated" leaves the reader guessing who validates; "the compiler validates queries" does not. Keep the passive only when naming the actor adds nothing.
3. Buried decision. The conclusion arrives after its rationale. Conclusion, then reason, then background.
4. Heading restated in the first sentence. Delete the restatement; start with the content.
5. Summary-recap ending. "In conclusion", "overall", a paragraph that repeats the piece. End on the last concrete point or the next action.
6. Dramatic fragments. "No priors. No nostalgia. The old rules were gone." One short sentence can land a point; a row of them is a pose. Rewrite as sentences.
7. Colon reveal. "The detail that makes it work: a separate grader." A colon belongs before a list or a quote, not as drama or a mid-sentence connector.

Formatting

1. Em dash as a rhythm crutch. Several per paragraph, or a formulaic "this isn't X — it's Y". Use a period or a comma, or split the sentence. A semicolon is not a substitute. Leave dashes alone in code, ranges, and tables.
2. Bold label that restates its line. "Performance: performance improved." Convert to prose. Keep a bold lead-in only when the sentence after it says something the label did not.
3. Bold sprinkled for emphasis, every proper noun or acronym bolded. Bold only what the reader must find.
4. Title Case headings. Sentence case.
5. Decorative emoji in headings and bullets. Remove, unless the caller's contract fixes them.
6. Bullets where two sentences of prose read better; headers over two-sentence sections; horizontal rules between every section of a short document. Format follows content.
7. Curly quotes mixed with straight ones. Straight quotes in technical text.

Chat artifacts

1. Chatbot openers and closers. "Certainly", "Great question", "Happy to help", "Let me know if you need anything else", "Want me to". Remove; state the content.
2. Sycophancy. "You're absolutely right" before the answer. Answer.
3. Announcing the next point. "Let's dive in", "here's what you need to know", "without further ado". State the point.
4. Process narration in a report. Steps the agent took that do not change what the reader does next. A cause that was ruled out or a fix that failed stays, stated as a finding; the account of how the agent spent its time goes.
5. Knowledge-limit disclaimers and gap-filling. "While details are limited, it likely..." State what the source does not show, or cut the sentence. Never present a guess as a fact.
6. Manufactured thoroughness. Bare counts ("resolved 11 threads"), scorecards, and lists of everything checked. Say what was decided and why; if nothing non-routine was decided, say nothing.