From a0c98c496635b37c7b60727f55a36ccea30af99e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Craig Jennings Date: Tue, 2 Jun 2026 13:50:39 -0500 Subject: docs(voice): generalize §38 from padding list to omit-needless-words walk MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit §38 was a wordlist match against named padding ("worth noting", "obviously"). A PR-review comment cleared that list and still ran a third too long on ordinary verbosity the list never names: "is the same change that already merged via" for "landed on", restated subjects, throat-clearing lead-ins. So §38 becomes two passes. The named list runs first, then a real per-sentence sweep whose forcing test is to delete half the sentence and keep only what changes meaning. I renamed "Rhetorical Padding" to "Omit Needless Words" and added a generic-verbosity example pair that carries no padding word. I updated SKILL.md and voice-profile.org together per the pairing rule. --- voice/SKILL.md | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) (limited to 'voice/SKILL.md') diff --git a/voice/SKILL.md b/voice/SKILL.md index aef1db2..1ed40a4 100644 --- a/voice/SKILL.md +++ b/voice/SKILL.md @@ -319,9 +319,9 @@ See `voice/references/voice-profile.org` §36 for problem, basis, examples, and See `voice/references/voice-profile.org` §37 for problem, basis, examples, and history. -### 38. Terse Cut — Rhetorical Padding [prose · personal] +### 38. Terse Cut — Omit Needless Words [prose · personal] -**Rule.** Strip soft rhetorical padding ("worth noting", "it's important to understand", "as you can see", "needless to say", "obviously", "of course", "in essence", "fundamentally") and state the thing directly. Academic writing retains these as transition markers, so the aggressive cut is prose and personal only. +**Rule.** Two cuts. First, strip soft rhetorical padding ("worth noting", "it's important to understand", "as you can see", "needless to say", "obviously", "of course", "in essence", "fundamentally"). Then run the general Orwell sweep the padding list only samples: read each sentence and cut or collapse every word and clause that can go without losing meaning — verbose verb phrases ("already merged via" → "landed on"), restated subjects, throat-clearing lead-ins, clauses whose content the reader already has. The forcing test is per sentence: try to delete half of it and keep only what changes meaning. This is a real walk step, not a wordlist match — a draft that clears the named padding can still run a third too long on ordinary verbosity. Academic writing retains the transition markers, so the aggressive cut is prose and personal only. See `voice/references/voice-profile.org` §38 for problem, basis, examples, and history. -- cgit v1.2.3