How Humanizer’s “Avoiding Is/Are/Has” Rule Shapes Technical Writing Styles

Pattern 18 in the blader/humanizer repository replaces inflated AI‑generated phrasing like “serves as” and “boasts” with the direct verbs is, are, and has to enforce clarity and brevity in technical documentation.

In technical writing, every word must earn its place. The open‑source tool Humanizer (blader/humanizer) automates editorial compliance through declarative rewrite rules defined in SKILL.md, where Pattern 18 specifically targets the tendency—common in AI‑generated prose—to avoid simple verbs in favor of elaborate constructions.

What Pattern 18 Does in Humanizer

Pattern 18, labeled “Avoiding is / are / has,” operates counter‑intuitively to its name: it restores the simple verbs rather than removing them. According to the source documentation in [SKILL.md](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/SKILL.md), the rule instructs the rewrite engine to scan for inflated alternatives such as:

• “serves as”
• “functions as”
• “operates as”
• “boasts”
• “features”

When detected, Humanizer collapses these phrases into the appropriate form of is, are, or has. This transformation preserves factual accuracy while stripping away marketing‑speak and lexical bloat.

Three Ways the Rule Affects Technical Writing Styles

1. Reduces Verbosity for Faster Scanning

Technical documents—such as API references and configuration guides—are often scanned rather than read linearly. By replacing “The CLI serves as the entry point” with “The CLI is the entry point,” Pattern 18 shortens sentence length and reduces cognitive load.

2. Improves Precision and Eliminates Unintended Nuance

Elaborate verbs carry connotations that can mislead. For example, stating that a library “boasts support for JSON” implies pride or rarity, whereas the neutral “has support for JSON” states capability without editorializing. The rule enforces factual precision over promotional tone, aligning with the objective voice expected in engineering documentation.

3. Automates Compliance with Major Style Guides

Corporate and open‑source style guides—including the Microsoft Writing Style Guide and the Google Technical Writing Guide—explicitly recommend using is/are/has over “serves as/stands as/etc.” By codifying this preference in SKILL.md, Humanizer automates compliance checks that would otherwise require manual copy‑editing, ensuring consistent voice across large docsets.

Before and After: Code Examples from the Repository

The following examples illustrate how Pattern 18 rewrites technical prose. These transformations target sections such as inline code comments, README.md sections, and API documentation.

Original AI‑generated phrasing:

The command‑line tool serves as the primary interface for managing clusters.
The configuration file features parameters for logging and authentication.

After applying Pattern 18:

The command‑line tool is the primary interface for managing clusters.
The configuration file has parameters for logging and authentication.

In a larger documentation block:

Before:

The library operates as a thin wrapper around the REST API.
It boasts support for both JSON and XML payloads.

After:

The library is a thin wrapper around the REST API.
It has support for both JSON and XML payloads.

As shown in [README.md](https://github.com/blader/humanizer/blob/main/README.md), these rewrites maintain technical accuracy while conforming to a conventional, direct writing voice.

Summary

• Pattern 18 in Humanizer targets inflated verb phrases (e.g., “serves as,” “boasts”) and replaces them with is, are, or has.
• The rule reduces verbosity, making technical documents easier to scan.
• It improves factual precision by removing promotional connotations.
• It automates adherence to industry style guides such as Microsoft and Google technical writing standards.
• Definitions and usage instructions reside in the repository’s SKILL.md file.

Frequently Asked Questions

What exactly does Pattern 18 in Humanizer target?

Pattern 18 targets the AI‑generated habit of substituting simple verbs like is, are, and has with longer constructions such as “serves as,” “functions as,” or “boasts.” The rule rewrites these inflated phrases back to the direct verbs to enforce clarity.

Why is avoiding elaborate phrasing important in technical writing?

Elaborate phrasing introduces unnecessary syllables and potential ambiguity. In technical contexts—such as API documentation or configuration manuals—brevity equals usability. Direct verbs communicate states and capabilities without implying unintended emotions or marketing hype.

How does Humanizer implement this rule technically?

Humanizer processes text through rules defined in SKILL.md. When the engine encounters a flagged construction listed under Pattern 18, it triggers a rewrite operation that substitutes the elaborate phrase with the grammatically appropriate simple verb while preserving the original clause’s factual content.

Does applying this rule change the technical meaning of a sentence?

No. The transformation is semantic‑preserving; it alters only the stylistic register. For example, changing “boasts support” to “has support” removes the prideful connotation but retains the factual claim about capability. The rule ensures the prose remains technically accurate while adopting a neutral, professional tone.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}