Area VI · Controlled Natural Languages & Constrained Registers
Attempto Controlled English (ACE)
Prose that parses to logic
Write in a subset so precise it maps unambiguously onto formal first-order logic.
Definition & mechanics
Attempto Controlled English is a CNL engineered so that every sentence has exactly one interpretation, translatable into first-order logic. It uses a defined grammar, resolves each noun with a determiner, forbids ambiguous constructions, and interprets words like every, no, and if…then with strict logical force.
A curiosity
In ACE, “A customer enters a card and a code” is not casual English—it is a proposition a reasoner can check. The prose is simultaneously readable by a person and executable by a machine.
Example
Before (ambiguous)Everyone loves someone, and cards are checked before access is granted.
After (ACE)Every person loves at least one person. If a customer inserts a valid card then the machine grants access to the customer.
Copy-ready prompt
Copyable Prompt
Apply the concept of Attempto Controlled English (rewrite as unambiguous, logic-ready statements—give every noun an explicit determiner (a, the, every, no); use precise quantifiers rather than bare plurals; express conditionals as explicit “if…then…”; avoid pronouns, ellipsis, and any construction that permits more than one reading) to the provided text and rewrite in place. Apply the edits directly to the file as a clean, production-ready deliverable. Output ONLY the revised document text without embedding revision notes, changelogs, or meta-commentary in the file itself—put any explanations in your chat response only.