From aa039479ed00cc9cfbb4d60c75027fe2f8a57ab4 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Nick Vigilante Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2026 10:00:44 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] docs: add style-guide rule against "whose" for non-person antecedents (#27866) ## What Adds a Word choice entry to the docs style guide, **"Whose for people, not things"**. It restricts "whose" to people and points writers to "with", "where", or "that has" for inanimate objects and abstract concepts, since "whose" implies personhood. ## Where `docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md`, inserted right after **Phrasal verbs and their noun forms**, the closest existing grammar/usage rule. Formatting matches the surrounding entries: sentence-case H2, a two-sentence rationale (one sentence per line), `**Do**` / `**Don't**` blockquotes, and a documentation-only enforcement note. ## Rule > "Whose" is the possessive of "who", so it implies the antecedent is a person. > When the antecedent is an inanimate object or an abstract concept, prefer "with", "where", or "that has". Example: - Don't: A chat whose gateway records have been pruned reports no cost. - Do: A chat with pruned gateway records reports no cost. ## Notes - Docs-only change (Markdown under `docs/`, no CI or build config), so it's out of scope for `/coder-agents-review`; the doc-check agent covers docs-only PRs. - The style-guide subpages are Vale-exempt, so no Vale rule ships with this. The enforcement note reads "Documentation-only. No Vale rule.", matching the other documentation-only entries. Linear: [DOCS-612](https://linear.app/codercom/issue/DOCS-612/style-guide-avoid-whose-for-non-person-antecedents) > This PR was created with AI assistance (Coder Agents). --- docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md | 24 ++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 24 insertions(+) diff --git a/docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md b/docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md index 6e2b03f02e..9a255294f7 100644 --- a/docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md +++ b/docs/.style/style-guide/word-choice.md @@ -150,6 +150,30 @@ Treat them consistently across the docs. *Enforced by `Coder.PhrasalVerbs` (planned).* +## Whose for people, not things + +"Whose" is the possessive of "who", so it implies the antecedent is a person. +When the antecedent is an inanimate object or an abstract concept, prefer "with", "where", or "that has". + +**Do**: + +> A chat with pruned gateway records reports no cost. +> +> A template that has conflicting variables fails validation. +> +> A region where every proxy is unhealthy drops workspace connections. + +**Don't**: + +> A chat whose gateway records have been pruned reports no cost. +> +> A template whose variables conflict fails validation. +> +> A region whose proxies are all unhealthy drops workspace connections. + +*Documentation-only. +No Vale rule.* + ## Refer to, check out, visit, not see When the prose points the reader at another page, section, or external resource, choose the verb that matches the register: