The language
Sentences and questions
A document states rules in English. A question asks what follows from those rules and the supplied data. The same document can answer many questions; changing the data does not change its rules.
| Purpose | Sentence |
|---|---|
| Teach a plural | “orders” is the plural of “order”. |
| State a sufficient condition | If an order is paid and it is packed, it is shippable. |
| State another sufficient condition | If an order is digital, it is shippable. |
| Ask for a list | Which orders are shippable? |
| Ask about one order | Is O1 shippable? |
The two rules give two ways to conclude that an order is shippable. The word it refers to the order.
The plural sentence supplies the word the list question uses. The document does not need a separate
rule for every order: the data supplies each order's facts.
CSV rows tell facts; rules derive conclusions. A missing fact is not automatically false. What can be concluded from missing rows depends on the data's declared completeness (Data in). An answer names the sentences and rows it rests on, with its standing and receipt.
English input has a defined vocabulary of sentence forms. A sentence outside those forms leaves a gap;
it is not silently given a meaning. Documents are UTF-8 text, at most 32 KiB, with a period ending each
sentence. A line beginning %% is a comment.