Grammar-safe synonymization

Synonymization is the last refinement, not the first step. By the time you reach this guide, you should already have a readable draft, variables extracted, and structure in place. What is left: swap a handful of words for variety without breaking a single variant.

The principle

Every {a|b} is a small cut inside an already-correct phrase. The cut must preserve everything around it: case, agreement, governance, articles, word order. If the swap changes any of those, the cut is in the wrong place and you need to bind a larger phrase.

Think of it this way: you are not choosing between two synonyms, you are choosing between two grammatically complete fragments that happen to differ by one word.

The practical test

Before writing any {a|b}, ask:

If I swap only this fragment, do case, agreement, governance, articles, and word order all remain correct?

If the answer is not an immediate yes, bind a larger phrase in one branch.

Synonymization rules

Structure first, synonyms last. Never add {a|b} before permutations, variables, and sentence shape are locked.
2–4 options per slot is enough. Five is diminishing returns; ten starts producing awkward variants.
Same grammatical role in every branch. All options occupy the same slot: verb vs verb, noun vs noun, prepositional phrase vs prepositional phrase.
Preserve register. Do not mix a formal option with a casual one inside the same {a|b}.
Vary what matters. Changing "big" to "large" everywhere is noise. Changing verbs in topic sentences is variety.

Good

{offers|provides|features} live support

All three options occupy the same verb slot with the same subject and object.

for {teams|users|customers}

All three fit the same English prepositional slot.

Wrong

{secure|encrypted} connection

The preceding article is missing — one branch needs a, the other needs an. Bind the article inside:

{a secure|an encrypted} connection

Or bind the whole phrase:

{a secure connection|an encrypted connection}

English subject-verb agreement

Bind subject and verb together whenever they could disagree:

Wrong

{the team|all members} {responds|respond}

The two enumerations are independent — nothing prevents the output the team respond.

Right

{the team responds|all members respond}

Article and determiner binding

Any time the branch changes a noun's initial sound or number, pull the article into the branch:

Wrong: a {secure|encrypted} connection
Right: {a secure|an encrypted} connection
Wrong: the {result|results} (if "the" is fine but verb depends on number, re-bind the verb too)
Right: {the result is|the results are}

Repeated-word collision

When two nearby {a|b} slots share a word, they can produce awkward repetition:

Users who {need to acquire the tool|do not own the tool} can {acquire|purchase} it here.

If both slots pick acquire, the result reads "need to acquire... can acquire". Fix: ensure the overlapping word appears in only one slot, or rephrase the other branch.

Prompt fragment — grammar audit for the model

Ask the model to run every {a|b} through the practical test explicitly:

"For every enumeration {a|b|c}, verify that swapping branches preserves case, agreement, governance, article use, and word order. If any branch needs a different article or a different verb form, bind the larger phrase."
"Never split a determiner from its noun across an enumeration boundary in English."
"Scan the template for repeated words across nearby enumerations. If the same word can appear in two consecutive slots, rewrite one of them."
"Give me five sample renders before committing. Any variant that reads awkwardly means the grammar binding is wrong."

Structure and variables come first, this grammar pass is the final gate.

Common mistakes

Don't	Why	Do instead
Synonymize before structure is finalized	Locks grammar before you know the sentence shape.	Do structure, variables, then synonyms.
Split subject and verb across a boundary	Agreement breaks in at least one variant.	Bind subject+verb inside one branch.
Keep article outside the branch when branches change sound/number	Produces `a encrypted` or `the results is`.	Pull the article (and noun if needed) into each branch.
Stack 6+ options per slot	Variants grow awkward and register drifts.	Cap at 2–4 high-quality options.
Synonymize narrative connectives	"Therefore / Thus / Hence" change register mid-paragraph.	Keep narrative connectives fixed.
Use the same word in two adjacent slots	Output repeats mechanically.	Ensure the overlap only lives in one slot.

Grammar checklist

Every enumeration branch holds a grammatically complete fragment in its own slot.
Every enumeration has been put through the practical test.
Subject-verb agreement works in every branch.
Articles and determiners are bound inside branches when sound or number changes.
No word appears in two adjacent enumerations.
Register stays consistent across all branches of a slot.
Five sample renders read naturally end to end.
No leftover %...%, {...}, or [...] in any sample.

That is the whole series. Structure, variables, permutations, grammar — in that order. Come back to the mindset when you start a new article. The workflow is faster every time.

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