Your weak note
Read out the note you brought. Do not fix it. Just say, in one sentence, how you think a contractor could argue their way around it.
One structure, six sentences
The same skeleton every time
Electrical power shall be supplied from the existing 200A main electrical service panel.
Conductors shall be sized per CEC Table 310.16 and protected in accordance with CEC Article 240.
The subpanel shall be installed with required working clearances per CEC 110.26.
All equipment shall be listed and labeled and installed in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.
All work shall be subject to inspection and approval by the AHJ.
Conduit installation shall comply with CEC Chapter 3.
Five of the six are passive. One is not. Find it, then work out why it is the odd one — and why it is still correct.
Shall + agentless passive
The structure
| Slot | Contains | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Subject | The thing, never the person | Conductors |
| 2 · shall | Always shall, never will or should | shall |
| 3 · be + past participle | The requirement itself, agentless | be sized |
| 4 · Authority | per / in accordance with + citation | per CEC Table 310.16 |
Why agentless. English passive lets you drop the actor entirely — shall be sized, with no by whom. That is not evasion here; it is the point. The obligation attaches to the work, so it survives a change of subcontractor, a change of trade, or a dispute about who was supposed to do it.
The Portuguese pull. Portuguese reaches for se constructions (dimensionam-se os condutores) or an explicit actor. Neither maps cleanly. The English move is: name the thing, shall be, past participle, citation. Drill that skeleton until it is automatic.
The trap you are about to fall into. Not every shall takes a passive:
- ✓ Conduit installation shall comply with CEC Chapter 3.
- ✗ Conduit installation shall be complied with CEC Chapter 3.
- ✓ Contractor shall verify existing conditions.
- ✗ Existing conditions shall be verified by contractor shall.
Rule of thumb: if the subject is doing the thing, stay active. If the subject is having it done to it, go passive.
Build the structure
Complete each requirement. One word per gap.
All work comply with the current edition of the California Electrical Code. Conductors shall sized CEC Table 310.16. The subpanel shall be with required working clearances. All equipment shall be listed and labeled and installed in with the manufacturer’s instructions. All work shall be to inspection and approval by the AHJ.
Spec English is heavily nominalised. Write the correct form of the word in brackets to complete each requirement.
- Conduit shall comply with CEC Chapter 3. INSTALL
- All work shall be performed in with the current edition of the code. ACCORD
- Burial depth shall be provided where per CEC Table 300.5. APPLY
- All work shall be subject to inspection and by the AHJ. APPROVE
- The subpanel shall be installed with working clearances. REQUIRE
- Conduit shall be provided with from physical damage. PROTECT
Convert five instructions
Task card
Five loose instructions, spoken by your teacher
Convert each into a declarative requirement using shall + agentless passive + a citation slot.
- Say each one aloud before you write it. The rhythm of the structure is part of learning it.
- If you do not know the real citation, say “per [citation]” and move on — the structure is what is being practised.
- Your teacher will occasionally give you one that should stay active. Catch it.
The skeleton
Say the four slots from memory, in order, without looking at Phase 03. If you can do that, the structure is yours.
Before the next lesson
Homework. Take the weak note you brought today and rewrite it using the four-slot skeleton. Bring both versions.