Process Description Language in Technical Documentation
5 intermediate exercises — choose the right passive construction to describe API request flows, data pipelines, event handling, and service communication in technical documentation.
Process description verb patterns — before & after
is processed by — ❌ "the payload processes the middleware" → ✅ "the payload is processed by the middleware"
is triggered by / triggers — ❌ "the event is triggered by the scheduler" (reversed) → ✅ "the event triggers the scheduler" (or: "the scheduler is triggered by the event")
is validated against — ❌ "validates against the schema" (active, wrong subject) → ✅ "input is validated against the schema"
is persisted to — ❌ "data persists the database" → ✅ "data is persisted to the database"
is propagated to — ❌ "changes propagate subscribers" → ✅ "changes are propagated to subscribers"
is resolved via — ❌ "hostnames resolve via DNS" (too informal) → ✅ "hostnames are resolved via the DNS resolver"
0 / 23 completed
1 / 23
An API documentation page describes the request lifecycle: "When a client submits a checkout request, the order payload _____ the request validation middleware before it reaches the order service." Which passive construction correctly describes a process step?
Is processed by is the correct passive construction for describing what happens to the payload at this stage. In process documentation, the passive voice with a by-agent is used when the component doing the work (the middleware) is relevant and should be named. Structure: subject + is/are + past participle + by + agent. The full corrected sentence reads: "the order payload is processed by the request validation middleware before it reaches the order service." Why not the others: is processing through is not standard English ("process through" is not a conventional passive form); processes is active voice — it implies the payload does the processing, not the middleware; has processed is active perfect tense, same problem. In technical documentation, process descriptions almost always use the passive because the data or request is the topic, not the component handling it.
2 / 23
A system architecture document describes event handling: "A PaymentFailed event _____ the retry scheduler, which attempts the transaction up to three times with exponential backoff." Which construction correctly describes what happens when the event occurs?
In this sentence, the event is the cause and the retry scheduler is the effect — the event does the triggering. The active voice triggers is correct here because the event is the grammatical subject doing the action. This is a common pattern in architecture docs where events are described as active agents: "A UserCreated event triggers the welcome email service." / "The circuit breaker opens when five consecutive failures are recorded." The passive is appropriate when the focus is on what receives the action — e.g., "The retry scheduler is triggered by a PaymentFailed event." Option A reverses the cause-effect relationship (it says the event is triggered by the scheduler — wrong). Option B uses a progressive form that implies an ongoing action rather than a triggered process. Knowing when to use active vs. passive in process docs is a key IT writing skill.
3 / 23
API documentation for an authentication flow states: "The JWT token _____ the public key stored in the key management service before the request is forwarded to the backend." Which passive construction is correct?
Is validated against is the correct process description construction. The phrase validate against is a standard collocational pattern in technical English that means "to check something by comparing it with a reference": "The schema is validated against the OpenAPI specification." / "User input is validated against a whitelist of allowed characters." Structure: subject + is/are + validated against + [reference standard or key]. Why not the others: validates against (option A) is active voice — it would mean the token itself performs the validation, which is semantically wrong; is being validated to (option C) uses the wrong preposition ("to" doesn't collocate with "validate" in this sense) and the progressive form is unnecessary for a process step; has been validating (option D) is active perfect progressive — wrong subject and wrong tense for a process step. Common validate patterns in API docs: validated against, validated using, validated by, fails validation.
4 / 23
A data pipeline architecture document explains: "Once the ETL job completes, the aggregated metrics _____ the analytics database, where they become available to the reporting layer within 60 seconds." Which construction correctly describes the storage step?
Are persisted to is the correct construction. Persist is a standard technical verb meaning "to write data to long-term storage". In process documentation it is almost always used in the passive: "data is persisted to the database", "events are persisted to the event store", "the snapshot is persisted to S3". The preposition to is the standard collocate for this usage: "persisted to the database / to disk / to the cache / to the store". Why not the others: persist (option B) is active — it implies the metrics do the persisting, which is semantically wrong; are persisting in (option C) uses the progressive (implies an ongoing state rather than a process step) and the wrong preposition; is persisted into (option D) has a subject–verb agreement error ("metrics" is plural → "are", not "is"). Common data pipeline process verbs in the passive: extracted from, transformed using, loaded into, persisted to, published to, consumed by, replicated to, indexed in.
5 / 23
A microservices design document describes service communication: "After the notification service processes the event, the updated delivery status _____ all subscribed client applications via the WebSocket gateway." Which passive construction correctly describes the distribution step?
Is propagated to is the correct process description construction. Propagate (from Latin propagare, to spread) is a standard term in distributed systems for the spread or broadcasting of data, state changes, or events to multiple recipients. Structure: subject + is propagated to + [recipients] + via + [channel]. The full corrected sentence: "the updated delivery status is propagated to all subscribed client applications via the WebSocket gateway." Common uses: "Config changes are propagated to all nodes within 30 seconds." / "Schema migrations are propagated to read replicas automatically." / "Cache invalidations are propagated via the pub/sub channel." Why not the others: propagates (option B) is active voice with wrong collocate pattern ("propagates [object]" implies the status spreads the clients, not to them); is propagating for (option C) uses the progressive and a wrong preposition; is resolved via (option D) means "solved or answered through" — completely wrong semantic for broadcasting status to clients. Other distribution/communication process verbs: broadcast to, dispatched to, forwarded to, relayed to, delivered to, pushed to.
6 / 23
Sarah from the DevOps team posted this comment on a code review:
'The API endpoint should *process* user input before sending it to the database. This ensures data integrity and prevents potential injection attacks.' What is the best way for Mark to respond, using a passive construction in the description?
This scenario focuses on security best practices. Mark needs to accurately describe the flow of data *through* the system. Option 1 correctly uses a passive construction – 'handled by' – to indicate that the authentication middleware performs the processing step. Options 2, 3 and 4 introduce unnecessary detail about logging or rate limiting.
7 / 23
David is drafting a Pull Request description for a new feature that updates user profiles. He writes: 'Upon successful submission, the system will trigger an update to the database.' Which of the following best completes this sentence using passive voice?
This question tests understanding of passive voice and its role in describing actions. Option 1 utilizes 'is triggered' correctly, emphasizing that the *system* is performing the action of updating the database. Options 2, 3 and 4 incorrectly place agency onto the database itself or misrepresent the process.
8 / 23
You're reviewing documentation for a new microservice designed to handle image uploads. The description reads: 'The service receives the uploaded file and then stores it in object storage.' Which passive construction is most appropriate to complete this sentence, aligning with standard IT documentation?
This question tests the correct use of passive voice to describe a process. Option 2 correctly uses 'is received by' to indicate that object storage is the recipient of the uploaded file. Options 1 and 4 repeat information unnecessarily, while option 3 incorrectly places agency on the service.
9 / 23
Ben, a developer, is writing an API response description:
'Upon receiving the request, the server will transform the data and then return it to the client.' Which passive construction best completes this sentence?
This question tests the proper use of passive voice in an API context. Option 1 utilizes 'is transformed' accurately to describe what happens *to* the data during the transformation process. It highlights that the server is performing the action. Options 2 and 4 are overly verbose and misrepresent the sequence.
10 / 23
Sarah from the DevOps team posted this comment on a code review:
'The API endpoint should *process* user input before sending it to the database. This ensures data integrity and prevents potential injection attacks.' What is the best way for Mark to respond, using a passive construction in the description?
This scenario focuses on security best practices. Mark needs to accurately describe the flow of data *through* the system. Option 1 correctly uses a passive construction – 'handled by' – to indicate that the authentication middleware performs the processing step. Options 2, 3 and 4 introduce unnecessary detail about logging or rate limiting.
11 / 23
David is drafting a Pull Request description for a new feature that updates user profiles. He writes: 'Upon successful submission, the system will trigger an update to the database.' Which of the following best completes this sentence using passive voice?
This question tests understanding of passive voice and its role in describing actions. Option 1 utilizes 'is triggered' correctly, emphasizing that the *system* is performing the action of updating the database. Options 2, 3 and 4 incorrectly place agency onto the database itself or misrepresent the process.
12 / 23
You're reviewing documentation for a new microservice designed to handle image uploads. The description reads: 'The service receives the uploaded file and then stores it in object storage.' Which passive construction is most appropriate to complete this sentence, aligning with standard IT documentation?
This question tests the correct use of passive voice to describe a process. Option 2 correctly uses 'is received by' to indicate that object storage is the recipient of the uploaded file. Options 1 and 4 repeat information unnecessarily, while option 3 incorrectly places agency on the service.
13 / 23
Ben, a developer, is writing an API response description:
'Upon receiving the request, the server will transform the data and then return it to the client.' Which passive construction best completes this sentence?
This question tests the proper use of passive voice in an API context. Option 1 utilizes 'is transformed' accurately to describe what happens *to* the data during the transformation process. It highlights that the server is performing the action. Options 2 and 4 are overly verbose and misrepresent the sequence.
14 / 23
Sarah from the DevOps team posted this comment on a code review:
'The API endpoint should *process* user input before sending it to the database. This ensures data integrity and prevents potential injection attacks.' What is the best way for Mark to respond, using a passive construction in the description?
This scenario focuses on security best practices. Mark needs to accurately describe the flow of data *through* the system. Option 1 correctly uses a passive construction – 'handled by' – to indicate that the authentication middleware performs the processing step. Options 2, 3 and 4 introduce unnecessary detail about logging or rate limiting.
15 / 23
David is drafting a Pull Request description for a new feature that updates user profiles. He writes: 'Upon successful submission, the system will trigger an update to the database.' Which of the following best completes this sentence using passive voice?
This question tests understanding of passive voice and its role in describing actions. Option 1 utilizes 'is triggered' correctly, emphasizing that the *system* is performing the action of updating the database. Options 2, 3 and 4 incorrectly place agency onto the database itself or misrepresent the process.
16 / 23
You're reviewing documentation for a new microservice designed to handle image uploads. The description reads: 'The service receives the uploaded file and then stores it in object storage.' Which passive construction is most appropriate to complete this sentence, aligning with standard IT documentation?
This question tests the correct use of passive voice to describe a process. Option 2 correctly uses 'is received by' to indicate that object storage is the recipient of the uploaded file. Options 1 and 4 repeat information unnecessarily, while option 3 incorrectly places agency on the service.
17 / 23
Ben, a developer, is writing an API response description:
'Upon receiving the request, the server will transform the data and then return it to the client.' Which passive construction best completes this sentence?
This question tests the proper use of passive voice in an API context. Option 1 utilizes 'is transformed' accurately to describe what happens *to* the data during the transformation process. It highlights that the server is performing the action. Options 2 and 4 are overly verbose and misrepresent the sequence.
18 / 23
During code review, Alex comments: 'The service should *validate* incoming data before persisting it to the database. This prevents corrupted records and maintains data integrity.' Considering this context, which sentence is most appropriate for a PR description?
'Upon receiving user input, the system will validate the data against predefined rules before updating the database record.'
This question focuses on using passive voice when describing a validation process. Option 2 correctly frames the action as being *performed by* the system (is validated), which is standard for technical documentation. Options A and B are too active. Option D incorrectly suggests that validation happens before saving.
19 / 23
During a Slack discussion about a new feature update, John says: 'The system *handles* user authentication and then sends a token to the client.' Which option best completes this sentence in a professional IT documentation context?
While 'processes' is often preferred in detailed documentation, 'handles' isn't *wrong* in a casual Slack conversation. However, for formal IT documentation, precision matters. 'Handles' lacks specific details about the authentication mechanism. Option A correctly identifies why 'handles' is vague and unsuitable for technical descriptions; option D misrepresents the meaning of 'handle'.
20 / 23
In a Pull Request description for a new API endpoint, David writes: 'The server *receives* the request and then returns an HTTP status code.' Which of the following revisions would be most suitable from a documentation perspective?
While 'receives' is technically correct, it's too passive for API documentation. It doesn't convey what the endpoint *does*. 'Processes' clarifies that the server isn't just receiving data; it's actively handling the request and returning a status code. Option A correctly identifies why 'receives' is inadequate – it lacks context. Option D highlights an important omission (response format) but doesn't address the primary issue with the given sentence.
21 / 23
A developer is writing documentation for a background job that transforms data. The description reads: 'The system *generates* the transformed output and then saves it to a file.' Which passive construction is most suitable for describing this process in an IT context?
'Generates' is too informal for IT documentation. 'Processes' clearly indicates that the system takes the initial data and performs a transformation to produce the output file. This phrasing aligns with standard terminology used when describing data processing workflows. Option A correctly identifies why 'generates' is unsuitable; option D highlights a necessary addition (file format) but doesn't address the core issue.
22 / 23
Maria is writing a description for a new command-line tool. She states: 'The tool will *process* the input file and generate an output report.' Which phrasing best clarifies this action within technical documentation, emphasizing the tool's role?
This question tests understanding of passive voice and its role in describing actions. Option 2 correctly focuses on what the *tool* does, which is more appropriate for technical documentation than simply stating the process. Options A and D shift the focus to the input file, while option 3 uses overly complex phrasing.
23 / 23
You're reviewing documentation for a new microservice that processes payments. The description reads: 'The service *processes* payment transactions and then logs them to an external system.' Which revision best emphasizes the service's core responsibility?
This question tests the ability to refine a passive sentence. Option 1 clearly establishes that *the service* is responsible for processing payments. Options B and C misrepresent the flow of information; option D reverses the roles incorrectly.
What will I practise in "Process Description Language in Technical Documentation — IT English Grammar Exercise"?
Practice passive constructions for process description: is processed by, is triggered by, is validated against, is persisted to, is propagated to.
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