Structured English

<h2 id="elements">Elements</h2>
<p><a href="https://dailyvocabshay.blogspot.com/2022/12/advanced-english-structure-pdf.html">Advanced English Structure</a> is a limited-form "<a href="/facts/Pseudocode/XgN19duK">pseudocode</a>" and consists of the following elements:
</p>
<ol><li>Operation statements written as English phrases executed from the top down</li>
<li>Conditional blocks indicated by keywords such as IF, THEN, and ELSE</li>
<li>Repetition blocks indicated by keywords such as DO, WHILE, and UNTIL</li></ol>
<p>The following guidelines are used when writing Structured English:<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a>
</p>
<ol><li>All logic should be expressed in operational, conditional, and repetition blocks</li>
<li>Statements should be clear and unambiguous</li>
<li>Logical blocks should be indented to show relationship and hierarchy</li>
<li>Use one line per logical element, or indent the continuation line</li>
<li>Keywords should be capitalized</li>
<li>Group blocks of statements together, with a capitalized name that describes their function and end with an EXIT.</li>
<li>Underline words or phrases defined in a data dictionary.</li>
<li>Mark comment lines with an asterisk</li></ol>
<h2 id="example-of-structured-english">Example of Structured English</h2>
<p>APPROVE LOAN
</p>
IF customer has a Bank Account THEN
   IF Customer has no dues from previous account THEN
      Allow loan facility
   ELSE
      IF Management Approval is obtained THEN
         Allow loan facility
      ELSE
        Reject
      ENDIF
   ENDIF
ELSE
   Reject
ENDIF
EXIT

<h2 id="criticism">Criticism</h2>
<p>Though useful for planning programs, modules and routines, or describing algorithms it is less useful when numerous decisions need to be made.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a>
</p>
<h3>Other specification tools</h3>
<p>System processes at a lower level involve lot of computations and require more precision and clarity. This can be achieved with tools such as <a href="/facts/Decision_tree/XDVeGlkJ">decision trees</a> or <a href="/facts/Decision_table/KbWcbltC">decision tables</a>.
</p>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Natural_language_programming/u756D2Bz">Natural language programming</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Self-documenting_code/AFtkhq3F">Self-documenting code</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Structured_programming/zA8b8dP1">Structured programming</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Pseudocode/XgN19duK">Pseudocode</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Decision_tree/XDVeGlkJ">Decision tree</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Decision_table/KbWcbltC">Decision table</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Controlled_natural_language/wtsYcSl7">Controlled natural language</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>""What is Structured English", Wisegeek.com, retrieved 23 April 2014 <a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-structured-english.htm#didyouknowout" target="_blank">http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-structured-english.htm#didyouknowout</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>"Implementation of a Structured English Query Language" M.M. Astrahan and D.D. Chamberlain, IBM Research Division, San Jose, ACM, May 1975 (retrieved from Cleveland State University website, April 2014) <a href="http://cis.csuohio.edu/~matos/notes/cis-611/Papers/Implementation%20of%20a%20structured%20English%20query%20language-astrahan.pdf" target="_blank">http://cis.csuohio.edu/~matos/notes/cis-611/Papers/Implementation%20of%20a%20structured%20English%20query%20language-astrahan.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>"Guidelines for Structured English in Documenting Specifications", Craig Borysowich, IT Toolbox, 29 April 2007 <a href="http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/enterprise-solutions/guidelines-for-structured-english-in-documenting-specifications-15987" target="_blank">http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/enterprise-solutions/guidelines-for-structured-english-in-documenting-specifications-15987</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>"Ch. 60 Structured English, Strengths and Weaknesses", The Information Systems: Analysis and Design, Meyzin Leonid, Holon Institute of Technology, retrieved 23 April 2014 <a href="http://www.hit.ac.il/staff/leonidM/information-systems/ch60.html#Heading3" target="_blank">http://www.hit.ac.il/staff/leonidM/information-systems/ch60.html#Heading3</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Structured English open-in-new

Structured English