A school office tried to simplify permission notices. In the original process, families submitted a form, and the office informed teachers after checking it. A revised sentence stated that after submitting the form, teachers would be informed. Although the sentence sounded smooth, it left the actor of submitting unclear and made it seem possible that teachers had submitted the form themselves. The editor repaired the notice by naming both actors: after families submitted the form, the office would inform teachers. She then compared every rewrite with a two-column record listing each action and its performer. This check caught another sentence in which a committee's recommendation had been changed into a requirement. The lesson was broader than grammar. A rewrite is accurate only when it preserves who acts, what degree of force is expressed, and which event happens first. Natural wording cannot compensate for a changed relationship.