Meta Model · Pattern 10 of 13
Unspecified Verb
An action is named while how it actually happened is left out.
Recover: The full action: how, when, where specifically
What it is
'He rejected me' may mean he declined a cup of tea. The student's discipline is to ask rather than fill the gap with their own story.
Recognition / tip-offs
What has been distorted, generalised or deleted
- Deleted: the specific behaviour
- Deleted: when and where it happened
- Deleted: what the speaker did in response
Client-language use
"She hurt me", "They ignored me." You and the client may be picturing completely different events, and only one of you can check.
How to challenge it
Ask for the behaviour in sensory detail — what was seen, heard, done.
- “How specifically did he reject you?”
- “What exactly did she do?”
- “How specifically are they ignoring you?”
- “What happened, step by step?”
Practitioner judgement: challenge what is useful, not every pattern you can hear.
What to recover
You are recovering the process behind the verb. Never invent the rest of the story — that is your map, not theirs.
Client autonomy first — offer language the client can verify and decline.
Examples
“He rejected me.”
Missing What he actually did or said.
Challenge: “How specifically did he reject you?”
It might have been a refused cup of tea. Ask before assuming.
“They don't listen to me.”
Missing Who they are, and what listening would look like.
Challenge: “Who specifically? What would they be doing if they were listening?”
Unspecified verb + lack of referential index.
Common confusion and overlap
- Filling in the detail yourself, which is mind reading in disguise
- Overlap with simple deletion — either recovery question can be right; choose the more useful
- Asking 'why' instead of 'how specifically', which invites justification
Practice this pattern
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