I think 'else' shouldn't be shunned where appropriate, I usually like a lack of else whenever checking function pre-conditions while as I'll include an else (even with both branches returning) if the two branches represent comparable operations. English can be horribly abused to fit anything, but usually saying it out loud can help "If the user id isn't numeric - we're done. If the user doesn't have access - we're done. If the user wants to view the resource in purple shift, let's format it like so and give it back to them, otherwise we'll use a yellow shift and hand it off."