3.1 Instructional Prompts
Instructional prompts are direct and clear commands that tell the AI what to do. They usually start with action verbs like Explain, Write, Summarize, Translate, List, or Generate.
1. What are Instructional Prompts?
These prompts give specific instructions to the AI so it knows exactly what task to perform. They are great for getting clear and focused results.
2. Examples of Instructional Prompts
- Explain Newton’s laws of motion in simple words.
- Write a short story about a brave dog.
- Summarize the main points of the Independence Day speech.
- Translate this sentence into Hindi: "Knowledge is power."
- List 5 benefits of drinking water.
- Generate a quiz with 5 questions about world geography.
3. Why Use Instructional Prompts?
They make communication with the AI simple and productive. When you use instructional prompts:
- You save time
- You get direct answers
- You avoid confusion
4. Tips to Create Better Instructional Prompts
- Use action verbs at the beginning: write, explain, generate, etc.
- Be clear and specific about what you want.
- Add details like format, length, or audience if needed.
Example:
Prompt: Write a paragraph explaining the water cycle to a 10-year-old.
Output: "The water cycle shows how water moves around our Earth. Water evaporates from oceans and lakes, forms clouds through condensation, and falls as rain or snow. This water then flows back into rivers and lakes, starting the cycle again!"
5. Combining with Other Prompt Types:
You can mix instructional prompts with tone or format for better results.
Prompt: Write a formal email to apply for a college scholarship.
Prompt: List 5 healthy foods in a table format.
3.2 Output Constraints (Word Limit, Structure)
Output constraints are rules you give to the AI about how the response should be structured. These may include setting a word limit, choosing a specific format, or defining how the content should be organized.
1. Why Are Output Constraints Important?
- They keep responses focused and relevant.
- They help when working with limited space (e.g., Twitter posts, summaries, etc.).
- They ensure the response is in the format you want (e.g., list, paragraph, table).
2. Types of Output Constraints
- Word Limit: Restricting the length of output.
- Character Limit: Useful for social media or SMS-based content.
- Format Constraints: Table, bullet points, headings, JSON, etc.
- Section Constraints: Breaking output into defined sections (like introduction, body, conclusion).
3. Examples of Output Constraints
Example 1: Word Limit
Prompt: Explain the Industrial Revolution in under 100 words.
Output: The Industrial Revolution was a major shift from handmade goods to machine-based manufacturing between the 18th and 19th centuries. It began in Britain and spread globally, leading to rapid urbanization, economic growth, and major technological innovation.
Example 2: Output Format
Prompt: List 3 benefits of exercise in bullet points.
- Improves physical health and immunity
- Reduces stress and boosts mood
- Enhances sleep quality and energy levels
Example 3: Table Format
Prompt: Create a table comparing GPT and Claude.
| Model | Developer | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| GPT | OpenAI | Natural language generation |
| Claude | Anthropic | Safety-focused, helpfulness |
Example 4: Sectioned Output
Prompt: Write a 3-section blog: Introduction, Main Content, and Conclusion on “Digital Payments”.
Output:
Introduction:
Digital payments are transforming the way we handle money...
Main Content:
With the rise of mobile wallets, UPI, and banking apps, transactions have become fast and convenient...
Conclusion:
Digital payments are here to stay and will continue to evolve...
4. Tips for Using Output Constraints
- Mention the exact format in the prompt: “in 50 words”, “in a table”, “in 3 points”, etc.
- Use “strictly” or “do not exceed” if the limit is important.
- Combine format + structure for better clarity.
5. Combined Example
Prompt: Summarize World War I in exactly 3 bullet points, each under 15 words.
- Started in 1914 due to complex alliances and the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand.
- Involved major global powers and introduced trench warfare and chemical weapons.
- Ended in 1918 with the Treaty of Versailles and massive global consequences.
3.3 Controlling Randomness: Temperature & Max Tokens
When you use an AI model like ChatGPT or Gemini, you can control how it gives you answers using special settings. Two common settings are Temperature and Max Tokens. These help decide how creative or long the response should be.
1. What is Temperature?
Temperature controls how random or creative the AI’s answers are.
- Low Temperature (e.g., 0 or 0.2): Answers will be more exact and predictable. Good for tasks like solving math or giving factual answers.
- High Temperature (e.g., 0.7 or 1): Answers will be more creative and different each time. Good for poetry, stories, or brainstorming ideas.
Example:
Prompt: Write a sentence about the sun.
Temperature 0: The sun is a star at the center of the solar system.
Temperature 1: The sun dances in the sky, pouring golden light like liquid fire.
2. What is Max Tokens?
Max Tokens means the maximum number of words or parts of words the AI can use in its reply. (1 token ≈ 4 characters or 0.75 words)
- Low Max Tokens (e.g., 50): Short response.
- High Max Tokens (e.g., 300 or more): Longer and more detailed response.
Example:
Prompt: Explain the water cycle.
Max Tokens 50: Water evaporates, forms clouds, rains, and repeats.
Max Tokens 200: Water from rivers and oceans evaporates due to the sun's heat. It rises and cools to form clouds. When the clouds become heavy, they release rain. This rain flows back to water bodies, and the cycle continues.
3.4 Prompt Debugging: Fixing Bad Results
Sometimes, when we ask questions or give commands to AI, the answers are not what we expected. This can happen because the prompt (the input we gave) was unclear, incomplete, or confusing. Prompt Debugging means finding and fixing these problems to get better and more accurate results.
Why Do Bad Results Happen?
- Prompt is too short or vague
- AI misunderstood the task
- No format or structure was mentioned
- Missing examples or instructions
Steps to Fix Bad Prompts
- Be Clear: Make your prompt easy to understand.
- Add Details: Mention what you want and what you don’t want.
- Use Examples: Show how the answer should look.
- Set Format: Say if you want a list, table, or paragraph.
- Break Into Steps: Ask the AI to think step-by-step.
Example 1: Vague Prompt
Bad Prompt: Tell me about India
Problem: Too general – history? geography? culture?
Improved Prompt: Write a short paragraph explaining the cultural diversity of India, with one example each from north and south India.
Example 2: Unclear Output Format
Bad Prompt: Summarize this text
Improved Prompt: Summarize this paragraph in 3 bullet points using simple language.
Example 3: AI Missing the Point
Bad Result: AI gives a long story when you wanted a list.
Fix: Rewrite your prompt to say: "Give your answer as a numbered list."
Tips
- Use specific words like "act as a teacher" or "explain like I’m 12"
- Ask follow-up questions to refine the result
- Keep testing and improving until the output matches your goal
3.5 Context Window Management in AI
AI models like GPT, Claude, and Gemini read your input and generate responses based on a "context window." This context window is the maximum number of words or tokens the AI can remember at once. If your input is too long, older parts may get cut off or forgotten. Context Window Management means organizing your input smartly to stay within this limit and still get accurate results.
What is a Context Window?
- The AI model can only “see” a limited number of tokens (words, punctuation, etc.)
- For example: GPT-4-turbo supports up to 128,000 tokens
- If your conversation or prompt exceeds that, it forgets the beginning
Why Is It Important?
- If important instructions are too far back, the AI might ignore them
- Long chats or documents can overwhelm the model
- You may get off-topic or incorrect answers
Strategies for Managing Context
- Summarize Earlier Content: Convert long text into shorter summaries.
- Reinforce Key Instructions: Repeat important rules closer to the end.
- Trim Unnecessary Text: Remove irrelevant history or filler.
- Chunk Large Tasks: Break large problems into smaller steps or parts.
- Use Memory Features (if supported): Some AI tools offer persistent memory.
Example
Bad Prompt:
Explain how neural networks work in detail, and also write a story about a robot, then summarize a book I uploaded, and then generate a Python function to calculate BMI.
Problem: Too much at once – AI may lose track of earlier instructions.
Better Approach:
- Ask one thing at a time.
- Summarize the book separately.
- In the next prompt, refer back briefly: “Using the book summary above...”
Useful Tip
Token ≠ Word: One word may be 1-3 tokens. Example: "ChatGPT" = 1 token, "unbelievable" = 2 tokens.
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