Show the AI an example of what good looks like
To show an AI what good looks like, paste one real sample and ask it to match the pattern: the length, the order, and the voice. Tell it not to copy the sample's content. Adjectives like professional or warm are a start. A sample is what you use when the reply could still belong to anyone.
Next step: copy the first prompt that matches your task. Fill in the brackets. Send only that.
A prompt is the message you paste. An approval gate is a stop you control. A checkpoint is a pause after one phase. School pages teach. They do not do the homework. Follow your teacher's rules.
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How do you do it?
Do the steps in order. Each line is one action, and you stop at the end of that action.
- 1 Try a clear ask before you collect samples. Say the job, the reader, and the facts. OpenAI's API help says to start with no example, then add examples if the format is still wrong. If the first reply is already usable, you do not need a sample.
- 2 Stop stacking adjectives. Professional, warm, and concise are the words on OpenAI's ChatGPT help page for tone. If you could hand the draft to a stranger and it would still fit, the adjectives did their job and stopped. The next message needs a sample, not a fourth adjective.
- 3 Paste one real sample and name the pattern. A sample is something you wrote, sent, cooked, or formatted. Say what to match: the length, the order of the parts, or the voice. Say what not to copy: the names, the numbers, the stories, and the old reader. Anthropic says examples steer format, tone, and structure. The content of the new task still has to come from you.
- 4 Add a second sample only if the first reply misses. Point at the one part that failed. If the voice is right and the order is wrong, say that. A second sample should be a different case, which is what OpenAI and Anthropic mean by diverse. You do not need the 3 to 5 examples in Anthropic's builder docs to send a Friday note.
Work
What prompt fits “A status note that matches one you already sent”?
Last Friday's note worked. This week's facts are different. You want the same headings and the same length, not last week's wins pasted in again.
Do not write a generic status. Match the pattern of the sample. Do not copy its content.
New facts, this week only:
Done: [one real thing].
Stuck: [the real blocker].
Need: [the decision, and the date].
Sample of a note I already sent. Match the headings, the length, and the plain voice. Do not reuse its project names, numbers, or sentences:
[paste last week's sent note]
If a sentence in the draft uses a fact that is only in the sample, delete it.
Then stop.School
What prompt fits “A paragraph shape you wrote, not a paragraph the chat writes”?
A teacher said one of your paragraphs was clear. You want the next paragraph to follow that shape. You still write it.
This is for learning. Do not write anything I will turn in. Follow my teacher's rules.
Here is a paragraph I wrote that was clear:
[paste your paragraph]
Tell me the pattern in three short lines: what comes first, what comes second, what comes last.
Do not praise it. Do not rewrite it into a new paragraph.
Then ask me one question I should answer, in my own words, before I draft the next paragraph on [new topic].
Wait for my answer. Do not draft the paragraph.Life
What prompt fits “A holiday menu that matches a meal you already cook”?
You liked last year's size. This year's guests and foods are different. The sample shows the effort, not the guest list.
Plan this year's meal by matching the sample. Do not copy dishes that break the foods we skip. Do not invent prices or food-safety numbers.
Guests now: [number]. Foods we skip: [list]. Serve at: [time].
Sample of a meal that worked, so you can see how many dishes and how much cooking:
[paste the old menu]
Match the number of dishes and the amount of work. Use this year's guests and skip list for the content.
If a dish is only there because it was in the sample, drop it unless it still fits.
Then stop.What mistakes should you avoid?
These are the misses that waste the result. Skip them before you send anything.
- Adding another adjective, such as punchy or elevated, when the draft is still generic.
- Pasting an example from the internet that you did not write and would not send.
- Letting the new draft keep the sample's names, dates, or results.
- Collecting five samples and no facts about the job in front of you. Anthropic's 3 to 5 is for builders. Your new task still needs your facts.
- Asking the chat to write the school paragraph that matches your sample. The pattern is the lesson. The sentences you turn in are yours.
More in this section: Stop generic AI answers · Set custom instructions so answers stop being generic · Ask for a plan before the work
Practice on a real task: Write prompts that get useful work · Reply to work emails · Write a weekly status update · Rewrite for a different audience · Write a cover letter · Plan Thanksgiving dinner · Compare health plans
Also on this site: Prompts · Prompt fixer · Write a letter
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Where does this come from?
These are public pages. The note after each link is what that page says, in plain words.
- OpenAI Help, “Prompt engineering best practices for ChatGPT”. OpenAI's ChatGPT help says to be clear and specific, to refine the prompt after you read the reply, and to use adjectives such as formal, friendly, or professional when you want a tone. That adjective step is real. It is also where a reply stays generic, because professional can describe anyone. This page is the next move when the adjective is not enough.
- OpenAI Help, “Best practices for prompt engineering with the OpenAI API”. OpenAI's API help says to show the format you want, not only to describe it. The page calls that "show, and tell." It also says to start with no example, then add a couple of examples if you still are not getting the format. The page is written for the API. The same order works in a normal chat: a clear ask first, then one real sample when the draft is still vague.
- OpenAI, “Prompt engineering”. OpenAI's prompt-engineering guide says a prompt can include examples of possible inputs along with the desired output. It describes few-shot learning as a handful of input and output examples so the model picks up the pattern and applies it to the new prompt. Few-shot means those samples are in the message. You are not training a new model. The guide says to show a diverse range of inputs. Diverse means the samples are different cases, not five copies of the same email.
- Anthropic, “Prompting best practices”. Anthropic says examples are one of the most reliable ways to steer Claude's format, tone, and structure. A few examples are called few-shot or multishot prompting. The page says to make them relevant to the real task, diverse enough that the model does not pick up an accident in the sample, and structured so the sample is separate from the instructions. It says 3 to 5 examples for best results. That page is for people building with Claude. For one email or one menu, start with a single real sample. Add a second only if the first reply still drifts.
What else do people ask?
Open a question. The short answer under it is the one to use.
What is an example in a prompt?
A real sample of what good looks like: an email you sent, a status note, a paragraph you wrote, or a menu you cooked. You show the pattern. You still give the facts for the new task.
Why not just say professional?
OpenAI's ChatGPT help says adjectives can set a tone. Professional still fits anyone. When the draft could be forwarded with the names swapped, paste a sample of your own writing instead of adding another adjective.
How many examples should I paste?
Start with one. OpenAI's API help says to add a couple if the format is still wrong. Anthropic's builder docs say 3 to 5 diverse examples for best results. For a normal chat, a second sample is the next step, and only if the first reply missed. The samples should be different cases, not the same note five times.
What if it copies the example?
Say which sentence came from the sample and tell it to delete it. The pattern can stay. The names, numbers, and stories have to come from the new facts you typed.
Can I use an example to get my homework written?
No. You can ask what pattern your own paragraph used, and you can answer a question before you write the next one. You write anything you turn in. Follow your teacher's rules.