Page 72 - CyberSecurityEssentialsEnglish

few-shot prompting we give several examples that help the system infer the pattern, which
is particularly useful in classification, field extraction, and setting a tone [7].
Do not multiply examples without reason. An example consumes space in the context, and

it may carry incidental detail into the output. Choose varied examples that cover the
important cases, and show what to do when information is missing. If you are classifying

messages, do not display only the easy cases. Add a mixed or unclear message and state the
correct category or the escalation policy.

TABLE 2-6: ZERO-SHOT, ONE-SHOT, AND FEW-SHOT PROMPTING

Approach What it provides When it helps The risk

Instructions with no General and simple The format may be
Zero-shot
example. tasks. interpreted differently.

Clarifying a specific It may copy
One-shot A single example.
structure or tone. unintended detail.

Several varied Classification, extraction, Poor examples repeat
Few-shot
examples. and consistency. the error and the bias.

Practical Patterns by Task Type
TABLE 2-7: HOW PROMPTING DIFFERS BY TASK TYPE

Task What matters in the prompt Verification question

Purpose, audience, sources, order of Is every figure and claim
Summarization
priority, what may not be inferred. present in the source?

Prior knowledge, terminology, an example, Was the concept simplified
Explanation
a question that tests understanding. without being distorted?

Objective, relationship, fixed facts, tone, Was a promise or a date
Email
the action required. added that does not exist?

Fields, types, a policy for missing values, a Is every value tied to a
Extraction
correct example. location in the text?

Objective, resources, timing, constraints, Is the plan executable, or a list
Planning
measures, assumptions. of wishes?

Audience, approved terminology, how Did the text preserve the
Translation literal the wording should be, names, text meaning and the named
direction. entities?

Criteria, weights, missing data, no hiding of Does the recommendation
Comparison
trade-offs. actually follow the criteria?

71