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Patterns That Can Be Recombined
Instead of memorizing long prompts, it helps to think in terms of patterns that perform
recurring functions and can be combined as the task requires. A pattern is not a fixed

sentence; it is a relationship between a problem and a solution. For instance, when
information is incomplete, use the “ask before acting” pattern. When the output is long, use
“plan, then execute in stages.” These patterns can be seen as part of a wider literature on

prompt patterns and prompt engineering, rather than as ready-made templates to be
memorized [14][15].

The “extract, then transform” pattern separates finding the information from rewriting it.
Ask first for the claims or the fields together with their evidence, and only after reviewing

them ask for the summary or the report. This reduces the mixing of extraction with
interpretation and makes errors easier to find.

The “generate, then evaluate” pattern suits brainstorming: ask for a number of varied

alternatives, then evaluate them against defined criteria, then develop the best two. Do not
ask in a single step for ten excellent ideas, ranked, justified, and complete. Merging
generation and judgment too early tends to reduce variety.

The “compare under constraints” pattern defines the options, the criteria, and the missing

data, and prevents a recommendation before the trade-offs are shown. The “answer from
the source” pattern asks for a quotation or a page and for the words “not supported” when
evidence is absent. The “opposing reviewer” pattern asks for the strongest objection and

then for what would be required to answer it.

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