Briefle words · Prompt craft
Negative instructions
Telling the AI what not to do or what to leave out, so it doesn't spend effort where you don't want it.
Say it to an AI
Review only section 4 (budget justification) of the attached grant proposal: for each cost, is it clearly tied to a project outcome? Ignore formatting and references; they're placeholders. List weak items with a one-line fix each.
How an expert would ask for the stronger version of “Grant proposal feedback”.
See it
Try it as a puzzle →A researcher asks an AI to review a draft grant proposal two days before the deadline.
Why: B's 'Ignore formatting and references; they're placeholders' rules out the references, headings and margins points that fill half of A's reply.
Related words
Room 2 · Context & grounding
Learn “Negative instructions” in a five-minute lesson