🔍 Introduction
In the world of prompt engineering, knowing how to structure your prompts is just the beginning. To truly master the art of working with large language models (LLMs), you need to understand how different prompt types work, what token limits mean, and how temperature settings affect your output. This blog post dives deep into these core components of effective prompting so you can communicate with AI like a pro.
🧠 Part 1: Prompt Types – Zero-Shot, Few-Shot, and Chain-of-Thought
1. Zero-Shot Prompting
Definition: A zero-shot prompt gives the model a task without any examples. You rely on the model’s pre-existing knowledge.
Example:
Translate this sentence into French:
"Where is the nearest train station?"Best for:
- Simple tasks
- When you want concise answers
- When the model already understands the context well
Pros:
- Fast and straightforward
- Good for factual or formulaic outputs
Cons:
- May produce vague or incorrect results if the task needs clarity
2. Few-Shot Prompting
Definition: You provide a few examples to guide the model on how to respond.
Example:
Translate the following sentences into French:
English: Good morning.
French: Bonjour.
English: How are you?
French: Comment ça va?
English: I am fine.
French:Best for:
- Tasks requiring specific style or structure
- Complex tasks like classification or summarization
Pros:
- Provides context for better accuracy
- Teaches the model a pattern to follow
Cons:
- Consumes more tokens
- Needs careful selection of examples
3. Chain-of-Thought Prompting
Definition: You ask the model to think step by step by providing reasoning paths in your prompt.
Example:
Question: If there are 5 oranges and you eat 2, how many are left?
Answer: Let's think step by step.
There were 5 oranges.
You ate 2.
So, 5 - 2 = 3.
Answer: 3Best for:
- Math problems
- Logic puzzles
- Multi-step reasoning tasks
Pros:
- Reduces hallucinations
- Encourages logical thinking
Cons:
- Longer output
- May drift off-topic if not clearly guided
🧮 Part 2: Token Limits – What They Are and How They Work
🔹 What is a Token?
A token is a unit of text. It could be:
- A word
- A sub-word (e.g., “un+break+able”)
- Punctuation or spaces
Rule of thumb:
- 1 token ≈ 4 characters in English
- 100 tokens ≈ 75 words
🔹 Why Token Limits Matter
LLMs can only process a certain number of tokens at once. This includes:
- Your prompt (input)
- The model’s response (output)
Common token limits:
| Model | Token Limit |
|---|---|
| GPT-3.5 | 4,096 |
| GPT-4 | 8,192 – 128,000 |
| Claude 2.1 | ~200,000 |
| Gemini 1.5 | >1 million |
🔸 What Happens if You Exceed the Limit?
- Your prompt may get cut off.
- The model may truncate its response.
- You may get an error in the API.
🔧 Tips to Stay Within Token Limits
- Use shorter instructions
- Avoid repetition
- Test your prompt length using tools like OpenAI Tokenizer
🌡️ Part 3: Temperature Setting – Controlling the Model’s Creativity
🔹 What is Temperature?
Temperature is a parameter that controls randomness or creativity in the model’s responses.
Range: 0.0 to 1.0 (sometimes up to 2.0)
| Temperature | Behavior | Use Case |
| 0.0 | Very deterministic | Coding, legal docs, math |
| 0.3–0.5 | Balanced and stable | Blog posts, summaries |
| 0.7–1.0 | Creative and varied | Stories, poems, ads |
| >1.0 | Chaotic and less reliable | Brainstorming, wild ideas |
🔧 How to Use It
- Low temperature = Factual and predictable
- High temperature = Creative and diverse
- Match it with your task goal
🧪 Part 4: Real-World Prompt Examples
1. Zero-Shot Prompt (Low Temp)
Q: What is the capital of Australia?
A: Canberra2. Few-Shot Prompt (Medium Temp)
Q: Translate to Hindi:
English: Hello
Hindi: Namaste
English: How are you?
Hindi:3. Chain-of-Thought (Medium or Low Temp)
Q: Is 121 a prime number?
A: Let's think step by step.
121 is divisible by 11 (11x11).
So it’s not a prime number.
Answer: No4. Creative Writing (High Temp)
Write a short poem about the moon in Shakespearean style.🧭 Final Thoughts
To master prompt engineering:
- Use the right prompt type for the right task
- Be mindful of token limits to avoid cutoffs
- Adjust temperature to get the tone and style you want
Prompt engineering isn’t just a technical skill—it’s an art. With these tools in your belt, you’re well on your way to becoming a prompt master in the age of generative AI.
