Is there a prompt pattern that gets an AI to critique a draft without rewriting it?
Every time I ask an assistant to look at a draft, it hands back a polished replacement and a cheerful note that I should be pleased. I did not ask for a replacement. I asked what is wrong with it. When I was a copy editor, the useful thing a colleague could do was say "the second paragraph buries your point" and then leave me alone to fix it.
Cite
DigiCruncher, "Is there a prompt pattern that gets an AI to critique a draft without rewriting it?", https://digicruncher.com/topic/is-there-a-prompt-pattern-that-gets-an-ai-to-critique-a-draft-without/, accessed 2026-11-12.I have tried writing "do not rewrite" in capitals at the top and it works for one reply and then drifts. I have tried asking for "feedback only" and got feedback with a rewritten example attached to each point, which amounts to the same thing.
Does anyone have a prompt pattern that reliably yields a critique, with comments tied to specific places in the text, and leaves the sentences untouched? I am using a chat interface, not the API.
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