So far, we have encountered several variations of prompts. Following Kojima et al.1, we will categorize prompts consisting solely of a question as "standard" prompts. In addition, we will also classify those prompts containing only a question in the QA format as "standard" prompts.Why should I care?

Numerous articles that we refer to utilize this term. We are providing a definition to facilitate the discussion of new types of prompts in comparison to the standard prompts.

Two examples of standard prompts:

Standard Prompt

What is the capital of France?

Standard Prompt in QA format

Q: What is the capital of France? A:

Few Shot Standard Prompts

Few-shot standard prompts2 are essentially standard prompts that incorporate exemplars. Exemplars are examples of the task that the prompt aims to address, and are included within the prompt itself3. In research, few-shot standard prompts are occasionally referred to merely as standard prompts (though we strive to avoid this in our guide).Few Shot Standard Prompt

What is the capital of Spain?

Madrid

What is the capital of Italy?

Rome

What is the capital of France?

Few Shot Standard Prompt in QA format

Q: What is the capital of Spain?

A: Madrid

Q: What is the capital of Italy?

A: Rome

Q: What is the capital of France?

A:

Few-shot prompts enable "few-shot" or "in-context" learning, which refers to the ability to learn without requiring parameter updates4.