Controlling LLM Prose

Information-oriented

Reference

Every technique, precisely defined. 33 concepts across 9 areas—each with a definition, a worked example, and a copy-ready prompt.

Area I

Sentence Architecture & Syntax

The shape of a sentence—how clauses coordinate or subordinate, where the predicate lands, whether phrases mirror one another—governs rhythm, tension, and cognitive load before a single word is chosen.
Area II

Narrative Distance & Point of View

How close does the reader stand to a character's mind? Distance is a dial, not a switch—these tools set the exact range between cold aerial survey and interior stream of thought.
Area III

Lexical Mechanics & Style

At the level of words themselves: which parts of speech dominate, how much meaning is packed per token, and the precise social flavor of the vocabulary.
Area IV

Structural & Systemic Constraints

Hard rules applied uniformly across the whole text—constraints that force the model into measurably different linguistic behavior.
Area V

Length, Reading Speed & Audience Comprehension

Length is not a word budget in a vacuum—it is a function of who reads, how fast, and under how much cognitive load. Calibrate output to a target reading time, then back into an appropriate word count.
Area VI

Controlled Natural Languages & Constrained Registers

Controlled natural languages restrict grammar and vocabulary to a verifiable subset—the kind of hard, checkable constraint a model follows reliably. Some read as ordinary prose; others parse straight into logic.
Area VII

Cognitive Load & Information Design

Comprehension is a memory budget. Order information so each sentence builds on the last, lead with conclusions, chunk what must be held at once, and the reader spends attention on ideas rather than bookkeeping.
Area VIII

Precision & Disambiguation

Engineering prose fails at its ambiguities: a dangling “it,” a scope-less “all,” a synonym that might mean something new. These tools pin down reference, quantity, certainty, and terminology.
Area IX

Technical Communication Formats

Beyond sentences lie document shapes—inverted pyramids, minimalist steps, diff-friendly line breaks—that decide whether a reader can scan, act, and maintain the text over time.

Example · a reference table

Reference entries are dry and complete. Here is one such entry’s table— Flesch–Kincaid grade targets from Readability Metrics.

Flesch–Kincaid grade targets and their audiences.
GradeAvg. sentenceTypical audience
5–6≤ 12 wordsGeneral public, marketing
8–10≤ 18 wordsMainstream journalism
13–16≤ 25 wordsAcademic, professional