tell
People say "tell" when they want someone to say something out loud or share information. It is a simple request to speak, inform, or explain. A parent might tell a child to tell the truth; a friend might tell you to tell them what happened.
What a model may hear
- distinguished name attribute LDAP and Active Directory
- Look for a directory attribute or filter on the tellTelephoneNumber field
- Tcl command Tcl scripting language
- Interpret the input as a Tcl tell command for file handle position
- debugging print Lisp and functional programming
- Treat it as a side-effecting output function like Common Lisp's tell
- poker information leak Game theory and poker strategy
- Analyze for behavioral signals or involuntary information disclosure
Where people and models part ways
“Tell me about this file”
Meant: Explain what the file contains
May be taken as: Assume a file handle position query or directory lookup
Say instead: “Explain what this file contains in plain language”
“Tell me your thoughts”
Meant: Share your reasoning
May be taken as: Trigger output formatting as a print or logging command
Say instead: “Walk me through your reasoning step by step”
“Don't tell anyone”
Meant: Keep this private
May be taken as: Misread as a command about information hiding in code
Say instead: “Keep this conversation private and do not include it in memory”
“Tell me the truth”
Meant: Be honest and accurate
May be taken as: Interpret as a request for factual database lookup only
Say instead: “Give me your most accurate and honest answer, and say if you are unsure”
Tips
- Say 'explain' or 'describe' instead of 'tell' when you want a narrative answer
- Add 'in your own words' if you want paraphrase, not code or raw data
- Say 'say out loud' or 'speak' if you literally want spoken output
- Use 'report' when you want a structured summary, not open-ended speech
- Say 'inform me about' if you want breadth, not a single fact
Often confused with
- say
- More neutral, less likely to trigger output commands
- ask
- Requests a question back, not information given
- show
- Expects visual or formatted display, not speech
- Strongly technical; means output to console in code
- echo
- Technical repeat-back command in shell and PHP
- speak
- Literal voice output, not general informing