Rewriting a text without distorting it

A local council member writes to a resident whose fence was damaged during roadwork. His draft says: "We regret the inconvenience caused. The technical department will review your request." He has an AI improve it, and it hands back a smoother text: "We apologize for the damage and will make sure it is repaired promptly." The style is better. But the town has just admitted responsibility and promised a repair, which the first text carefully avoided.

A rewrite changes words, and words carry meaning. When you ask to "improve this text," the AI doesn't know which parts of your text are style and which are substance. It treats everything as style.

Say what is untouchable

Before asking for anything, list what must not move. In a letter, that's generally:

• the facts, figures, dates, and names;
• the commitments made, and those that aren't (to "review" is not to "repair");
• the level of certainty ("it appears that" does not become "it is established that");
• the overall tone, for example a deliberate reserve.

Put this list in the prompt, in black and white, and say what the AI is allowed to touch: syntax, length, repetitions, sentence order.

Choose the intensity of the rewrite

"Rewrite" can mean three things, and the AI picks one if you don't decide.

• Correct: spelling, grammar, punctuation, nothing else. For a text that is already polished or has legal stakes.
• Lighten: cut redundancies and shorten sentences while keeping your phrasing. For a text that is correct but heavy.
• Rephrase: reorganize and change the construction. For a confusing text, if you accept that things will shift.

Write the level in your request, and take the lowest one that meets your need.

A prompt that protects the meaning

Here is a letter I'm sending, on behalf of the town of [CITY], to a resident whose fence was damaged during roadwork.

"""
[PASTE YOUR TEXT]
"""

Level requested: lighten. You may shorten sentences, remove repetitions, and fix mistakes. Keep my wording when it works.

What must not change:
- the town acknowledges no responsibility at this stage and promises no repair;
- it says only that the file will be reviewed by the technical department;
- the tone stays courteous and factual;
- no deadline, no amount, no new commitment.

Return the rewritten text, then a list titled "Changes in meaning": any word you replaced that alters the scope of a sentence (an obligation, a degree of certainty, a promise, an apology). If there are none, write "none".

The "Changes in meaning" list is not a hundred percent reliable, but it draws your attention to the sensitive passages.

Check with a second reading

For a text that matters, open a fresh conversation, paste the original (A) and the rewrite (B), and ask: "Compare sentence by sentence. Flag only what appears in B and not in A, what has disappeared from A, and any change in tone or certainty. Don't comment on style." You can also read the two texts side by side, underlining the commitment verbs: regret, will review, will ensure. Those are what tip a letter one way or the other.

The changes you can't see

The riskiest ones are those that seem to improve the text: a softening ("you must" becomes "it would be good to"), an apology added out of politeness, a "sometimes" that disappears. For a legal, medical, tax, or contractual text, a qualified person rereads it before it goes out. To keep your voice and not only your meaning, you need a style sheet, as in the article on getting the AI to write in your style. To get an opinion on your draft before rewriting it, ask it for a critique.

A trial right now

Choose a short text where a precise word matters, such as a polite refusal or an announcement of a delay. Write in two lines what must not change, run the prompt at the "correct" level and then the "lighten" level, and compare the lists of changes in meaning.