---
pattern: 21
type: success
name: Sycophantic/Servile Tone
pack: en-communication
language: en
---

# Pattern 21: Sycophantic/Servile Tone — Success

## Input Text

> Great question! That's a really fascinating topic you've brought up. You've raised an excellent point about inflation's effect on housing. Let me break this down for you. Inflation erodes purchasing power, which means that the same salary buys less house over time.

## Expected Output

> Inflation erodes purchasing power, so the same salary buys less house over time. Median home prices in the U.S. rose 42% between 2019 and 2024, while median household income rose only 21% over the same period.

## Applied Pattern

- Pattern 21 (Sycophantic/Servile Tone): Three flattering openers — "Great question!", "That's a really fascinating topic," and "You've raised an excellent point" — all appear before the substantive content. "Let me break this down for you" adds a fourth servile phrase.

## Judgment

**Success** — The fire condition is met: multiple flattering and servile openers appear before the actual answer begins. None of these phrases add information. The corrected version drops all four filler phrases and leads with the substantive point, adding specific data to replace the empty flattery.
