Bad vs Good patterns

Giving feedback on a pull request

Instead of criticizing an implementation directly, suggest an improvement.

Bad: "I don't like this realization."

Good: "Can we do this better?"

Using inclusive language

When giving feedback or making suggestions, try to replace "you" with "we". This small shift does two important things:

• It softens the tone — "we" feels less like a personal accusation and more like a shared challenge.

• It adds a professional, academic nuance — as if we are jointly examining a question, rather than issuing commands.

The result is a more collaborative atmosphere where everyone feels safe to contribute.

Bad: "You didn't handle edge cases."

Good: "We might want to consider edge cases — what do you think?"

Asking for clarification

Rather than assuming something is wrong, ask for more context.

Bad: "This code is broken."

Good: "Could you explain the reasoning behind this approach? I'd like to understand it better."

Proposing changes

Frame suggestions as collaboration instead of commands.

Bad: "Fix this now."

Good: "What do you think about trying a different approach here? For example, we could refactor this function to make it easier to test."

Saying thank you and showing appreciation

A little appreciation goes a long way in open-source.

Good: "Thank you for taking the time to review my PR and for the detailed feedback — it really helped me improve the implementation."

Handling disagreements

Disagreements are natural, but the way we express them matters.

Bad: "You're wrong."

Good: "I see things a bit differently. Here's my perspective — what do you think?"

Asking to be assigned

Asking to be assigned is normal, but the way you phrase it matters — request, don't demand.

Bad: "You must assign this issue to me."

Good: "Could you please assign this issue to me? I’d like to work on it."