When a new word or expression comes up in a lesson, the first question is usually:

“What does this mean?”

That’s a perfectly good starting point. But once the basic meaning is clear, asking different questions can transform a few minutes spent on a single vocabulary item into a much deeper look at how English actually works.

1. “How can I use this?”

Let's start with a simple word: busy.

A student might first ask: “What does busy mean?”

Once the basic meaning is clear, there are many more questions to ask:

• “Can I use busy for a restaurant?”
• “What’s the difference between busy and crowded?”
• “Can I say I’m busy doing something?”

These questions lead to real speech:

• I’m busy at work.
• The restaurant is busy tonight.
• The station was really crowded.

You go from knowing what busy means to understanding how the word behaves.

The same works for advanced phrases like stifle creativity or be overwhelmed by work:

• “Can I use stifle with other words?” → stifle debate, stifle growth
• “Can I say overwhelmed by choices?” → overwhelmed by gratitude, overwhelmed by emotion

How else can I use this? is a strategy that works at every level.

2. “What’s the difference between these?”

This is one of the most useful questions whenever two words seem similar.

One student recently asked about wisdom, intelligence, and being worldly:

• Intelligence is about someone's ability to understand, reason, and learn.
• Wisdom is connected with good judgment, usually built over time through experience.
• Worldly describes someone who has broad experience with different people and cultures.

Asking about the distinction leads to real-world context:

Someone can be highly intelligent without being particularly wise.

That is far more valuable than simply memorising three separate dictionary definitions.

3. “Would a native speaker actually say this?”

There is a big difference between a sentence being grammatically possible and being natural in everyday conversation.

Instead of only asking: “Is this correct?” try asking:

• “Does this sound natural?”
• “Is there a more common way to say this?”

The answer might be: “It’s grammatically fine, but in conversation, we’d usually say…”

Real-world English is about natural communication, not just passing a grammar check.

4. “Can we adapt today’s lesson?”

A lesson doesn't always have to follow a rigid textbook path. Questions about the lesson itself can make your study time much more relevant.

Here are some real examples of requests students have brought to my lessons:

To explore culture:

“Can we talk about pub culture today? I want to compare UK pubs to Japanese izakaya.”

To practise spontaneity:

“Could we use photographs today to practise speaking without preparing sentences first?”

To get targeted feedback:

“Can I send you a short journal entry or an Eiken answer for feedback?”

Bringing something you are genuinely curious about can turn a standard lesson into a much richer conversation.

A Few Useful Question Patterns

Keep a few simple, reusable patterns ready for your next lesson:

Usage:

“Can I use [word] in this situation?”

Comparison:

“What’s the difference between [A] and [B]?”

Natural speech:

“What would you normally say in that situation?”

Patterns:

“What other words usually go with this?”

Nuance:

“Does this have a different feeling from [A]?”

Grammar:

“Why do we use [form] here?”