In Lina’s evening English class, the teacher wrote a new word on the board: “refund.” Lina stared at the word. She saw it before on a receipt, but she didn’t really know the meaning. She felt a little shy. In her first language, students didn’t always stop the teacher to ask questions.
The teacher said, “A refund is money you get back.” Lina understood the idea, but she still wanted a clear sentence. She whispered to her partner, “What does refund mean?” Her partner only shrugged. Lina looked back at the board and finally raised her hand.
“Excuse me, Ms. Rivera,” Lina said, “What does refund mean? Could you give an example?” Ms. Rivera smiled. “Great question. Imagine you buy shoes, but they are broken. You take them back to the store. The store gives your money back. That money is your refund.”
Lina nodded and wrote the sentence in her notebook. Ms. Rivera added, “You can also say, ‘What is the meaning of refund?’ It’s longer and more formal, but it’s correct.” Then she underlined the question on the board: “What does refund mean?”
After that, Ms. Rivera gave the class a reading about travel. Lina saw another new word: “delay.” This time, she didn’t whisper. She circled the word, raised her hand, and asked, “Excuse me, what does delay mean in this sentence?” Ms. Rivera asked the class to look at the context, and together they guessed it meant “to be late.”
By the end of class, Lina had a page full of new words and questions: “What does tip mean?” “What is the meaning of non-refundable?” She still felt a little nervous sometimes, but now she had the right sentences to ask for help — and a teacher who loved when students said, “Sorry… what does that mean?”
1) Lina sees the word refund and wants to know the meaning. She asks:
2) Lina wants to sound more formal. She asks:
3) Lina sees the phrase non-refundable ticket and wants an explanation. She asks:
4) Lina hears a new word but doesn’t see it written. She wants clearer pronunciation. She asks:
5) Lina wants Ms. Rivera to explain the word delay with another sentence. She asks:
1) Why was Lina shy about asking questions at first?
2) What is the most common pattern to ask about a new word?
3) In the story, how did Ms. Rivera react when Lina asked “What does refund mean?”
4) How did Lina use the word delay in class?
The next time she saw the word , she didn’t stay . She circled the , looked at the , and tried to . Then she raised her hand and asked, “What does delay mean in this ?” The teacher used an about late airplanes to the .
After that, Lina started to new and check them in a . She tried to be and said, “Excuse me, could you that , please?” Asking, “What does that mean?” became a normal part of for her.
1) You see the word balance on your bill. You want the meaning.
2) You want to sound more formal in a meeting.
3) You see a new phrase: customer service.
4) You want another sentence with a new word.
Ms. Rivera: Today we will read a short story about travel problems.
Lina: Sorry, Ms. Rivera, I see a new word here.
Ms. Rivera: Great! New words are good. Which word is new?
Lina: This one — “non-refundable.” What does non-refundable mean?
Ms. Rivera: Good question. It means you cannot get your money back.
Lina: Oh, so if my ticket is non-refundable, I lose my money?
Ms. Rivera: Yes, that’s right. You can also ask, “What is the meaning of non-refundable?”
Lina: Okay. What is the meaning of delay in this sentence?
Ms. Rivera: Let’s read the sentence together. “The flight had a long delay.” What do you think?
Lina: Maybe it means the flight was late?
Ms. Rivera: Exactly. Good guess. The context helped you.
Lina: Sometimes I feel shy to ask.
Ms. Rivera: Many students feel that way, but your questions help the whole class.
Lina: Then I will try to say, “Excuse me, what does _______ mean?” more often.
Ms. Rivera: Perfect. That’s how we grow our vocabulary.
Complete the conversation between a student and Ms. Rivera. Choose the best question in each blank.
Sandra: Excuse me, Ms. Rivera.
Ms. Rivera: Which word?
Sandra: This one — “schedule.”
Ms. Rivera: Look at the times around it. The schedule shows the times for buses and trains.
Sandra: Oh, I see.
Ms. Rivera: Sure. “My work schedule is Monday to Friday from 9 to 5.”
Sandra: Thank you. — “rush hour.”
Ms. Rivera: “Rush hour” is the busy time when many people travel to or from work.
Sandra: Got it.
Ms. Rivera: “Rush hour.”
Vocab Matching A: refund → money you get back; delay → a time when something is late; context → words/situation around a word; definition → a sentence that explains a word; phrase → a short group of words; receipt → paper that shows what you bought; underline → draw a line under a word; non-refundable → you can’t get your money back.
Vocab Matching B: guess → try to decide the meaning; whisper → speak very quietly; polite → say “Excuse me” and “please”; interrupt → speak when another person is still talking; clarify → make something more clear; example → a sentence that shows how to use a word; pronunciation → how we say a word; underline (verb) → draw a line under new words in your notebook.
Vocab in Context: 1 What does refund mean?; 2 What is the meaning of refund?; 3 What does this phrase mean?; 4 Could you repeat that word, please?; 5 Could you give an example with delay?
MCQ: 1 In her first language, students didn’t always stop the teacher to ask questions; 2 What does (word) mean?; 3 She smiled and said it was a great question; 4 She asked what delay meant in a sentence about travel.
True/False: 1 T; 2 T; 3 F; 4 F.
Sentence Completion: 1 What does balance mean?; 2 What is the meaning of balance in this document?; 3 What does this phrase mean?; 4 Could you give another example, please?
Cloze bank (for reference): word, word, meaning, student, teacher, questions, meaning of refund, sentence, sentence, notebook, delay, nervous, context, guess, example, explain, meaning of delay, underline, words, dictionary, polite, repeat, phrase, class.
Fill-In Dialogue (correct options): What does this word mean?; What does schedule mean in this sentence?; Could you give one more example, please?; What is the meaning of "rush hour"?; Could you repeat that phrase, please?