Diego goes to a community English class after work. One evening, the instructor, Mr. Chen, writes a big word at the top of the page: “deadline.” Diego has seen the word in emails from his boss, but he is not sure about the exact meaning. He feels nervous about asking in front of the group.
Mr. Chen explains, “Today we will read about work schedules.” Diego reads a short paragraph: “The deadline for the report is Friday at 5:00 p.m.” Diego understands Friday and 5:00 p.m., but the word deadline is still a mystery. He quietly circles the word and writes a small ? in the margin.
His classmate Amina leans over and whispers, “Do you know this word?” Diego whispers back, “Not really. What does deadline mean?” Amina shrugs. “Maybe when something is dead?” They both laugh quietly, but Diego still wants a real answer. Finally, he takes a breath and raises his hand.
“Excuse me, Mr. Chen,” Diego says. “What does deadline mean? Could you explain it?” Mr. Chen smiles. “Great question. A deadline is the last day or time you can finish something. After the deadline, it’s too late.” He adds another sentence on the board: “The deadline for your homework is Tuesday.”
Diego writes the definition in his notebook and then asks, “And what is the meaning of non-refundable fee?” Mr. Chen underlines “non-refundable fee” in a different paragraph and gives an example about paying to apply for an apartment. Diego realizes he can use the same question form for single words and for longer phrases.
At the end of class, Diego looks at his page. He sees circles, question marks, and new notes: “What does ____ mean?” “What is the meaning of ____?” On the bus home, he reads an ad that says “late fee.” This time he smiles and thinks, “I know how to ask. Tomorrow I will say, ‘Sorry, what does late fee mean in this letter?’”
1) Diego sees the word deadline and wants to know the meaning. He asks:
2) Diego wants to sound more formal in an email to his supervisor. He writes:
3) Diego sees the phrase late fee in a letter from his bank. He asks:
4) Diego hears a new word in class but doesn’t see it written. He wants clearer pronunciation. He asks:
5) Diego wants Mr. Chen to give another sentence with the phrase non-refundable fee. He asks:
1) Why was Diego nervous about asking questions in class?
2) What did Diego first do when he didn’t understand the word deadline?
3) How did Mr. Chen react when Diego asked, “What does deadline mean?”
4) What did Diego notice on the bus at the end of the story?
The next time he saw the “late fee,” he didn’t stay quiet. He the , looked at the , and then raised his hand. He asked a : “What does late fee mean in this ?” Mr. Chen used another to it.
After that, Diego started to new and check them in a . He wrote a small in the : “Remember to ask, ‘What does ____ mean?’” He also learned to say, “Could you that, please?” Asking about meaning became a normal part of for him.
1) You see the word refund on a store receipt. You want the meaning.
2) You want to sound more formal in a letter to the school office.
3) You see a new phrase: business hours.
4) You want another sentence with a new word.
Mr. Chen: Today we will read some emails from a boss to an employee.
Diego: Sorry, Mr. Chen, I see a new word in this line.
Mr. Chen: Great. New words are chances to learn. Which word is new for you?
Diego: This one — “overtime.” What does overtime mean?
Mr. Chen: Good question. Overtime is extra work time after your regular hours.
Diego: So if I work past 5:00, that can be overtime?
Mr. Chen: Yes, that’s right. Sometimes overtime has extra pay.
Diego: And this phrase — “overtime policy.” What is the meaning of overtime policy in this email?
Mr. Chen: It means the rules about overtime at that company.
Amina: I also have a question. What does “late fee” mean?
Mr. Chen: A late fee is extra money you pay when you pay a bill too late.
Diego: I like these questions. It’s easier when we say, “What does ____ mean?”
Amina: Yes, and sometimes, “What is the meaning of ____?” for formal letters.
Mr. Chen: Exactly. Your questions help the whole class understand the emails better.
Complete the conversation between a student and Ms. Lopez. Choose the best question in each blank.
Student: Excuse me, Ms. Lopez.
Ms. Lopez: Which word are you asking about?
Student: This one — “appointment.”
Ms. Lopez: It means a time you plan to meet someone, for example a doctor or a lawyer.
Student: Oh, I see.
Ms. Lopez: Sure. “I have an appointment at the bank at 3:00.”
Student: Thank you. — “cancellation policy.”
Ms. Lopez: It means the rules for canceling an appointment.
Student: Got it.
Ms. Lopez: “Cancellation policy.”
Vocab Matching A: deadline → last day or time to finish something; fee → money you have to pay for a service; schedule → a plan or list of times; paragraph → a group of sentences about one idea; margin → the empty space at the side of the page; definition → a sentence that explains a word; application → a form you fill out to ask for something; ad → short for “advertisement,” a message that tries to sell you something.
Vocab Matching B: circle → draw a round line around a word; underline → draw a line under a word; highlight → color a word with a bright pen; guess → try to decide the meaning when you are not 100% sure; raise your hand → move your arm up to show you have a question; whisper → speak very quietly to one person; context → the words and situation around a word; non-refundable → money you cannot get back after you pay.
Vocab in Context: 1 What does deadline mean?; 2 What is the meaning of deadline in this message?; 3 What does this phrase mean?; 4 Could you repeat that word, please?; 5 Could you give another example with that phrase?
MCQ: 1 He felt shy about speaking in front of the group; 2 He circled the word and wrote a question mark in the margin; 3 He smiled and said it was a great question; 4 An ad that used the phrase late fee.
True/False: 1 T; 2 T; 3 F; 4 F.
Sentence Completion: 1 What does refund mean?; 2 What is the meaning of this fee on my bill?; 3 What does this phrase mean?; 4 Could you give another example, please?
Cloze bank (for reference): word, confused, meaning, student, teacher, class, questions, page, sentences, notes, phrase, circled, words, context, polite, question, sentence, explain, underline, dictionary, note, margin, repeat.
Fill-In Dialogue (correct options): What does this word mean?; What does appointment mean in this sentence?; Could you give one more example, please?; What is the meaning of “cancellation policy”?; Could you repeat that phrase, please?