Questions work well when introducing ideas, as they allow listeners to absorb information gradually. Here’s a dialogue where a teacher explains comparative adjectives, such as older or younger by asking questions.

The teacher starts by asking if anyone in class has brothers or sisters. Barbara raises her hand.

“I have a brother and a sister.”

“How old are they?”

“My brother’s twenty-four and my sister’s nineteen.”

 “What about you? Are you in the middle?”

“Yes. My sister’s more young and my brother’s more old.”

“Thanks. However, we say younger and older. Could you repeat that?”

“Yes. My sister is younger and my brother is older.”

Questions generate interest and help people incorporate ideas effortlessly, as if they had come to the answer on their own.  Barbara discovered comparative adjectives almost naturally and will probably never get them wrong again.

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