Question Categories to Spark Richer Conversations

The ten categories below come with sample prompts that show how varied, specific questions can push you out of your comfort zone and force you to use all your English skills (because a bit of pressure can be a good thing). Treat them as raw material, not a script. Keep the ideas you like, change the rest, and ask ChatGPT to generate new prompts or topics in the same style. Aim for a personal bank of five to ten questions per category so fresh practice topics are always at hand.

Light Debate Topics

• Should social media platforms set daily time limits for users?
• Should offices adopt a four-day workweek by default?

Strong Opinion: What Do You Think?

• Technology always improves quality of life. What do you think?
• University degrees are overrated in today’s job market. What do you think?

Either-Or Questions

• Physical books or e-readers?
• City apartment with a great view or countryside house with land?

Interesting Hypotheticals

• If you could add one new sense to human biology, which would be most useful?
• Imagine a world where sleep is optional. How would society change?

Future and Ethics

• A biotech firm offers memory editing. Should it be regulated?
• Write ethical guidelines for friendships with humanoid robots.

Society and Values

• Design a public ritual marking adulthood without gifts or parties.
• Mayor for a day with power to change one law. What do you choose?

Culture and Entertainment

• Write the plot of a novel set entirely inside a coffee shop.
• Design a street mural telling your life story in five images.

Technology and Media

• Your phone can run only one app for a week. Which and why?
• Invent a gadget that fixes one tiny daily annoyance.

Education and Career

• Your university gives a free degree if you teach a class. What subject?
• Design a one-year self-study plan to master any skill.

Lifestyle

• You wake up in a 50-square-foot tiny house; how do you make it livable?
• You inherit a lighthouse on a remote island. What routines keep you sane?

 
Prompt Template: Generate Custom Topics with AI

Copy the block below into ChatGPT, replace the placeholders, and let the AI create fresh questions that match any category you want to practise. Use one or two sample prompts as inspiration, or leave them blank if you prefer complete surprise.

You are my English speaking topic generator.  
CATEGORY: <type here, for example "Lifestyle" or "Future and Ethics">  

SAMPLE PROMPTS TO GUIDE STYLE  
1. <example prompt 1>  
2. <example prompt 2>  

TASK  
1. Create five new prompts that fit the category and feel as thought-provoking as the samples.  
2. Ask me to choose one.  
3. Start a conversation on the chosen prompt, pushing for detailed answers.  
4. When I say "feedback", give me concise feedback on vocabulary range, clarity, and grammar.

Two Easy Ways to Get Fresh Topics

Random Topic Generator Prompt

Open the Google Doc, copy the full prompt, and paste it into ChatGPT. The prompt contains a tiny randomiser script, so each time you run it, ChatGPT picks a different topic from the master list. Use it when you want a surprise prompt without having to set up anything else.
Random Topic Generator Prompt

Conversation Practice GPT

This custom GPT hands you a topic and stays in the chat to ask follow-up questions. Type “give me a topic,” answer, then type “another” whenever you want a new one. It works through the same list, but the order is not strictly random, so you may see a repeat after several rounds.
Conversation Practice GPT

Track Your Progress

Good prompts only help if you can see improvement over time. Use a simple weekly check-in to measure four areas: fluency, range, accuracy, and confidence. Record a two-minute answer to one of your prompts, ask ChatGPT for a summary plus three suggestions, rate yourself on each area from one to five, and store the scores in a running document. Repeat every Friday to spot trends and guide your next week of practice. While you don't have to use this exact protocol, something like it is very important for achieving long-term success. How do you know where you're going if you aren't tracking your progress? 

Common Mistakes to Avoid

After you finish a practice session, do not close the chat right away. Ask ChatGPT, “Please point out any unclear wording or weak vocabulary.” Read the feedback, then give a second, improved answer. Also, try to speak as well as type. A short voice note or a session in ChatGPT’s voice mode trains your mouth and ears, not just your eyes and fingers.

Keep your topics varied. If you notice you are choosing the same safe questions, switch to a different category or use the randomizer so your language practice stays fresh. Pay attention to pronunciation, too. Copy difficult sentences into a text-to-speech tool or let ChatGPT read them aloud, then imitate the rhythm and stress. Finally, aim for a daily streak. Ten focused minutes every day is more powerful than a single long session each week, and watching your streak grow can be a strong motivator. To get a more comprehensive view of learning English with AI, check out this article. You can also get ideas for building your own AI English learning stack with this guide, based on my learning stack. 

Watch the Full Breakdown

If you prefer to see these ideas in action, watch the lesson that inspired this article.

 
Next Steps

1. Build your list. Choose a category, adapt the sample questions, or ask ChatGPT to generate new ones. Aim for five to ten prompts in each category.
2. Use the randomiser or GPT. When you cannot decide what to practise, run the randomiser prompt or type “give me a topic” in Conversation Practice GPT.
3. Practise daily. Keep a streak of at least ten "speaking practice" minutes per day. Record yourself or use voice mode.
4. Review and repeat. Ask for feedback, note new vocabulary, and track progress at the end of each week.

Ready to take your English to the next level? Explore the English Fluency in 90 Days program for over 50 hours of high-impact lessons, AI practice GPTs, personalized help from me (Luke) via WhatsApp, and a full refund guarantee. 

Good luck!