Welcome to the CISL Blog

Posted on June 5, 2009 by cislsd1

Use the blog to find out what is going on at CISL and things to do in San Francisco and San Diego.  You can also read about  some of our students  and get English practice material.

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Posted in What's Up San Diego, What's Up San Francisco | 88 Comments

Voices of CISL San Francisco – Nora, Saudi Arabia

Posted on January 30, 2012 by padres fan

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Lesson of the Month: December 2012

Posted on December 10, 2011 by padres fan

international students visiting Alcatraz Island, San FranciscoDID YOU KNOW: WORD BORROWING

English has borrowed a lot of words from different languages, and sometimes from languages you might not expect!

What languages do you think the following come from?

1. ALCATRAZ (The island prison off the coast of San Francisco)
2. SOIREE (A very elegant evening party)
3. SIESTA ( a short afternoon sleep or nap)
4. KINDERGARTEN (The first year of school for very small children)
5. ALCOHOL (Vodka, wine, whiskey, sake etcetera)
6. UMBRELLA (It’s what you hold above your head when it’s raining.)
7. GESUNDHEIT (Many Americans use this instead of “Bless you!” when someone sneezes.)
8. HIBACHI (A small, portable grill for barbequing)
9. RENDEZVOUS (A romantic meeting)
10. O.K. or OKAY (I think everyone knows what this means, but I bet you can’t guess where it probably comes from! – It was a surprise to me!)

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Lesson of the Month: November 2011

Posted on November 11, 2011 by padres fan

USE OF THE PASSIVE

Most of you have found yourselves studying the Passive at one time or another in your CISL classes. Like many other concepts, how you construct it is not as confusing as why or when you should use it. We’re going to mention this month just one common use of the passive, and we’ll add a delicious example of it for you!

Forming the passive is easy – TO BE (present, future, any tense you like) + the PAST PARTICIPLE (speak/spoke/spoken; write/wrote/written, etc.) So we get sentences like “That book was written by Barbara Kingsolver;” and “The water should be boiled before you drink it.” That last sentence gives you an example of that common use of the passive we mentioned: we use it to GIVE INSTRUCTIONS. And what better place to find instructions than in a cookbook! For those of you who enjoy spicy hot Szechwan Chinese dishes, this will be a real bonus, but don’t forget the passive examples throughout!

SZECHWAN ORANGE BEEF

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound (1/2 kilo) sliced beef
  • 2 chopped green onions (scallions)
  • 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • The peel (skin) of ½ fresh orange, chopped
  • Dried red chili peppers, chopped into small pieces
  • minced garlic and minced ginger
  • corn starch mixed with water

First, the beef is sliced into bite-sized pieces. Then it is mixed with the ginger, garlic and soy sauce and covered and left for about 25 minutes. While the meat mixture is being marinated, the green onions and the chili peppers can be chopped and the ½ orange peel needs to be cut up into small pieces.

After the 25 minutes, the beef slices are removed from the marinade and drained (THE MARINADE MUST BE SAVED. IT WILL BE ADDED TO THE SAUCE!)

The beef slices must be cooked in the oil over very high heat; when they are browned, then the green onions, chili peppers and orange peel are added. After about 3 minutes, the soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil should be added to the meat and everything should be stirred and fried rapidly for another minute, then the marinade must be added and stirred in. When the mixture is heated, the toasted sesame seeds are quickly added and the meal is finished and should be served immediately! This is one of my favorite recipes and it should be eaten with plain white rice. Be careful – it is very spicy!

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Voices of CISL

Posted on August 8, 2011 by padres fan

Pablo, Volunteer English Student, SPAIN

I’m a Website Designer from Spain and I studied at CISL San Francisco for 3 weeks. I was here for personal development although I speak English at work too. Learning idioms was so nice for me; it was actually my first time to learn about idioms in the classroom. CISL San Francisco is a great place because the classes don’t end in the classroom; they end with Bill (Activity Coordinator) and activities!

The school facilities are nice. Many days we went to the Multimedia Room to spend time after lunch learning and working with friends. We even translated our resumes into English. It’s great to have friends from many different countries. My closest friends are from Korea and Switzerland and we HAD to speak English to each other because we all speak different languages! Everyone at CISL San   Francisco is so nice. It’s like being at home, of course!

Bill (Teacher and Activity Coordinator)

Hi everyone! My name is Bill and I was born in Massachusetts, but I have lived in California since I was three. When I was a teenager, I was very fortunate as my high school had many foreign exchange students. This is where my love of meeting people from other cultures began. I enjoyed spending time and hosting international dinners and potlucks at home with classmates from all over the world. After high school, I received my degree in Photography, and also studied graphic design.  I have been teaching since 1991, and in 1996 I went to Busan, South Korea and started teaching English.

This is my second time working at CISL San Francisco, and I have really enjoyed having such a fun job in such a friendly and cosmopolitan city. I plan excursions that are really diverse– like touring different neighborhoods, hiking, visiting museums, trying new restaurants and watching local sports teams– that give a good introduction to “The City”. Participants not only see the landmarks, but they also learn why they are important to our way of life. New students should definitely try our incredible restaurant scene. Don’t go to restaurants with food from your own country while you are in San Francisco. You can do that at home! Instead, try new things and get

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Lesson of the Month – August : Find the Errors!

Posted on August 1, 2011 by padres fan

GRAMMAR: In each of the following sentences, there is ONE error. Find it and fix it!

1. The streets are icy, so walk slowly and no fall down!

2. Turn left at the next corner and you don’t forget to signal!

3. The wind is blowing, it snows, and the sky looks very gray.

4. I’m usually shopping after school, but today I’m going swimming.

5. Marcia arrives usually early, but today she’s late.

6. Water is boiling at 212 º Fahrenheit.

7. Those flowers are smelling very sweet!

8. It’s raining so hard that I’m happy I haven’t to go out this afternoon.

ANSWERS:

1. The streets are icy, so walk slowly and don’t fall down!
2. Turn left at the next corner and you don’t forget to signal!
3. The wind is blowing, it’s snowing, and the sky looks very gray.
4. I usually shop after school, but today I’m going swimming.
5. Marcia usually arrives early, but today she’s late.
6. Water boils at 212 º Fahrenheit.
7. Those flowers smell very sweet!
8. It’s raining so hard that I’m happy I don’t have to go out this afternoon.

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Lesson of the Month – July 2011: Making Suggestions

Posted on July 2, 2011 by padres fan

GRAMMAR: MAKING SUGGESTIONS with WHY DON’T, LET’S and HOW ABOUT

Here are 3 different ways of making suggestions or invitations. The grammar is a little different in each one, so watch the verb!

Why don’t we go to that new Italian restaurant for lunch today?
Let’s go to that new Italian restaurant for lunch today.
How about going to that new Italian restaurant for lunch today?

Note: With WHY DON’T…you must use a person (we, you…) + simple verb
With LET’S, all you need is the simple verb.
With HOW ABOUT, use the ING form of the verb.

Easy, right? Now for a little practice! Change these statements into suggestions with the expression in parentheses.

1. I want to see that new movie with Leonardo DiCaprio (How about)
2. We should drive up the coast to San Francisco. (Let’s)
3. I want to order to pizza tonight. (How about)
4. You and I should take a trip to Las Vegas this summer. (Why don’t)
5. You should get a new car. (Why don’t)
6. We should learn how to ice skate. (Let’s)

ANSWERS:

1. How about seeing that new movie with…?
2. Let’s drive up the coast…
3. How about ordering a pizza…?
4. Why don’t you and I take a trip…? (Or: Why don’t we take…?)
5. Why don’t you get…?
6. Let’s learn how…

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San Francisco Food Review: Kimbap and Kimchi burrito @ John’s Snack and Deli!

Posted on June 2, 2011 by padres fan

By CISL SF student, Miri Han, Korea

Kimbap and Kimchi burrito

It might look like an ordinary small convenience store in the Financial District. But you can have great Kimbap (Korean style maki) and Kimchi burrito here. In small Kitchen John’s mother and some Mexican women cook 10 kinds of Korean food. When I heard of John’s Snack and Deli through Korean-San Francisco community, I was pleased I could get Korean food in San Francisco but I didn’t expect that I would see Americans waiting for food in line there. When I got there, I was surprised to see American – they didn’t look like Korean at least- filled with the small store during lunchtime.

Kimbap and Kimchi burritoAfter coming back home I googled and I found many Americans loved those foods, especially Kimbap and Kimchi burrito. You can try Beef kimbap, Spam kimbap, Vegetable kimbap, Tuna kimbap and Kimchi kimbap ($3,25-$3.75). They are rolled with carrots, pickled daikon, cucumber, rice and sesame oil and your choice (beef, spam, vegetable, tuna and Kimchi). When you get there, you could see John’s mother is always rolling Kimbap so you could get fresh Kimbap. I also found people loved the Kimchi burrito($5.95). The Kimchi burrito is stuffed with beef, chicken or pork, kimchi, rice, lettuce, salsa, onions and cilantro. Some people say that this burrito is better than any other burrito in this city and people love it calling getting it “Ultra spicy suicide kimchi burrito challenge” on www.yelp.com. As Korean, for me, it was not that spicy but I guess it’d be ultra spicy for American. Why don’t you try “Ultra spicy suicide kimchi burrito challenge” yourself?

Visit John’s Snack and Deli,
40 Battery Street, San Francisco, CA 94111.

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Lesson of the Month – June 2011: DOMAINS

Posted on May 31, 2011 by padres fan

VOCABULARY: BE THE MASTER OF YOUR DOMAIN!

One of the most interesting ways to learn vocabulary is by DOMAIN- a group of different words that are associated with the same concept. The words last month were all in the WALK domain. This month, we have a few examples of the big SPEAK domain. See how many of these verbs you already know:

1. YELL: To speak or shout very loudly because you are angry or you are trying to speak to someone at a distance. His father yelled at him because he broke the window.
2. WHISPER: Speak very softly because you don’t want other people to hear you. “Close the door quietly,” Mark whispered, “so we don’t wake the baby.”
3. WHINE: This is the high-pitched, sing-song and very annoying way that children talk when they are complaining about something. Sometimes adults do it too, and then it’s even more annoying. “Why do I always have to watch my baby brother?” the little girl whined.
4. SOB: Talk and cry at the same time. After the car accident, Julia sobbed out her story to the police officer.
5. SCREAM: To shout, but in a very high voice, usually because you are very frightened. When I saw the mouse run across the room, I screamed for help.
6. BABBLE: To talk nonsense. Small children babble before they learn to speak properly. Sometimes adults babble if they are confused or very excited. I know you’re upset, but you need to stop babbling, calm down, and tell me exactly what happened!
7. GRUMBLE: Complain, usually in a low voice. Some people grumble about the weather here in June – it’s usually very cloudy.
8. YAK: To talk a lot, too much, and about things that are of little importance. My children spend hours yakking on the telephone.

Using verbs like this instead of the usual say/tell/speak/talk will give your speaking and your writing more impact and more life!

A. WHICH VERB FITS BEST? Remember, the meaning of the sentence is very important! (Answers at end of page)

1.When I saw the child begin to run out into the street, I __________, “Stop!”
2. Sometimes it’s nice to just sit around the coffee shop and ___________ with your friends.
3. When Michael won the lottery last month, he phoned me, but he was ___________like a crazy person, and it took me a few minutes to understand what he was saying.
4. I know you’re really angry, but please don’t ___________at me like that!
5. “The movie has already started,” I ____________to my friend as we walked down the aisle looking for our seats.
6. The children were hungry and tired and all during the long drive, they ___________, “When are we going to get home!”
7. “My new puppy is lost,” Mary __________to her mother.
8. It doesn’t make much sense to _____________about the cold weather – there’s nothing we can do about it!

ANSWERS: DOMAINS: 1.yelled OR screamed; 2. yak; 3. babbling; 4. yell OR scream
5. whispered ; 6. whined OR were whining; 7. sobbed; 8. grumble OR whine – depends on the tone of voice!

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My Experience in San Francisco

Posted on May 20, 2011 by padres fan

Raúl Hervás Díaz, Spain

I have been living in San Francisco for nine weeks. My purpose to be here is studying
English because I want to work abroad in the future. I finished Civil Engineering five
months ago in the city I was born and raised: Madrid, capital of Spain.
I chose San Francisco because I wanted to go to America for first time in my life, and
the East Coast of the U.S. didn’t attract me so much for living there. I was told that San
Francisco was one of the best cities for living in the U.S. and you could find a lot of
bridges and the headquarters of the biggest technological companies in the world. As a
Civil Engineer, I love everything related to infrastructure and transportation. I am crazy
about bridges, railways, trams and cable cars.. so, which is the best city to check them
out?

I arrived in San Francisco on March 19th. It was a rainy and windy day, but I felt
positive and settled in my homestay easily although the weather didn’t change for two
weeks.
I went to school the first Monday and I could check that there were people from all
over the world, so I thought it was a perfect chance to learn a lot about those different
cultures they have. Korea, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Germany… I love learning the
customs of people coming from other countries and I have enjoyed a lot doing this at
the same time that I have been learning English.

As a city, San Francisco is very special. The respect and politeness of the people are
awesome. They are very quiet here, even when the Muni has a delay in the morning
or when it’s so crowded that they have to push each other to outboard. That really
impressed me. In the neighbourhood I live, most of the inhabitants are Asian and there’s
no sign of discrimination in any place. Homeless can be seen in the downtown, there
are a lot of them hanging around Civic Center Station; but there’s no problem if you
ignore them. Actually I was told that most people think that they chose that way of life
and you have to respect them if they do the same. So this is the paradise for homeless
because the winter is not as cold as in the East Coast and they are accepted by most of
the population, including the government, that has created some institutions to aid them.

The peninsula where San Francisco is located makes the city beautiful and nice for
living (in spite of the windy, foggy and not very warm weather). Naturally, I visited the
bridges, parks, walked up the horrible slopes of some streets of the city, rode the cable
car… and I got fascinated. This city shines by itself. I love skyscrapers, and here you can
find a very cute central business district with all the highest buildings drawing the well
known skyline of San Francisco. Try to take a picture of it at night coming from the
other side of the bay, crossing the double-decker bridge originally called Bay Bridge…
just one word to describe it: charming.

I don’t know whether I will work here or not in the future. Nevertheless I can say that I
will come back, without doubt.

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Lesson of the Month – May 2011: Useful Idiomatic Expressions

Posted on May 2, 2011 by padres fan

VOCABULARY: IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

This month we have five pairs of idiomatic expressions – and, to make it interesting, they are pairs of opposites:

1. MORNING, NOON AND NIGHT = Very often, frequently. My sister complains that her husband talks about sports morning, noon and night.
2. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON = Almost never, very rarely. During most of the year in Southern California, it only rains once in a blue moon.

3. TO RUN OFF AT THE MOUTH = Talk too much. You’ll be sorry if you ask Rene about politics – she really runs off at the mouth on that subject!
4. TO CLAM UP = To refuse to talk at all. When the police asked him if he had stolen the car, he just clammed up and stared at the table. (Note: I suggest you look up “clam” in your dictionary – it’s a kind of marine animal and you’ll understand why it is used in this expression!)

5. TO BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL: To stay awake all night working or studying. He’s got an important report due tomorrow, so I guess he’ll be burning the midnight oil tonight.
6. TO HIT THE HAY = TO GO TO BED: To go to bed. I’m too tired to go to the movies; I think I’ll just hit the hay instead. (Note: Think about the use of oil and hay in these expressions. Do you think they originated a long or a short time ago?)

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