Do you have a problem with prepositions? Most English learners do! Prepositions are important of the English language and they are particularly important for students who are studying for tests like the Cambridge FCE and CAE. In both of these tests, you must often deal with prepositions in the exam, especially in Part 2 of...
From surgeons to CEOs, we have had the pleasure of teaching students from many professional backgrounds in our CISL Intensive, Business, and Premier classes! Today on the CISL Blog we are looking at Marketing Vocabulary, which is something our business, advertising, and sales students need. As you can see, however, you don’t necessarily need to be...
At CISL San Diego and San Francisco, we are proud of how well we prepare our Cambridge ESOL (FCE & CAE) students: our wonderful teachers make sure that students have the language skills necessary to excel, and the numerous practice exams in our test preparation classes ensure that students completely understand the test requirements and format. Today we are looking...
Many languages have a formal and informal way of expressing oneself. Do you know how to formally and politely ask for something? People who use English in business settings must do this often. Let’s take a look at some useful phrases to help you get your way.* Making Formal Requests in Business English Would it...
What is your favorite YouTube video? We all have a few Internet videos that we love. Some make us laugh, others make us think . . . whatever they are, the videos are probably very popular. When a video becomes popular, we use the expression TO GO VIRAL. This means that the video’s popularity increases...
Formalities are important in both written and spoken English. Do you know how to properly address someone in English when you meet them in person or write to them in an email? The level of formality and appropriate greeting depend on if you know the person and how well you know them. Read on to...
Students are often confused about when to use THAT and when to use WHICH in a Relative Clause. Do you know when to use each, and when to use commas with a Relative Clause? The CISL Blog is exploring this, then using Relative Clauses to help you decide between the English proficiency tests that we...
CISL is proud to offer intensive Monday-Friday classes to help our students prepare for the IELTS exam. In addition, on the CISL Blog we often look at test tips and practice questions. In this post, we are focusing on the IELTS Reading Test and one question type that is very difficult for many students: the...
Are you preparing for the IELTS test? The best way to prepare for the IELTS test is to familiarize yourself with the test format and then practice, practice, practice . . . particularly with the Reading portion of the test, which many students find difficult. Before you begin studying for the IELTS Reading test, make sure...
An inevitable part of doing business is responding to unhappy customers or clients. In many cases, formal language is required in both speaking and writing situations. Do you have the English skills to handle customer complaints? English for Responding to Customer Complaints Language of Apology First, you must apologize for the problem. I (sincerely) apologize...
