Most picture Napa when they think of California’s world-famous, award-winning wines, but the entire state’s coast is filled with wineries that students living in both San Diego and San Francisco have the opportunity to visit. When you go wine tasting, you will hear specific wine-related words: here is some wine vocabulary you need to know before your next trip to one...
Are you always searching for new ways to improve your English? Many of us are. A great way to improve your English is to make English learning a habit that begins the first thing in the morning. How many of these suggested morning habits do you have? Morning habits to improve your English 1. Make...
Everyone loves a good pop song . . . but pop songs are notorious for having bad grammar. The mentality of singers and songwriters seems to be “If the grammatically correct sentence doesn’t work, change it!” Bruno Mars’ song “When I Was Your Man” is a popular hit with many mistakes. Can you spot the...
We all have that one friend who loves to pack too many things for a vacation. (Maybe we ARE that friend?) CISL student face this problem often, since they take many weekend trips to places like Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Palm Springs. How can you provide advice for this friend, and help him or...
Why would ANYONE want to visit the hottest place in North America . . . especially when it has the name “Death” in it? Death Valley’s name might sound a little morbid, but the scenery certainly is not: in fact, Death Valley is a place commonly visited by CISL students. But how do you get there?...
If you ask a Californian, they will tell you that Northern California and Southern California are different worlds. Because California is such a large state, it is split by different climates, different cultures, and (of course) different language. Do you know the difference between Northern California and Southern California slang? While it is difficult to...
Are you taking the CAE Exam soon? If so, then you know how difficult Part 2 of the Listening Module can be. In Part 2, students listen to a monologue and complete a gap-fill exercise. The best way to improve your score in this section is to practice as much as possible. For an entertaining way to...
As an English language student, you probably already know that the English language is FULL of phrasal verbs! Some are very casual, while others are appropriate (and necessary) in Business English. Do you know these useful Business English phrasal verbs? Most are used nearly every day by English speakers. Phrasal Verbs for Business English Call...
May’s Grammar Lesson of the Month is on the Imperative Voice, which we use to give commands and instructions. (Click here to read this lesson and refresh your memory.) To continue with the Imperative Voice, we are looking at a song which uses the Imperative in the negative sense. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ classic...
San Diego and San Francisco are incredible places to study English, and each city offers so many exciting activities that sometimes, it is hard to leave! But the mountains, beaches, charming towns, gorgeous nature, and fast-paced cities of California beckon. CISL students often take road trips while studying in SD or SF, and part of the...
