If you are studying English in San Diego or San Francisco, then you know what thousands of former CISL students know: learning a new language is incredibly fun, but can also be challenging! To help our students, we are providing a list of the three common mistakes many English language students make. Follow our tips...
It’s September, which means something special for millions of students around the world . . . it’s time to go back to school! Of course, at CISL, every Monday is a “back to school” day: because we have open enrollment, students can begin their classes at CISL any Monday of the year, and students can...
Moving to the United States to study English is exciting . . . but of course, it is also a little stressful! In addition to worrying about cultural differences at home and in public (What is the tipping policy in the United States? Should I bring my host family a gift?) students also worry about...
Not too long ago, we explored the expression “As American as apple pie” and other “as . . . as” expressions in English. To celebrate the upcoming fall season, today we are looking at expressions with apple. Apples and pumpkins are the fruits most often associated with fall, and there are many expressions with apple that...
Beyonce is a style icon, singer, dancer, artist, designer, and feminist . . . but did you know that she is also an excellent grammar teacher? Today we are looking at her song “If I Were A Boy” and how it properly uses the Second Conditional. Conditionals are expressions with “if.” Some of them are...
Studying English at CISL and living in California is the perfect way to learn English, but sadly, we can’t live in California and be English students forever! Many students are afraid of “losing” the English skills they perfected while studying English in San Diego or San Francisco; however, if you follow these suggestions, you can keep...
Take a picture, take a bath, take your time . . . but don’t take a coffee! Collocations in English can sometimes be confusing, but they are simple once you memorize them. Today we are looking at collocations with a commonly-used verb: “take.” What is a collocation? A collocation is a combination of two words;...
Communication is typically a direct conversation between two people . . . but what happens when part of this conversation includes talking about a conversation with a third person? In this situation, we use Indirect Speech (also called Reported Speech). Students are often confused with how to translate Direct Speech to Indirect Speech, but follow...
For over 20 years, CISL has provided intensive classes to prepare our students for the Cambridge exams. We can’t think of a better place than California to study for (and take) the Cambridge tests! If you are taking the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English exam, you must write an essay for the first part of...
July is all about sunshine, barbecues, beach days, warm summer nights . . . and fireworks! The 4th of July may be over, but San Diegans enjoy fireworks every evening during the summer thanks to Sea World. In honor of this nightly display, we offer some idioms associated with “smoke” and “fire.” Idioms with SMOKE and...
