“Always behave like a duck. Keep calm and unruffled on the surface, but paddle like hell underwater.” San Diego is a dream for water sports lovers: the warm weather makes it possible to enjoy the water longer than other parts of the U.S., and the city’s many beaches provide the perfect places to surf, bodysurf,...
CISL provides intensive Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English and First Certificate of English courses to prepare students for these rigorous exams; in addition, the CISL Blog provides students activities and tips on each of the test modules. Today we are looking at Reading and Use of English Part III, which is called “Word Formation.” Before...
“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.” —Jenny Han, The Summer I Turned Pretty Whether you are on dry land or in the water, there is always something to do at the beach! How many of these activities have you tried as a CISL student in beautiful California? Equally as...
“Nowadays, social media is the easiest place to go to find something.” -David Nail Instagram isn’t just the place to post the perfect selfie: it’s an excellent tool for finding out what’s going on in your community! Check out these awesome Instagram accounts based in San Diego and enjoy the travel tips, restaurant recommendations, and...
The weather is heating up, but in California there are plenty of places to cool off! In addition to exploring California’s many beautiful beaches, lakes, and rivers, CISL students have the option of enjoying some of the world’s best water parks. Check them out: but first, learn some expressions with “heat!” Expressions with “Heat” In...
If you’re in California studying English, one thing is certain to happen: you’ll pick up some California slang! Not surprisingly, a lot of California slang has its roots in the surfing culture. Below are some words often used by surfers, but you don’t have to be a surfer to use these slang words; in fact,...
If you’re a San Diegan, you know that July means more than just summer and beaches: it’s the month of ComicCon! What is ComicCon? This convention, held at the Downtown San Diego Convention Center, is the largest and most exciting convention of the year. Celebrities and fans come from all over the world to celebrate...
American food isn’t all about cheeseburgers and fries, but let’s be honest: the burgers and fries here are absolutely delicious! Sometimes you just need a classic cheeseburger topped with all the “fixings” (melted cheese, ketchup, mustard, crisp lettuce, onions, and tangy pickles) and some warm, crispy, and salty fries . . . and San Diego...
When you are a CISL student in San Diego or San Francisco, you attend class, complete your homework, and speak English inside and outside of class: you therefore have plenty of opportunities to practice English throughout the day! But what else can you do to improve your English skills? Incorporate these daily habits into your life and...
What are you going to do to beat the heat this summer? You can of course cool off by visiting any of California’s beautiful beaches, surfing, canoeing down the Russian River, escaping to the mountains of Lake Tahoe, or cooling off with some tasty, classic American desserts. How many of these have you tried, and how many of...
