At CISL, we are continuing our series on the 12 tenses in the English language with the tense of the month: Present Perfect. If you haven’t already checked out our first installments in this series, make sure to read up on the Simple Present, Present Continuous, Simple Past, and Past Continuous! This lesson also features...
Category: <span>Living & Traveling in San Francisco</span>
Post
Top TOEFL Speaking Test Tips
Converse International School of Languages is proud to offer an intensive TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) test preparation course. Are you planning on taking the test soon? The following are a few tips from a CISL San Diego instructor who specializes in the TOEFL course. Good luck to our students taking the...
Post
Visiting Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay, a five-mile wide inlet of the Pacific Ocean located 40 miles north San Francisco, is a popular getaway for Northern Californians. Between the water and land activities, the adorable town of Bodega Bay and its many shops, and the proximity to many vineyards, there seems to be something for everyone at Bodega Bay!...
Post
Weekend Adventure in Las Vegas!
7 students, 5 Drivers from 4 different countries, 3 States, 1 Van, All in One Weekend Adventure! Students at CISL San Francisco work hard during the week and plan exciting weekend getaways to enjoy the U.S. as much as possible. I spoke with Thais, a long-term student from Brazil, one Monday morning during Break time...
Post
CISL SF Student Activity: Hiking in the Bay Area (and phrasal verbs with “walk”)
San Francisco is known for its culture, charm, food, architecture . . . the list goes on and on! But did you know that SF is also home to hundreds of incredible hiking trails? The trails in and around San Francisco provide a nature escape within an urban environment. If you are looking for a...
Post
Tips for Cambridge CAE and FCE Speaking Exam Part 3
The CISL Blog has featured articles on the top tips for Part 1 and Part 2 of the Cambridge CAE and FCE Speaking Tests. Today we are taking a look at the final section of the test, Part 3. Before we begin, lets take a look back at Parts 1 and 2. Overview of Cambridge CAE...
Post
Walk, Amble, Stroll
The teachers’ room at CISL San Francisco is filled with a variety of resources and textbooks which focus on grammar, business skills, conversation skills, pronunciation, and more. One afternoon during a planning session, Instructor Gena told her colleagues, “Hey, that’s my mom’s book.” Instantly the teachers became curious and took a break from what they...
Post
Suggested CISL student activity: SF’s The Fillmore
There is never a shortage of activities for CISL San Francisco students. Between Giants or A’s baseball games, museums, festivals, or simply exploring different neighborhoods, our students keep themselves quite busy! With all the local events, it is tough to choose a short list of suggested activities for visitors, but seeing a show at The...
Post
English Only? No Problem! Three CISL Students Accepted Our Challenge
By Sheron As our Sales and Marketing Executive, I conduct New Student Orientation every Monday at CISL San Francisco. I enjoy welcoming students from a variety of different countries and introducing them to our lovely school and beautiful city. Last week in Orientation, I noticed three young ladies sitting in a row all wearing the same...
Post
Canoeing the Russian River + Joe Bonamassa’s “The River” lyrics and phrasal verbs
What happens when summer temperatures rise while you are studying English in San Francisco? You do what the locals would do: grab a friend, escape the city, and find some (cooling) nature to relax in. What could be a more perfect outdoor escape than canoeing down the Russian River? The Russian River begins in Mendocino...