American English Language School

  When you are learning English, chances are you have heard some phrases that you did not understand. It is difficult to learn a new language, but idioms make it more difficult for many people. Idioms are phrases or expressions people use every day. However, they are sometimes difficult to understand because they do not necessarily mean what they are saying. Idioms should be understood by their figurative meaning rather than taken literally. To help you understand and communicate better, here are a few idioms to try out.   1.       “A fish out of water” - This means that someone is in an uncomfortable and awkward situation. Ex. When Suzy first arrived at her college, she felt like a fish out of water. 2.       “Hit the books” - To hit the books simply means you are going to study. Ex. Sasha had a final coming up, so she had to hit the books all weekend. 3.       “Blow off some steam” - Eve...

  Many English language students have a hard time understanding when to use certain verbs. The two verbs that a lot of students get confused with are: take and get . Check out this list of when to use take and when to use get to beat the confusion!   When to use GET:   1.     To receive something from another person or group.   The most common way that we use get is to indicate the action of receiving something from another person or group of people.   For example: I get a gift from my friends for my birthday.                        They got a bad grade on their group project because they forgot to turn it in.   2.     To buy something or pick up something from somewhere.   We also will use get when we are going to buy something or pick something up from a place.   For example: I need t...

  If you are planning on taking the TOEFL, you should already know there will be words used throughout the test that you will not know. Vocabulary is a part of the test many test takers are weary of. Many students feel anxious about the various unknown words they will run into and will focus on trying to decipher each word when taking the test. However, while vocabulary is important in the test, there will be questions asking the definition of certain words. If you feel your vocabulary level is not too high and would like to widen your vocabulary, here are a few common words you may see when taking the test.   1.       Oppress: to crush or burden by abuse of power or authority 2.       Circumvent: overcome (a problem or difficulty), typically in a clever way 3.       Scrutinize: examine or inspect closely and thoroughly. 4.       Interpret: explain the meaning of (in...

  Every week, students go over a new topic related to living, studying, or working in the United States. Our ESL program includes English conversation speaking, listening, writing, grammar, and reading. Students will be placed at their appropriate level and throughout our 12-week course, students will work to improve these skills.   This past week, students focused on the different types of goals people can have, obstacles that get in the way of these goals, and solutions to overcome the obstacles. Do you know what the three different types of goals are?   The first type of goal is a personal goal. This means something you want to accomplish for yourself. This could be anything you want it to be. A common goal people have is to eat healthier, lose weight, save money, or learn a new skill.     The second type of goal is an educational goal. This type of goal is something you wish to accomplish related to education. It could be to get straight A’s, g...