American English Language School

  It’s almost summer time in California and a great way to spend the summer is at the beach. Here is a list of three popular beach cities in Los Angeles, California!   1.     Manhattan Beach   Manhattan Beach is filled with expensive mansions because it's a beautiful place to live. The wide, sandy beach is well-maintained, and there are lifeguard stands every few hundred yards. It's close to other areas and attractions in Los Angeles for easy sightseeing and also has a vibrant downtown if you would like to spend more than one day.   The restaurant scene here is filled with so many options and ranges in many types of cuisine. The beach is centered around a municipal pier that houses a small aquarium that features the local marine life. The beach is fronted by The Strand bike and walking path, and there are also houses, hotels, and businesses located along it so that visitors can go shopping or enjoy the local area. The city is also filled ...

  In the previous week, students went over financial goals and how to be a smart consumer. They reviewed different strategies to budget their income and spending. Students also went over new vocabulary words and phrases to describe a person’s spending habits. Here are 10 common phrases to use regarding money and spending habits.   1.       cost an arm and a leg: This idiom means that the thing that you would like to purchase is ridiculously expensive. It does not literally cost an arm and a leg, but it may be rather close. You can use this phrase when you or someone you know wants to buy something that is way over their usual budget.   2.       tighten your belt: To tighten your belt is the opposite of a person who likes to spend money excessively. This phrase means that you need to lower your spending and stick to your budget.   3.       save for a rainy day: This means saving m...

  At American English Language School, our ESL classes are limited in size. We strive to keep our class sizes limited in order to provide students with the best educational experience. Traveling to California to study abroad can be a stressful experience; you don’t want your new classes to add to the stress. Teachers and students can both agree there are multiple benefits to having a small number of students in your class. Here are some benefits that you will only find at AELS!   The first benefit to a small class is teachers’ ability to give attention to each of their students. When you are in a class with a massive amount of students, it is hard to get your teacher’s attention. Students can easily fall behind and teachers may not even be able to notice because they have too many students. In comparison, a teacher with a small number of students can easily see which students are participating and which are failing to keep up. Teachers can help the students who are falli...

  Idioms are phrases that English speakers use in everyday conversation, but don’t always make sense if they are pulled apart, word by word. Here are some common idioms to add to your conversational vocabulary.   1.     John Hancock   This English idiom refers to when someone needs to sign their name on an important document. This name comes from American History. John Hancock was one of the founding fathers of America who helped write the Declaration of Independence and was the first to sign it as well.   For example: Please put your John Hancock on this form and the car will be all yours!   2.     The whole nine yards   When we say the phrase, “the whole nine yards,” it means they would like everything possible or available. There are many different stories of where this word comes from, but most historians believe that it started as a sports reference and grew from there.   For example: We want...