American English Language School

  Typically, during the first week of our ESL course, teachers will conduct various activities to help students feel comfortable in the classroom. In order to help students to get the best learning experience out of our ESL program, they will start the week by getting to know each other. One topic that teachers will go over with their students is greetings. There are many different ways to introduce yourself and greet someone. Below are a few common greetings you can use every day with friends, family, coworkers, and everyone else.   These greetings you can use casually with friends or family members.   –Hi / Hello –How’s it going? –What’s up? –How ya been? –What’s new? –Long time no see   These greetings are more formal than the above greetings you can use with coworkers, family members, teachers, etc.   –Good morning / Good afternoon / Good evening –How are you? –Pleased to meet you.   On the other hand, when you receiv...

  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 that are associated with things involving the season of winter to add to your conversational vocabulary.   1.     Dead of winter   This idiom is associated with the coldest and darkest part of winter.   For example: I forgot my coat in the dead of winter!   2.     To be on thin ice   This idiom means to be in a risky situation because when you walk on thin ice, there is a chance that you may fall into icy water and die.   For example: The children were on thin ice because their teacher had told them to stop talking many times.   3.     To break the ice   This idiom, unlike a lot of idioms, takes a positive route. We use this idiom when we say something or do something to stop the awkwardness of intr...

  The first week of January, students will start the first quarter of the year. During the first week of our 12-week ESL course, students will get to know their teachers and classmates. They will introduce themselves and play games to help them feel more comfortable in the classroom. Students will also be able to preview the schedule and read through the course syllabus.   Teachers will also show students how to log in to our website. Students will be able to see their grades, attendance, and participation scores. They will also be able to see comments their teacher may leave them on how they are doing in the classroom, what they may need to improve on, or some words of encouragement for their progress.   At American English Language School, we emphasize conversation in the classroom. Unfortunately, many students are shy at first to participate in the classroom. That’s why the first week of the course focuses on getting to know each other.   Additionall...

  At American English Language School in Los Angeles, our ESL program has six different levels. Each level of our ESL program is 12 weeks. Before students begin their ESL class, they will take a placement test. This placement test will allow us to assess each student’s reading, listening, and speaking skills, so students will be able to be in a class with other students at their level.   After students have been placed in their classes, they will get to know their classmates and teachers while going over different topics to help students understand how to better work, live, or study in the United States. In each quarter (12 weeks) of our ESL program, the 11th week is known as our finals week. During this week, all of our students will be reviewing what they have learned in the previous weeks to prepare for their final exam. Students will complete various activities during this week to check for understanding of the material and to build on what they already learned. ...

  We use commas every time we write anything. They are so common in writing, yet many people don’t use them correctly or even know how to use them. There are many different ways to use commas, but we will review the most common comma rules.   1.       Use commas to separate items in a list. When listing more than two nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs in a sentence, use commas to separate each item.   For example: -Nicole saw three giraffes, two lions, and eight monkeys at the zoo. -Andrew has to run, jump, and squat for his physical exam.   2.       Use commas when joining two independent clauses. “FANBOYS” stands for For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, and So. When you connect two independent clauses with one of the “FANBOYS” words, use a comma before.   For example: -Sally needs to go to the store, and she needs to go to the bank. -Mario knew he needed   to study, yet he went to t...