English Language Institute at Pace University
Studying English in New York
Tips for learning English
WRITTEN BY: JEFF MCILVENNA With long commutes on crowded trains in the subway every day, New Yorkers can often be found with some kind of headphones. We are trying to block out the world or get caught up* on their latest podcasts on their way to work, classes, and fun....
This Monday (September 2) is a national public holiday in the United States that honors working people and their hard work. Labor Day is always observed on the first Monday of September. Americans consider it the unofficial end of summer. After this weekend, public pools and beaches close, students go...
WRITTEN BY PATRICK RUSSELL Learning a new language is so much more than studying grammar concepts, attempting to listen to a person who speaks too quickly, or trying to say “Worcestershire sauce”. There is also the necessary, but sometimes overlooked, aspect of learning about the cultural and social norms of...
One of the most famous aspects of New York City culture is the theatre scene, including plays on and off Broadway. Short plays can help you see and hear new words, and see local stories in a different way than television and movies can provide. But did you know that...
A common question that my students ask is “How can I practice my pronunciation at home, on my own time?” Practicing pronunciation is fun and easy at the English Language Institute at Pace University because we have excellent, well qualified instructors. However, pronunciation is a skill that is difficult to...
WRITTEN BY JASON TANNENBAUM Pace University’s English Language Institute (ELI) prides itself on providing students with courses and tools that help put them on track for success and personal satisfaction. Among other courses, we offer powerful TOEFL test preparation and effective business and professional communications courses. Visit our New York City...
Last week we had a post about how to see a baseball game in New York City, which is a must-do when are studying ESL here. Baseball Idioms The game of baseball has inspired more idioms in American English than any other sport. There are so many idioms, but here...
May 25 is Towel Day. To celebrate, we’d like to share with you three fun English idioms about towels. Towel off (v) This means to dry yourself or someone else or something with a towel. E.g. The swimmer got out of the pool and toweled off. I toweled off my wet...
April 29 is International Dance Day. To celebrate, we’d like to share with you three fun English idioms about dance. 1. It takes two to tango This is said when you want to emphasize that both people involved in a difficult situation must accept the blame, or that an activity...
April 22 is Earth Day. This is the perfect day to share some idioms about ‘earth’ that are used in English. 1. down to earth If you say that someone is down-to-earth, you approve of the fact that they concern themselves with practical things and actions and are realistic, rather...
March 26 is Purple Day. PURPLE is RED + BLUE. To celebrate, here are three fun idioms” one with purple, one with red and one with blue. Purple State In U.S. general elections, a state that votes in roughly equal proportion for candidates of both the Democratic (typically associated with...
March 22 is World Water Day. In honor of today, we at the English language Institute want to share three fun idioms about water. (to) Keep Your Head Above Water to manage to survive, especially financially. We have so little money that we can hardly keep our heads above water. Every day it is difficult. (It’s) water Under The Bridge If you say that a bad experience is water under the bridge, you mean that it happened a long time ago and so you don’t feel upset or worried about it now. He didn’t treat me very well at the time but it’s all water under the bridge now. We are now friends. (to be) in...
English Pronunciation can be tricky. There are quite a few sounds in English that are specific to the language and do not even exist in other languages. For example, some English as second language learners have difficulty with the /th/ sounds and the American /r/. However, having clear pronunciation is...
Learning English can be fun, but can also be challenging. If you want to speak English well, here are three things you may not know about English, but will really help you. One of the most common nouns is “thing” There are many uses of “thing”. A common way that...
