EC San Francisco English Language School

Isabel (Middle) with classmates Denise and Ayako enjoying the weekend with their EC Host-Families.

What was it like first meeting your host-family?
From the minute I met them, they were so kind and gave me a hug. As soon as I arrived, we went on a tour of the city which made me feel more familiar with the bay area. My host-father’s brother also hosts students learning English. It was cool because we didn’t know our way around and got to experience everything as a group.

For what reasons did you decide that using a home-stay would be better than a student residence?
I think staying with a host-family is a much better way to improve your English than in a residence. You have no other choice but to speak English and everyday we talk about something new. I think this is important for anyone who wants to practice their English as much as possible.

What are 3 things that make staying with a host-family worth while?
- Feeling at home
- Being part of other people’s plans
- Continuously improving your English outside of school

How would you describe your relationship with your host-family now?
At first they were just my host-family but now they are close friends. They are very family-orientated and I will continue to keep in touch.

What advice can you give new students moving into their host-family for the first time?
- Keep an open-mind because you can learn a lot and receive plenty of good advice
- Remember to respect other families’ cultures and traditions
- Offer to help out, even if everything seems to be okay
- Go to a host family!

Have you ever done something in the past you wish you hadn’t?
Do you wish you were shorter or taller? Thinner, or bigger?
Do you ever find yourself wishing for something that is extremely unlikely, almost impossible?
Perhaps there is something bothering you in the present that you would like to change?

From Intermediate upwards, learners of English find themselves using ‘wish’ through a number of different tenses. Sometimes it can be a little confusing about when we are supposed to use this word and with which form of a verb. Let’s take a look at the following sentences.

1. “I wish I had eaten a bigger breakfast. I’m so hungry!”
2. “I wish I was taller”
3. “I wish I could fly to the moon and back”
4. “I wish Jessica would stop talking”

If we direct our attention to the first sentence, we can see the most typical use of ‘wish’ in English. In this example, the speaker is talking about a situation in the past they cannot change. The basic formula for this use of ‘wish’ is outlined below.

Subject Pronoun + ‘wish’ + Subject Pronoun + Past Perfect + Object
I wish I had eaten a bigger breakfast    
Here’s another…
I  wish I had visited the Eiffel Tower

Just like the first example, the second sentence is similar because the speaker is referring to something in the past. They regret their decision to not visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris and cannot do anything in the present to change this behavior.

Let’s take a look at the second sentence in bold. Notice that here, the speaker is not referring to an action in the past. Instead, they are talking about something they dislike about themselves in the present. Take a look at this grammatical formula.

Subj. Pronoun + ‘wish’ + Subj. Pronoun + Past Simple + Adjective and/or Object
I wish I was taller
Here’s another…
I wish I had brown hair

From our third sentence, we see the use of ‘wish’ with a modal verb, could. In this example, the speaker is referring to something unrealistic and imaginary. Therefore, if there is something you would love to happen, but at the same time you are certain it will not, use the modal verb could in a similar structure to that found in our first sentence. The only difference, is that we are replacing the past perfect with could + an infinitive form of the verb.

Subj. Pronoun + ‘wish’ + Subj. Pronoun + ‘could’ + Infinitive Verb + Object
I wish I could fly to the moon and back
I wish I could play professional soccer

Finally, we come to our fourth sentence. It is clear that the speaker is angry with Jessica. Maybe they cannot concentrate whilst studying. Perhaps, Jessica has an extremely loud voice. Whatever the reason, the sentence is referring to an event in the present and tells us that the speaker is feeling irritated or annoyed. For this context, we use a new modal verb: ‘would’.

Subj. Pronoun (I) + ‘wish’ + Subj. Pronoun + ‘would’ + Infinitive Verb + Object/Gerund
I wish Jessica (she) would stop talking
I wish Daniel (he) would eat his vegetables

There we have it! By studying the grammatical rules above, you too can share with classmates some of your own wishes and regrets!

Smith, H. 2012.

EC San Francisco would like to thank EVERYONE who attended yesterday’s International Luncheon to celebrate our school’s 2 Year Anniversary. The pictures look great and the food on display was delicious! In addition to the lunch time celebration was each class’ participation writing in an EC Birthday card. Below are some pictures displaying the procedure I used to create a design, which in my mind, gave a ‘home-made’ quality to the cards before they were handed out to all General English classes. (A glossary of the vocabulary in bold can be found at the bottom of this page)

First, I grabbed a ruler and sheet of blank paper. I drew up a rectangular space that I thought was an appropriate size for our design. Within this box, I began to sketch-out a rough draft of what I wanted to include on the front of our Birthday cards.

After using a pencil to give the card a natural, ‘handwritten’ feel, I then switched to a black marker pen. Using this marker, I wrote over the pencil, adding more depth and boldness to the original writing. Once this was complete, I filled out the design by drawing a basic balloon shape and a party hat, which sat on top of the first letter ‘p’. You will see these extra details in a moment.

Next, I printed a blank sheet of paper with our famous orange logo centered towards the bottom of a landscape page. This page would be the second phase of drafting.

I then placed the original design underneath this new sheet of paper before picking up my black marker to trace over my first draft. This meant that the original writing could be replicated both clearly and cleanly.

Now it was time to take the new and improved draft and scan it into a computer. This provided a smoother, more rounded version than I had before. (The file was opened using Adobe PDF Viewer)

After printing out copies for all of our general English classes, I was able to find some orange paper. This would suit EC’s colour scheme and certainly brighten up what I had produced so far. However, in order to place the new design over the orange card, I needed to think about its positioning. I decided to keep things simple and take a blank CD I found in the Teachers’ Office. This would form a nice, even circle around the design, which I could also cut out with ease.

I positioned the circular design at a slight angle that would fit the casual atmosphere of our Birthday celebration on Thursday, May 10. Finally, the cards were placed in each teacher’s attendance binder before students wrote EC San Francisco their Birthday wishes! The cards were then shared and displayed at our International Luncheon, where students and teachers celebrated in style!

Glossary

to grab (v.): to take suddenly
to sketch (v.): to draw an outline
draft (n.): the first or second version of something to be completed
to switch (v.): to change from one thing to another
to fill out (phrasal v.): to add detail or information
to trace (v.): to draw over a visible mark
to replicate (v.): to reproduce an existing idea or procedure
colour scheme (n.): pattern of colours
brighten up (phrasal v.): to light up/make clearer
even (adj.): balanced
ease (n.): easiness
slight (adj.): at a small angle
casual (adj.): relaxed, informal
Birthday wishes (compound n.): kind words to celebrate another individual’s Birthday

H. Smith, 2012. Inspired by Clint Tabone, EC Brand Ambassador: http://www.clinttabone.com/joseph-camilleri-logo-case-study

How long have you been with EC?
I will have been here one year in June.

In which other countries have you taught English?
Spain. Barcelona to be specific.

In your mind, what distinguishes EC from other language centres?
Great facilities!

Favorite English expression:
You can’t win the lottery if you don’t buy a ticket!

Must-see place in San Francisco Bay Area.
In terms of nature, Golden Gate Park has some nice hidden trails. For an urban setting, the Lyon area is great for views of the city and architecture

Bay Area sports team of choice.
SF 49ers in the winter, SF Giants in the summer!

BART or MUNI?
BIKE!

Favorite transport route?
‘The Wiggle’ bicycle ride. You get to speed down and around the city’s hills!