The International English Language Institute at Hunter College

One advantage of studying at the IELI - our lending library! We now have nearly 400 books to borrow, with new arrivals every month. Come and check us out!

Summer classes are starting next week, and scholarships mean that all classes are now discounted! We have part-time, full-time, and online options. Take advantage of your summer break and learn with us at the IELI!😊

Spring 2026 class trip to the Museum of the American Indian - come study with us this summer...who knows where we'll go next?

Classes start June 1!

I'm sure you know the basic contractions in English - we use them naturally in everyday speech and writing. But have you heard of these? (they are a lot more common in speech than in writing...)

We always want to sound natural when speaking a second language. With English, knowing idioms and expressions is key to sounding like a native speaker. Here are some good ones - how many do you know?

Here are some creative ways to describe people and character types in English - do you know someone like any of these people?

One difficult thing about listening in English is that so many words sound exactly the same, but are completely different! These words are called "homophones".
How many pairs do you know?

A quick grammar check - do you know the different conditional forms in English, and when we use them? Here are the 4 types, with examples of each. How are they different in meaning?

As you probably know, English borrows a lot of words from other languages. Many English speakers don't even realize where these words came from! Which of these words come from YOUR first language?

English is indeed a strange language...