How to Use English Burst

This is a guide to help you get the most out of this website. We'll explain what is on offer here, how you can maximise your learning, and some useful tips for general language learning.

Categories and Search

Each article has been assigned categories (circled in green below). This is both according to topic (e.g. music, travel, poetry, technology etc.), and according to level (beginner, intermediate and advanced).

According to the CEFR levels, they are:

Beginner = A1 to A2

Intermediate = B1 to B2

Advanced = C1 to C2

You can also use the search bar (circled in orange) to type in a topic or word you are interested in.

Language Focus Section

Each article features a glossary and exercises. Additionally audio/narration is available for some texts.

The glossary is a drop down list featuring words and idioms from the article highlighted in bold. In the below example, you can see the word 'whisk' is highlighted as bold in the text. If you are unfamiliar with the word while reading, you can check the definition immediately and see example sentences given to help you understand the context of the word. Or you can read the article, try to guess the meaning and then check its meaning. This helps utilise your mind more actively, and will help your natural comprehension skills.

The different exercises are there to give you practise using the new words, help check you've understood the article and also give you practise with your writing skills. We offer correction services if you'd like to send in any written work, please see the services section on the website menu. If you want to improve, I really encourage you to take the time to do these exercises, they will usually take less than five minutes. Each article may feature different types of exercise, but focus mostly on practising the new words.

It is important to hear how natural phrasing and pronunciation happens if you want to also speak naturally. We have therefore included an audio narration for some of the articles. This is linked to an audio on soundcloud, which can be played within the blog (i.e. there is no need to open a new tap). Simply click on the play button.

General Tips

Reading is an important way to familiarise yourself with natural English phrasing, whilst also introducing you to new vocab and idioms. So keep up your reading habits and you'll pick up many new phrases quickly. This will also help you produce natural phrasing, which many non-native speakers can struggle with.

However, it can be time consuming to read books and have to keep looking up words. Of course, now with many browsers offering immediate translation of words, reading on the internet is very convenient. English Burst goes a step further and offers a definition specific to the context of how the word is used within the article, whilst also offering example sentences. As we know, words can have many different meanings, the definitions given here are specific to the context of how they are used in the article. Although sometimes additional usages are also given. So do be careful of using automatic translations, as the definition given may not be appropriate to the context of the sentence. e.g.

The tree bark was on the floor.

If you are using chrome, hover or right-click on the word bark and you will find the definition is: the sharp explosive cry of a dog, fox or seal.

Of course, a tree cannot bark like a dog! But bark, when used in the context of a tree, means: the tough outer shell of a trees and other woody plants.

Suggestions and Closing

Remember, if you would like to see an article on a particular topic, do email us and we might be able to create an article according to what your interests are. As a new platform, we are also keen to hear any suggestions on how to make your learning more efficient, so let us know your thoughts!

Thanks for reading, and best of luck with improving your fluency on English Burst!