Say “New Year’s Resolutions” — Not “New Year Resolutions” — Sparks Plus, Week 17

Welcome to this week’s Sparks Plus – your quick, practical boost for clearer, more confident English.
Six short sections, all easy to read and use right away.

---

1️⃣ Quick Win

It’s New Year’s Resolution — with an apostrophe.

You can say:
✔ My New Year’s Resolution is to exercise more. (singular)
✔ My New Year’s Resolutions are to exercise and eat healthy. (plural)

The apostrophe shows it’s the resolution of the New Year.

---

2️⃣ Real-World English in Action

Denglish rescue:
A client said: I will take me more time for English this year.

In English we say:
✔ I’ll take more time for English this year.
✔ I want to make more time for English this year.

(We don’t use “me” reflexively here.)

---

3️⃣ Christine’s Pick

Make Your Own Christmas Crackers 🎄
A lovely guide to creating your own Christmas crackers for the table or even the tree.
Clear instructions, great photos, and very British.

As any Brit knows, Christmas is hardly complete without a cracker on the table. Traditionally filled with a paper hat, a joke, and a small gift — and the best thing about making your own is that you can fill them with whatever you like or even personalise them for each guest!

🎁 https://www.nordicnest.com/inspiration-tips/table-setting-ideas/how-to-make-a-christmas-cracker/

---

4️⃣ Reader Question

Q: Is it at the beginning of the year or in the beginning of the year?

A:
✔ At the beginning of the year → most natural and most common
✔ In the beginning of the year → grammatically possible but much less used

Use:
✔ At the beginning of the year, we set new goals.

---

5️⃣ AI Prompt to Test

Try this in ChatGPT:

“Give me 5 simple, realistic English resolutions for a B1/B2 professional. Keep them short, positive, and easy to achieve.”

Choose one to start the year with.

---

6️⃣ Spotlight

Want quick wins for your English?
I’ve put together 50 English Tips, Tricks and Tidbits You Probably Didn’t Know About English – a mix of quirky facts, common mistakes German speakers make and small fixes that make a big difference.

Perfect if you want to learn something new in under a minute.

📘 Download it here:
https://english-trainer.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/50-English-Tips-Tricks-and-Tidbits-You-Probably-Didnt-Know-About-English.pdf