“Back to Work” – Not “Back in the Work” — Sparks Plus, Week 20

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.

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1️⃣ Quick Win

Don’t say “back in the work.”
In English, we say:
✔ I’m back to work.
✔ I’m back at work.

At work = physically in the workplace
To work = returning to working again

Both are common after the holidays.

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2️⃣ Real-World English in Action

Denglish rescue:
A client said: We see us next week.

In English, we simply say:
✔ See you next week!
✔ Talk to you next week!

Short, friendly and very natural.

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3️⃣ Christine’s Pick

New Year Resolutions — Simon’s Cat
A light, funny video about New Year resolutions… with a little help from Simon’s Cat.

🎥 https://youtu.be/KNEVjhCXZB4?si=pGmZpzcmGFPqh8ae

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4️⃣ Reader Question

Q: Can I say “We start in calendar week 3”?

A:
No. English speakers don’t use “calendar week.”

Say:
✔ We start in Week 3.
✔ We start in the third week of January.

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5️⃣ AI Prompt to Test

Try this in ChatGPT:

“Give me 5 short New Year messages I can send to colleagues when we return to work. Make them relaxed and positive.”

👉 Ideal for office small talk or Teams/Slack chats.

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6️⃣ Spotlight

Useful Prepositional Phrases

Prepositional phrases are small expressions that make your English sound more natural – phrases like at least, at once, at first sight, or at long last.

I’ve put together a simple list of the most common ones, arranged by preposition.
Perfect as a quick reference for writing and speaking.

📘 Download it here:
https://english-trainer.de/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/Prepositional-phrases-22.1.2014.pdf