Ever notice how the last two words of an email reveal more than the whole message? Here’s my field guide:

📨 Best regards — I’m polite. I’m professional. I’ve been stuck in 2007.
📨 Kind regards — I want to sound nice. But not too nice.
📨 Best wishes — I’m warm but professional. Friendly without being too casual. The little black dress of email endings. 😉
📨 Thanks in advance — Please do what I asked. I’ve already assumed you will.
📨 Cheers — I once did an internship in London. Or wish I had.
📨 Warm regards — I’m human. I care. But not in an HR kind of way.
📨 Take care — Soft exit. Possibly hiding discomfort. Possibly American.
📨 All the best — I’ve given up on choosing. This just works.
📨 (Nothing at all) — I’m in a rush. Or senior enough not to care.

Your email ending isn’t just tradition. It’s tone, personality and sometimes a tiny power move.

💬 So tell me: how do you usually sign off?

A client came to me because he avoided speaking in English at work.

He knew the words, but in meetings he stayed quiet. Afraid of making mistakes. Afraid of sounding less professional.

We worked together for 10 hours.
No textbook. No grammar grind.
Just real conversations, targeted practice and small mindset shifts.

The result?

• He stopped apologising for his English.
• He started speaking up, even when his sentences weren’t “perfect”.
• His colleagues listened with more respect.

That’s the power of confidence. It’s not about sounding like a native speaker. It’s about speaking up, being heard and being taken seriously.

💬 What would you want to change in your next 10 hours of practice?

In the US, it’s easy: napkin. Always. Nobody says serviette unless they’re trying to sound fancy.

But in the UK… ah, class creeps in.

Napkin = more “correct,” upper-class, etiquette-approved.
Serviette = working-class, borrowed from French, still carrying a whiff of “not posh enough.”

So yes, even something as harmless as wiping your mouth can carry class baggage.

Just like the whole toilet / restroom / loo debate, the words you choose tell people something about you (whether you like it or not).

The real lesson? Global English isn’t about sounding posh. It’s about being clear, natural and easy to understand — whether you reach for a napkin or a serviette.

💬 Which version do you use — and have you ever noticed the reaction?

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

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1️⃣ Quick Win

It’s dependent on, not dependent from.

❌ The result is dependent from the weather.
✔ The result is dependent on the weather.

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2️⃣ Real-World English in Action

Denglish rescue:
A client said: I visit my parents all 2 weeks.

In English, we say:
✔ I visit my parents every 2 weeks.
✔ I see my parents every other week.

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3️⃣ Christine’s Pick

BBC Learning English – 6 Minute English
Short episodes on interesting topics, spoken clearly, with transcripts to follow along. Great for listening and reading practice at the same time.

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4️⃣ Reader Question

Q: Should I say in the weekend or at the weekend?

A: In British English: at the weekend
✔ I saw friends at the weekend.
In American English: on the weekend
✔ I saw friends on the weekend.

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5️⃣ Spotlight

Want to practise speaking in a safe, friendly group?
Join my next Speed Networking for the Bold & Brave.
It’s free — and you’ll leave feeling more confident in English.
Save your place here.

Some professionals still write English emails as if it’s 1985 — formal, stiff and about as friendly as a fax machine.

Here are 5 classics that need to retire (along with shoulder pads and floppy disks):

❌ “In response to your request…”
✅ “Thanks for your message.”

❌ “Please do not hesitate to contact me.”
✅ “Let me know if you have questions.”

❌ “We would like to inform you that…”
✅ “Just a quick update:”

❌ “Enclosed please find the document…”
✅ “I’ve attached the document.”

❌ “Kindly be advised that…”
✅ “Here’s what you need to know:”

📌 Plain English isn’t less professional. It’s just easier to read. And in today’s inbox, nobody has patience for dinosaur English. 

💬 What’s the most old-fashioned phrase you still see (or secretly use)?

I see this mistake everywhere:
📂 “In our new building, I have an own office.”

The fix? Simple:
✅ “I have my own office.”

👉 Because in English, own always needs a partner — my, your, our, his, her.

It never goes solo with “an.”

💬 Your turn: Which small English mistake do you keep spotting at work?