von Christine Burgmer | Aug. 17, 2026 | Sparks |
Why is the first word after “Dear” capitalised? A small detail. A common mistake. And something German speakers often notice when writing emails in English. In German, we write: “Sehr geehrter Herr Müller,vielen Dank für Ihre Nachricht.” The...
von Christine Burgmer | Aug. 14, 2026 | Sparks |
When “Autogramm” isn’t an autograph Imagine this. You finally meet someone you admire. Maybe a famous author, a speaker or a business leader. You smile, hold out your pen, and say, “Could I have your autogram, please?” The person looks...
von Christine Burgmer | Aug. 13, 2026 | Sparks |
Native speakers don’t always speak “better” English Here’s something many English learners forget: Native speakers make mistakes too. They search for words.They restart sentences.They use simple expressions when they can’t find the...
von Christine Burgmer | Aug. 12, 2026 | Sparks |
What I’d love to tell anyone working on their English Sometimes I wish I could gather everyone working on their English into one room and simply say this. Your English doesn’t have to be perfect to make a good impression. People aren’t sitting there...
von Christine Burgmer | Aug. 11, 2026 | Sparks |
“You always forget” (three words that end the conversation) “You always forget.” Three words in, and you’ve stopped talking about the problem. “Always” rarely means always. It tells the other person they’re the problem,...
von Christine Burgmer | Aug. 10, 2026 | Sparks |
“Meet me on the first floor” (which floor, exactly?) You said, “Meet me on the first floor.” Your British colleague went up a flight of stairs. You meant the floor you’d just walked in on. In British English, the floor at street level is...
