Do You Know the Difference Between Practise and Practice?

by Christine Burgmer | Jul 27, 2023 | Sparks of English | 0 comments

Do You Know the Difference Between Practise and Practice?

It’s quite simple.

Practice (with a “c”) is used as a noun in both American and British English.
Practise (with an “s”) is used as a verb in British English, but the verb form is spelt “practice” in American English.

I have a document entitled “Easily Confused Words” that I think you might find useful.

Are there any words you struggle with?

Dive Into the World of Documentaries With DW

by Christine Burgmer | Jul 26, 2023 | Sparks of English | 0 comments

Dive Into the World of Documentaries With DW

Who would think of watching documentaries from German broadcaster Deutsche Welle to improve their English listening skills?

DW Documentary is a great place to meet fascinating people, explore far-off lands, and even get a behind-the-scenes look at the complexities of daily life. And to boost your English skills.

I started with Brides for Sale—Bulgaria’s Roma marriage market and will be watching Germany: The discreet lives of the super-rich next.

And you?

What have you found?

Using Up-to-Date Language in Emails

by Christine Burgmer | Jul 25, 2023 | Sparks of English | 0 comments

Using Up-to-Date Language in Emails

I still see a lot of old-fashioned expressions in emails.

What about you? Do you use modern language?

Old-Fashioned Expressions	Modern-Day Alternatives
“Dear Sir/Madam” or “To Whom It May Concern”	Use the recipient’s name if known, or a more inclusive and informal greeting like “Hello” or “Hi [Name]”
“Yours faithfully” or “Yours truly”	“Kind regards,” “Best regards,” or simply “Regards”
“I hereby enclose” or “Please find attached herewith”	“I am enclosing …”, “I have attached [document/file]”
“I beg to inform you” or “I would like to bring to your attention”	“I want to let you know” or “I’d like to highlight”
“Per your request” or “As per our previous conversation”	“As you requested” or “Following our previous conversation”
“In reference to the above” or “With regards to the aforementioned”	“Regarding” or “About” followed by a brief summary or specific reference
“We hereby acknowledge receipt of” or “This is to inform you that”	“We received” or “I want to let you know” followed by the relevant information

Are there any other old-fashioned expressions that you would like to change?

Send me an email and I’ll see if I can help you.

Fernweh, Feierabend and Sprachgefühl

by Christine Burgmer | Jul 24, 2023 | Sparks of English | 0 comments

Fernweh, Feierabend and Sprachgefühl

German has many untranslatable words that are difficult to express in English.

Some examples

Fernweh describes a longing or craving to travel and explore distant places. It can be translated as “wanderlust” in English.
Feierabend refers to the end of a workday and the time for rest and relaxation.
Sprachgefühl is the ability to naturally understand and use a language effectively, including its nuances, grammar, and expressions. It can be translated as “linguistic intuition” or “language sense”.

Are there any German words you find dfficult to translate or explain? Send me an email and I’ll see if I can help.