A Spark a day.
One idea. Every weekday. Under a minute.SPARKS OF ENGLISH
Notes from the real world of English at work. The mistakes, breakthroughs and surprising moments that happen when English leaves the textbook and enters the meeting room.
You already speak the language. But under pressure, it does not always feel that way. That’s when overthinking and second-guessing tend to appear.
The Sparks are short prompts for exactly those moments – and now and then, something you can try out straight away.
Designed specifically for German-speaking professionals who want to speak clearly without checking every sentence before they say it.
After a few weeks, many readers notice they:
- Keep talking, even when the perfect word is missing.
- Respond faster when a conversation shifts unexpectedly.
- Stop losing precision in the moments that count.
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✦ Your welcome gift: “50 Quick Fixes for Clearer English”. So small details don’t slow you down.
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❝Einer der ganz wenigen Newsletter, auf die ich mich an jedem (!) Werktag aufs Neue freue.❞
Barbara Gölz
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The zombie test for passive voice
You write an English sentence, and it feels stiff. Heavy. You can't quite say why. Often it's the passive, and German nudges you straight into it....
What the tortoise actually got right.
In English meetings, you might feel like the tortoise. Everyone else races ahead while you're a step behind, still searching for the word. You've...
The film wasn’t “synchronised”. It was dubbed.
You're telling an English-speaking colleague about a film, the German version, with the voices replaced. So you reach for the word that sounds...
The smallest word that changes everything
Listen to the sentence you say about your English. "I'm not fluent." "I can't explain this clearly." "I don't speak up in meetings." Said like that,...
Why ‘Smoking’ isn’t English
You're invited to a black-tie event. You tell your English-speaking colleague you'll wear your smoking. They pause. "Your... what?" In German, a...
Is it “headquarter” or “headquarters”?
You're in a meeting, about to mention your company's main office. You reach for the word and pause. Is it "headquarter" or "headquarters"? It's...
You don’t need another tip
You saved the article. "Watch English shows. Find a language partner. Stay curious." None of it was new. You'd heard it before. Here's the catch....
Your brain isn’t broken. It’s just busy.
Speaking your own language feels easy. It isn't. It's one of the hardest jobs your brain does. You just got so good at it that you stopped noticing....
A gentler word than “should”
You mean well, so you say, "You should try this." Or, "You should speak up." The problem is that "should" can sound like advice. Even with good...
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