Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
915 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago - ★★★★ - 2.6K ratingsFive-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. Grammar Girl provides short, friendly tips to improve your writing and feed your love of the English language. Whether English is your first language or your second language, these grammar, punctuation, style, and business tips will make you a better and more successful writer. Grammar Girl is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast.
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Episodes
The Many Meanings of 'Father.' How Watergate Changed English. Punim
June 17, 2022 03:00 - 19 minutes - 13.5 MB"Father" as a word shows how we humans love to extend our metaphors. Did you know it was only relatively recently that priests were referred to as "father," for example? And then, for the 50th anniversary of the Watergate scandal, we look at the "-gate" suffix and what made it so successful that it has spread all over the world (even to non-English-speaking countries). Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/the-many-meanings-of-father-how-watergate-changed-english | Sub...
Demonyms: Why People from North Carolina Are Called Tar Heels. 'Healthy' Versus 'Healthful.' Sussies 3!
June 10, 2022 00:00 - 20 minutes - 13.9 MBAre people from Liverpool really called "Liverpudlians"? Where does the name "Tar Heel" come from? We have the answers to some of the most interesting questions about demonyms: the names for people from specific places. Also, has anyone ever criticized you for using the word "healthy" instead of "healthful"? We explain why that happens. And finally, we've solved the mystery of "sussies." Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/demonyms-why-people-from-north-carolina-are-ca...
Are Wisdom Teeth Smart? Capitalizing Degree Names. Sussies 2
June 03, 2022 00:00 - 15 minutes - 10.6 MBThis week, we look at what makes wisdom teeth so smart, how to properly write the name of your degree, and what's up with the "sussies" familect? Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/are-wisdom-teeth-smart-capitalizing-degree-names-sussies-2 | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) | Grammar Girl is ...
Whatever Happened to "Thou"?
May 27, 2022 00:00 - 14 minutes - 10.3 MBIn an age when eels were sometimes used as currency and castles pierced the sky, “thou” was all the rage. But over time, it disappeared from use. Where did it go? And will it ever make a comeback? This week, we're sharing an episode of Curious State, a brand new podcast from Quick and Dirty Tips. Listen and subscribe to Curious State on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, or wherever you're listening to Grammar Girl. Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/whatever-happened...
How Spellers Tackle the 'Dreaded Schwa'
May 20, 2022 00:00 - 17 minutes - 11.8 MBYou'll never view spellers in the bee asking questions the same way again after you learn about the schwa from Brian Sietsema, an associate pronouncer for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) | Grammar Girl is part of the Qu...
Why "'Em" Isn't Short for "Them." The Subjunctive. Sussies.
May 13, 2022 00:00 - 15 minutes - 10.7 MBWhen you say "Go get 'em!" you think that's short for "Go get them," but you're wrong! We look at the fascinating history of some English pronouns. Plus, we look at how Neil Gaiman uses the subjunctive mood in "American Gods" to underscore moments of uncertainty. WHY "'EM" ISN'T SHORT FOR "THEM" Written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of a forthcoming book on all the speech habits we love to hate. She is also a language exp...
Tomi Adeyemi: The Writing Life and Her New Writing Course.
May 06, 2022 01:00 - 41 minutes - 28.5 MBWith her book "Children of Blood and Bone" spending 120 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, Tomi Adeyemi knows what it takes to write a great book. Listen in on my conversation with this charming writer about her thoughts on the writing life and what she has to offer in her new masterclass, The Writer's Roadmap. | Subscribe to the Grammar Girl newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mig...
Scissors, Jeans, and Other Nouns That Are Always Plural. Flat Adverbs. Boteep.
April 28, 2022 18:00 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBToday, we'll talk about some weird nouns that are always plural, and then we'll go two-dimensional and talk about flat adverbs. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. | Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk. | Links: https://www.qu...
If earth looks like a blue marble, why is Earth Day associated with the color green? Also, 'funnest.'
April 21, 2022 18:00 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBThe famous NASA "blue marble" image could have influenced people to make blue the color of environmentalism and Earth Day, but green won the day. In honor of the special day, we look at how the meaning of "green" has changed over time. Plus, we investigate the "fun" continuum and whether it's OK to use the words "funner" and "funnest." | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: M...
You Know. Doppelganger. Trademarks. Funnily. Chicken Milk.
April 14, 2022 19:00 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBIt's "listener question extravaganza" time, so I have some quick hits on discourse markers such as "you know," where we get the word "doppelganger," how to punctuate around trademarks, and the difference between "funny" and "funnily." It's a good one! | SPONSORS: https://masterworks.io/about/disclosure and The Jordan Harbinger Show. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mig...
I Cannot Tell a Lie (but I Can Mislead! And Sometimes People Do It With Percentages.
April 08, 2022 10:30 - 16 minutes - 11.4 MBWe look at the linguistic difference between lying and misleading, and then because people often lie with numbers, we look at the difference between "percent" and "percentage" and how to use them. | SPONSORS: https://masterworks.io/about/disclosure and https://bit.ly/ggondemand with the code MACMIL and https://bombas.com/grammar and https://monday.com/podcast. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Gramma...
I Cannot Tell a Lie (but I Can Mislead)! And Sometimes People Do It With Percentages.
April 08, 2022 10:30 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBWe look at the linguistic difference between lying and misleading, and then because people often lie with numbers, we look at the difference between "percent" and "percentage" and how to use them. | SPONSORS: https://masterworks.io/about/disclosure and https://bit.ly/ggondemand with the code MACMIL and https://bombas.com/grammar and https://monday.com/podcast. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Gramm...
How Aphasia Causes Difficulty Speaking. Chairdrobe.
March 31, 2022 19:00 - 24 minutes - 22.1 MBProdded by Bruce Willis's family's announcement that he is leaving acting after being diagnosed with aphasia, we revisited language disorders, and the kinds of things we can learn from them. Today's segment was written by Syelle Graves, who has a PhD in linguistics and is the assistant director of ILETC (Institute for Language Education in Transcultural Context). She was also a 40 under Forty alumni award honoree at SUNY New Paltz. You can find her at syellegraves.com. | SPONSORS: https://...
Why Tired People Talk About Being 'Out of Spoons.' Why Nouns Are More Complicated Than You May Think.
March 24, 2022 19:00 - 10 minutes - 9.99 MBA few months ago, I started to notice people talking about spoons in a weird way, so I investigated and found that people are using an interesting concept called "spoon theory." Also this week, we look at why nouns are more complicated than you may think, and we dig into concrete, abstract, collective, and compound nouns--how you can identify them, how you can tell them apart, and what makes them fun. | SPONSORS: https://masterworks.io/about/disclosure and https://bit.ly/ggondemand with the...
Barracking, Sheilas and Shouts: How the Irish Influenced Australian English
March 17, 2022 18:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MB"Barracking," "sheilas" and "shouts": How the Irish influenced Australian English. Plus, what makes "NASA" different from "FBI." | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. | Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk. | Links: https://www.q...
The Oxford Comma. And Should You Start a Sentence with 'And'?
March 10, 2022 19:00 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBHave you ever wondered why it's called the "Oxford comma"? We have the answer to that and many more questions you may have about this controversial punctuation mark. Plus, we'll also talk about why it's fine to start a sentence with "and" (and why you were probably taught that it's not). | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-21...
Is 'Materiel' Just a Fancy Pronunciation of 'Material'? Are Binomials the Same Across Languages?
March 03, 2022 18:00 - 10 minutes - 9.83 MBA listener wondered about the word "materiel." What's its deal (and is it related to "personnel")? Plus, "pepper and salt." "Groom and bride." "White and black." Are binomials the same across languages? | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. |Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. |Peeve Wars card game. |Grammar Girl books. |HOST: Mignon Fogarty |VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) |Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. |Theme music by...
Why Do We Cringe at 'Pepper and Salt'? Why 'Square' Is Uncool. Quickquish.
February 24, 2022 20:00 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MB"Sticks and stones." "Bride and groom." "Heads or tails." Some word pairs almost always appear in a specific order, and linguists have been investigating why for decades. Plus, after last week's segment about square meals, a listener asked why it's uncool to be a square. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. |Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. |Peeve Wars card game. |Grammar Girl books. |HOST: Mignon Fogarty |VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) |Grammar Girl ...
What's Square About a Square Meal? How to Use Parentheses, Brackets, and Braces. Guck.
February 17, 2022 16:30 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBThe idea of a square meal goes back to the 1800s and possibly mining towns, but the word "square" itself has a longer history. Plus, admit it! You don't know how to use curly braces. (We didn't either, but we figured it out.) | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. |Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. |Peeve Wars card game. |Grammar Girl books. |HOST: Mignon Fogarty |VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) |Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast ne...
Are People Using 'Commiserate' Wrong? The Origin of (the Word) 'Influenza.' Hersband.
February 10, 2022 17:00 - 12 minutes - 11 MBHow the "Witch of Wall Street" relates to the word "commiserate." Plus, the interesting origin of "influenza" and other disease names. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. |Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. |Peeve Wars card game. |Grammar Girl books. |HOST: Mignon Fogarty |VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) |Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. |Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk. |Links: https://www.qui...
Do You Call In, Out, or Off Sick? How Kids Learn Language. Hexaboobiated.
February 04, 2022 07:00 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBPeople often tell me they hear others say they'll be absent from work in a different way than they're used to hearing, so I looked into who says what where. Also, we take a deep look at how children learn language and what parents can do to help their children learn better. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. |Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. |Peeve Wars card game. |Grammar Girl books. |HOST: Mignon Fogarty |VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) |Grammar G...
Tips for Learning a New Language: The Fluent Show
January 27, 2022 18:00 - 27 minutes - 25.5 MBKerstin Cable, host of "The Fluent Show" shares her tips and enthusiasm for learning new languages. We talked about what to do if you're stalled learning a language, what the good things and bad things are about language learning apps (to help you learn how to use them better), the massively underestimated thing that will help you learn a language, and how learning a language can make you more creative. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing...
Why "Tiny" Sounds Smaller Than "Huge." Nixing the Horrid "Of."
January 20, 2022 17:00 - 19 minutes - 13.3 MBThe sounds of certain words make us think of things that are big or small, round or spiky, and the tendency is nearly universal. For example, people can often pick words that refer to something big or small even in languages they don't speak. Here's why. Plus, we look at the ways people sometimes overuse the word "of" and how to fix it. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: M...
Why 'Tiny' Sounds Smaller Than 'Huge.' Nixing the Horrid 'Of.' Kokopelli.
January 20, 2022 17:00 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBThe sounds of certain words make us think of things that are big or small, round or spiky, and the tendency is nearly universal. For example, people can often pick words that refer to something big or small even in languages they don't speak. Here's why. Plus, we look at the ways people sometimes overuse the word "of" and how to fix it. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. | Peeve Wars card game. | Grammar Girl books. | HOST: ...
'Strollout,' 'Insurrection,' 'Yassify,' and Other Words of the Year for 2021
January 13, 2022 21:00 - 14 minutes - 13 MB"Strollout," "insurrection," "yassify," "hard pants" and other words of the year for 2021. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. |Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. |Peeve Wars card game. |Grammar Girl books. |HOST: Mignon Fogarty |VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) |Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. |Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk. |Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ https://www.quickanddir...
Cardsharp. The Old-New Singular 'They.' Grignug.
January 06, 2022 19:00 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBWas that uncle who wiped the floor with you in a card game a cardsharp or a card shark? Also, we look at what it is about using "they" as a singular pronoun that makes it sometimes stand out and sometimes get overlooked. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. |Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. |Peeve Wars card game. |Grammar Girl books. |HOST: Mignon Fogarty |VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) |Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network...
Questions, Questions, So Many Questions!
December 30, 2021 18:00 - 14 minutes - 13 MBI have a big metaphorical pile of questions from listeners in which the answers are too short to be a whole podcast segment, so today, I'm going to string them together and do a bunch of quick hits. We'll talk about color idioms, formatting bullet points, and the words "fulsome," "presently," "anyways," "afterward," and more. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. |Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. |Peeve Wars card game. |Grammar Girl books. |HOST: Mignon Fogarty...
Is "Milk and Cookies" One Thing or Two? A New Language Term: The Santaback. Shoedabakers.
December 24, 2021 23:00 - 16 minutes - 15 MBToday we use milk and cookies for Santa to figure out when compound subjects are singular or plural. We also invent a new language term: santaback. We hope you'll share your examples! | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. |Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. |Peeve Wars card game. |Grammar Girl books. |HOST: Mignon Fogarty |VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) |Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. |Theme music by Catherine Rannus a...
How Lori Rader-Day Wrote a Historical Novel About War Evacuees in Agatha Christie's Vacation Home
December 16, 2021 22:00 - 28 minutes - 26.1 MBAccomplished mystery writer Lori Rader-Day was drawn to the story of children who were evacuated to Agatha Christie's vacation home during WWII, but having never written a historical novel before, she faced challenges. We talk about what she learned along the way while working on "Death at Greenway." | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. https://j.mp/3oooKmK | Peeve Wars card game. htt...
Pretending to Be British. How to Use Ellipses. Spiders.
December 09, 2021 18:00 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MB|HOST: Mignon Fogarty |VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) |Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. |Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk. |Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe https://www.tiktok.com/@therealgrammargirl http://twitter.com/grammargirl http://facebook.com/grammargirl http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl http://instagram.com/th...
Shibboleth. Greeting Card Grammar. Bunkaree.
December 03, 2021 20:00 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBDoes your group use shibboleths? Plus, I'll help you avoid common embarrassing greeting card mistakes. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. https://j.mp/3oooKmK | Peeve Wars card game. http://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/grammar-girl-s-peeve-wars | Grammar Girl books. bit.ly/GrammarPopBooks | HOST: Mignon Fogarty | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) | Grammar Girl is part o...
How to Use a Semicolon, Amirite? Partu.
November 25, 2021 18:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBAmirite? You have the tickets, don't you? Today we talk about those tiny questions at the end of sentences, what purpose they serve, and who is most likely to use them. Plus, we tackle that anxiety producting punctuation mark, the semicolon. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. https://j.mp/3oooKmK | Peeve Wars card game. http://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/grammar-girl-s-peeve-wars ...
Penultimate. Veni, Vidi, Vici. Smidge.
November 18, 2021 18:00 - 13 minutes - 12.4 MBIn this week's podcast, we discuss why you should never call your girlfriend your penultimate friend. Plus, we have fun and fascinating facts about Caesar and some of the phrases he gave us, such as "veni, vidi, vici" and "crossing the Rubicon." | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. https://j.mp/3oooKmK | Peeve Wars card game. http://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/grammar-girl-s-peeve-wa...
New Words from WWII. How Places Like Featherstonehaugh Get Their Names. Uncoming.
November 11, 2021 19:00 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBWWII was a rich source of new words for the English language. Before the 1940s, you couldn't tell an eager beaver to shut his pie hole while you were being debriefed by the head honcho. And you'll be amazed by the origin of the word "Jeep." And in honor of NaNoWriMo—because you have to name so many things in fiction—we talked about the most common ways places get their names. | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe | Watch my LinkedI...
Editing an Anthology: 'Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed'
November 04, 2021 19:00 - 28 minutes - 25.9 MBToday, I talked with Saraciea Fennell, who works in publishing, is behind the Bronx Book Festival, and is also the editor of a new anthology, "Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed," featuring essays from an all-star line-up of Latinx writers. We discussed the thought that goes behind ordering the essays in an anthology, the challenges of trying to edit writers using different dialects into one book, and more. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing cours...
Is That a Tombstone, Gravestone, or Headstone? Why Is the Sound of a Human Scream So Terrifying?
October 28, 2021 21:00 - 12 minutes - 11.4 MBThe words tombstone and gravestone used to refer to large stone slabs that served as a lid for a tomb or covering for a grave. Also, the human scream has a very particular sound that makes it especially scary (and it's a sound shared by the music in scary movies). Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Peeve Wars card game. Grammar Girl books. HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-G...
Using Present Tense in a Story About the Past. Beck and Call. Tie-Dye Trees.
October 21, 2021 23:00 - 16 minutes - 15 MBHave you noticed people switching to the present tense when they're telling stories? It actually has a name: It's called the "historical present tense." This is the article we mentioned if you want to read more about the historical present tense: Schiffrin, Deborah. 1981. Tense variation in narrative. Language 57(1). 45-62. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Peeve Wars card game. Gr...
Surprise! These Names Are Trademarks. How to Write 'Dos and Don'ts' (or Is That 'Do's and Don'ts'?). Wording Your Mixes.
October 14, 2021 18:00 - 11 minutes - 10.1 MBMany words we use every day are actually trademarks. Did you know about all the words we talked about today? Plus, we talk about some really weird spellings and dunk on "Eats, Shoots & Leaves." Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Peeve Wars card game. Grammar Girl books. HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips po...
The Hedonometer and Your Feelings. What Does 'Schnozz' Mean?
October 07, 2021 18:00 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBResearchers and companies are harnessing computers to identify the emotions behind our written words. While sentiment analysis is far from perfect, it manages to distill meaning from huge amounts of data — and could one day even monitor mental health. In the second segment of this episode, we answer a listener question about the word "schnozz": is it really from 1980s children's television? Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join ...
How Do You Pronounce 'Tomato'? Why Is 'Chiropractic' Singular. Fish.
September 30, 2021 18:00 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBIn the world of great debates, there is one that has been long enduring and still keeps language prescriptivists awake at night: Is it "tom-ay-to" or "tom-ah-to"? Now, this may not seem as pressing as whether nuclear fusion is possible, but to people in the linguistic trenches, it is pretty darn close. After all, how many linguistic pronunciation ambiguities have been so long running and widely known that they have actually inspired a song? In the second segment of the show, we explore why ...
The Power of Very Specific Words, with Joel Schwartzberg
September 23, 2021 21:00 - 29 minutes - 27.5 MBThe author of "The Language of Leadership," Joel Schwartzberg, explains how you can make small tweaks to your language to make a big difference in your influence. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop iOS game. Peeve Wars card game. Grammar Girl books. HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast n...
How to Really Talk Like a Pirate. When Do You Need a Comma Before 'Because'?
September 16, 2021 18:00 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBBased on the history of who was sailing the high seas, it's a good bet pirates sounded a lot more multicultural than Ol’ Long John Silver would have us believe. We also discuss when you need a comma before "because" to avoid confusion. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop iOS game. Peeve Wars card game. Grammar Girl books. HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (...
Why and When 'Very Unique' Is Wrong. Capitalizing 'Delta Variant' (or Not). Happy to You.
September 09, 2021 18:00 - 15 minutes - 14 MBInstead of grinding your teeth about "very unique," pat yourself on the back for recognizing a widespread case of lexical broadening. Plus, we talk about why some people capitalize "Delta variant" and some don't. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop iOS game. Peeve Wars card game. Grammar Girl books. HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar ...
Naked Idioms. Short-Lived. Capitalizing Earth. Hector Protector.
September 02, 2021 18:00 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MBWe naked apes have been making up sayings with the word "naked" for a long time. Plus, we talk about how to pronounce "short-lived" and when to capitalize "earth." Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop iOS game. Peeve Wars card game. Grammar Girl books. HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast ...
The Origin of 'Honeymoon.' 'Where' Versus 'In Which.' Fevesteter.
August 26, 2021 18:00 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MBWhat does getting married have to do with honey and the moon? What is tricky about the word "where"? Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop iOS game. Peeve Wars card game. Grammar Girl books. HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co....
Weird Words for Alcohol. Starting a Sentence with 'However.' Fam-ished.
August 19, 2021 18:00 - 16 minutes - 15.5 MBWhat does "Dutch courage" mean? And 10 other weird words for alcohol. Plus, the special thing you have to pay attention to when you start a sentence with "however." Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop iOS game. Peeve Wars card game. Grammar Girl books. HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast...
How Storytelling Makes a Difference (and How to Do It Well)
August 13, 2021 09:45 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBAs much as we'd like to believe that people are convinced by facts, years of cognitive research show that we are convinced by stories and emotions (and then we often find facts to support our decisions). Since storytelling matters, we talked about how to do it well. To sign up for my Advanced AP Style webinar, go to http://bit.ly/apstyle21 and use the code MACMIL to save. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on...
What's the Opposite of Deja Vu? Commas Between Adjectives
August 05, 2021 18:00 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBYou know about deja vu, but do you know about jemais vu, presque vu, deja lu, deja entendu, and deja reve? Plus, we help you figure out when to put commas between adjectives. It's tricky, but we have a simple two-pronged test. Answers to the quiz at the end of the show: 1) It's an easy five-mile hike. 2) That was a long, hard run. 3) They endured a tough marital situation. To sign up for my Advanced AP Style webinar, go to http://bit.ly/apstyle21 and use the code MACMIL to save. Subsc...
The Best Stories from 15 Years of Grammar Girl
July 29, 2021 18:00 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBWe've gone through a lot of stories and tips in 15 years—more than a thousand. Today, I picked a few of my favorites for you. To sign up for my Advanced AP Style webinar, go to http://bit.ly/apstyle21 and use the code MACMIL to save. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop iOS game. Peeve Wars card game. Grammar Girl books. HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (8...
What the Two Spellings of Stationary/ery Have to Do with Booksellers. Why Pronunciations Change.
July 22, 2021 21:00 - 15 minutes - 14 MB"Stationary" and "stationery" have the same ultimate origin, but they evolved to have different meanings and one became tied to paper goods. Also, a recent survey in the UK highlighted pronunciations that annoy people. We look at which ones and why. THIS WEEK ONLY: Make a donation up to $1,000 at Donors Choose, and I'll match it until we reach our $7,500 goal. Visit https://donorschoose.org/grammar and use the code GRAMMARGIRL. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my Li...