Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing-logo

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Quick and Dirty Tips

Five-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.

Location:

New York, NY

Description:

Five-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.

Twitter:

@GrammarGirl

Language:

English

Contact:

Quick And Dirty Tips c/o Macmillan Publishers, LLC 18 West 18th St., 7th Floor New York, NY 10011


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Episodes
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Quotation marks in 1906. Starting stories in the middle. Road trip words.

1/21/2025
1049. I came across a hilarious entry about quotation marks in an old usage guide and had to share it. Then, we look at a technique that can work for both fiction and nonfiction writing β€” starting a story in the middle. The "in medias res" segment is by Karen Lunde, a former Quick & Dirty Tips editor and digital pioneer who's been spinning words into gold since before cat videos ruled the internet. She created one of the first online writing workshops, and she's published thousands of articles on the art of writing. These days, she leads personal narrative writing retreats and helps writers find their voice. Visit her at ChanterelleStoryStudio.com. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media | Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:17:26

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'Rebel with a Clause,' the movie, with Ellen Jovin and Brandt Johnson

1/16/2025
1048. Ellen Jovin set up a folding table on the street in all 50 U.S. states to talk with people about grammar, which led to the book "Rebel with a Clause." Now, her story, and the story of people who talked with her, is a movie by the same name. Mignon talked with Ellen and her documentarian husband, Brandt Johnson, about what they learned about both filmmaking and humanity. Find them at RebelWithAClause.com. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:24:51

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From "august" to "August." Why the union is always "strong." Nee nee

1/14/2025
1047. This week, we look at word pairs like "august/August" that change their meaning when capitalized and how you can make your meaning clear. Then, we look at how we got to the point where U.S. presidents always seem to say, "The state of the union is STRONG," in their State of the Union addresses. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media | Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:15:50

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The psychology of fandom, with Jennifer Lynn Barnes

1/9/2025
1046. Jennifer Lynn Barnes, author of the "Inheritance Games" books, discusses how writing from different points of view can help readers connect with characters in different ways. We also talked about her book recommendations, and how the "Grey's Anatomy" pilot surprised her by having almost all the elements she had identified as important for the success of novels. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:23:03

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Does 'Wicked' have a grammar error? What is the 'neck of the woods'? To be Frances

1/7/2025
1045. A listener asked if the song "The Wizard and I" should actually be "The Wizard and Me," so we look at how you can tell. And then we look at interesting idioms about familiar places: "neck of the woods," "stomping grounds," and "haunts." The "neck of the woods" segment was written by Karen Lunde, a former Quick and Dirty Tips editor who has crafted hundreds of articles on the art of writing well. She was an online education pioneer, founding one of the first online writing workshops. These days, she provides writing tips and writing coach services at HelpMeWriteBetter.com. Find the "Wicked" grammar quiz at the bottom of this page: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/wicked-movie-grammar-wizard-and-i/ πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:14:47

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The case of the mystery dialect, with Natalie Schilling

1/2/2025
1044. Today, I'm talking about a strange disappearance that forensic linguist Natalie Schilling worked on that she calls "the case of the mystery dialect." This is the original bonus segment from our conversation back in October. Grammarpaloozians who support the show get these segments right when they come out, and maybe more importantly, give us the help we need to keep going and produce the bonus segments. So many thanks to all you wonderful Grammarpaloozians! Natalie Schilling is a professor emerita of linguistics at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, and runs a forensic linguistics consulting firm. You can find her on LinkedIn. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:20:00

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2024 words of the year, with John Kelly

12/30/2024
1043. "Skibidi," "polarization," "brat," "demure," "enshittification," and more. You might get whiplash from the vacillating vibes of all the words the dictionaries chose this year. I joined John Kelly, former vice president of editorial at Dictionary.com, to romp through all the choices and contenders. Find John at https://mashedradish.com πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:44:08

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Twee pop, bumbershoot, amongst, and more, with Ben Yagoda

12/26/2024
1042. Today, I have the bonus segment from my interview with Ben Yagoda back in September. Ben is the author of the book "Gobsmacked: The British Invasion of American English," and we talked about the words "twee," "vet," the two spellings of "gray," the surprising origins of "football" and "soccer," and more. Grammarpaloozians who support the show get these segments right when they come out, and in today's really tough podcasting environment, they help us keep going and produce these bonus segments. Many thanks to all of our wonderful Grammarpaloozians! πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. πŸ”— Find Ben Yagoda at Not One-Off Britishisms. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:14:40

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'Home' for the holidays. False friends. Hello, Dentist.

12/23/2024
1041. Today, we talk about the word "home" and its meaning beyond just a structure, and then we talk about false friends β€” words in different languages that don't mean what you think they mean. The "home" segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." You can find her at valeriefridland.com. The "false friends" segment was written by Karen Lunde, a former Quick and Dirty Tips editor who has crafted hundreds of articles on the art of writing well. She was an online education pioneer, founding one of the first online writing workshops. These days, she provides writing tips and writing coach services at HelpMeWriteBetter.com. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:14:17

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Struggling with AI: Job loss, energy use, and more, with Christopher Penn

12/19/2024
1040. The downsides of AI bother me a lot β€” job loss, energy use, and the content tsunami. But I also think it's critically important to understand what this technology can do and how it's likely to change the way we work and live. In this Grammarpalooza bonus segment, I talked with Christopher Penn about how he thinks about these problems. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky. https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/penn-bonus/transcript

Duration:00:22:55

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Why people say 'I mean ...' Missing pronouns. Cat-tracted.

12/17/2024
1039. People are saying "I mean" more lately, and we explain what it ... means! Plus, we look at why people leave out pronouns at the beginning of sentences such as "Ordering pizza!" The "I mean" segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." You can find her at valeriefridland.com. The "pronoun deletion" segment was written by Karen Lunde, a former Quick and Dirty Tips editor who has crafted hundreds of articles on the art of writing well. She was an online education pioneer, founding one of the first online writing workshops. These days, she provides writing tips and writing coach services at HelpMeWriteBetter.com. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:16:34

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Why the new CMOS is yellow. Pandemic collectors editions. And more

12/12/2024
1038. Chicago Manual of Style editors Mary Laur and Russell Harper dish on the changes they wanted in CMOS that didn't make it in, why the stylebook is bright yellow, and how a printing problem during the pandemic led to some rare editions of the manual. Plus, Mary shares her book recommendations just in time for holiday book buying. Original full interview: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/chicago-18 πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:16:48

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Positive 'anymore.' 'Wreaked' or 'wrought'? Seat of your pants. Pecan pie.

12/10/2024
1037. This week, we answer a few questions that have popped up from previous episodes: What's up with the "positive anymore"? What is havoc? Is it wreaked or wrought? And more! πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:13:27

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Making your own dictionary, with Erin McKean

12/5/2024
1036. Erin McKean runs an entire online dictionary with the goal of having ALL the English words. But Wordnik is not only huge, it's also filled with delightful quirks. Hear how Erin manages this one-woman show and how you can get in on the fun β€” by adopting a word, making your own lists, using the API for word games or a word of the day, adding words or definitions, and trawling the internet for interesting sentences. Erin McKean is a lexicographer and the driving force behind the online dictionary Wordnik. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.

Duration:00:25:04

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Good first sentences. The language of 'Gladiator II.' Bear barber.

12/3/2024
1035. This week, we look at famous and amazing first sentences in novels to understand what makes them so compelling, and then we look at the interesting origin of "gladiator" and other words from Roman times. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

Duration:00:16:28

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How to write about trademarks. Why we say 'thank you.'

11/26/2024
1034. First, we look at how writers should use trademarked terms like "Kleenex" and "Google," including when to capitalize them and how to avoid legal pitfalls. Then, we look at the way the word "thank" evolved alongside changing social conventions β€” who got thanked and why, and how the word itself evolved. The trademark segment was written by Natalie Schilling, a professor emerita of linguistics at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, who runs a forensic linguistics consulting firm. You can find her on LinkedIn. The "thank you" segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." You can find her at valeriefridland.com. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

Duration:00:16:07

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Why one creative agency changed its stance on AI

11/21/2024
1033. Last year, Dragonfly Editorial had a "no AI" policy, but since then, they've been experimenting with the technology, and the policy has become more nuanced. President Samantha Enslen joins us to talk about what changed, what's working and what isn't, concerns, and how her employees feel about it. Visit Dragonfly Editorial. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

Duration:00:35:59

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Why children learn languages faster than adults. Are band names singular or plural?

11/19/2024
1032. First, we explore why children pick up languages faster than adults. You’ll learn about the critical period when young brains are best at learning, why kids often learn two languages at once, and what makes it harder for adults. Then, we tackle the grammar rules for using singular and plural verbs with band names and team names, comparing American and British usage. The "language learning" segment is by Syelle Graves, who has a PhD in linguistics and is the assistant director of ILETC (the Institute for Language Education in Transcultural Context) at the CUNY Graduate Center. Her research was recently published in the Journal of Pragmatics and American Speech. You can find her at www.syellegraves.com. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

Duration:00:19:01

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'Beer' words in the OED, with Fiona McPherson

11/14/2024
1031. This week, Fiona McPherson from the Oxford English Dictionary talks about the latest β€œbeer” words added to the OED, from β€œboozeroo” to β€œbeerage.” We discuss how these words are chosen, the fascinating history behind them, and why some have surprising origins. Fiona also explains how digital resources have transformed lexicography and shares why the OED preserves every word in the language, even obsolete ones. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

Duration:00:28:28

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'Hanged' versus 'Hung.' Is 'pair' singular or plural? Fossilized phrases.

11/12/2024
1030. This week, we look at why "hang" has two past-tense forms: "hanged" and "hung." (And why I keep messing them up!) Then we expand on why "pair" can be singular or plural. And finally we look at why we hear some words only in set phrases such as "bated breath," "throes of agony," and "to and fro." The "archaic language" segment was written by Karen Lunde, a former Quick and Dirty Tips editor who has crafted hundreds of articles on the art of writing well. She was an online education pioneer, founding one of the first online writing workshops. These days, she provides writing tips and writing coach services at HelpMeWriteBetter.com. πŸ”— Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat. πŸ”— Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses. πŸ”— Subscribe to the newsletter. πŸ”— Take our advertising survey. πŸ”— Get the edited transcript. πŸ”— Get Grammar Girl books. πŸ”— Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. | 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. | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

Duration:00:16:33