Shows
Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingHow did our holidays become so 'corny'? Why do some words have accent marks in English? Cubby hole1063. Why is it called "corned beef" when there’s no corn involved? We look at how the word "corn" evolved to mean different things over time. Then, we look at the role of accent marks in English — why some words keep them, why others lose them, and what they tell us about language.The "corn" 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 "diacritic" segm...2025-03-1115 min
Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhy we misuse ‘literally.’ How ham radio got its name. District1057. Why do people use "literally" when they mean "figuratively"? This week, we look at how the meaning of "literally" changed over time. Plus, we look at how amateur radio operators came to be known as "hams" and why the term stuck.The "literally"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 "ham radio" segment was written by Karen Lunde, a former Quick & Dirty Tips...2025-02-1817 min
Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing'Home' for the holidays. False friends. Hello, Dentist.1041. Today, we talk about the word "home" and its meaning beyond just a structure, and then we talk about false friends — 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...2024-12-2314 min
Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhy people say 'I mean ...' Missing pronouns. Cat-tracted.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...2024-12-1716 min