Shows
Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingCode-Switching. Mignon Snaps Over Numbers. Foomp.883. The numbers sections of style books finally pushed me over the edge, and I have some stories you won't believe! We also talk about how cool code-switching is.Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/code-switching-mignon-snaps-over-numbers-foomp| 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 beautifu...2022-07-0819 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhy "'Em" Isn't Short for "Them." The Subjunctive. Sussies.875. When 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 expert for "Psychology Today" where she writes...2022-05-1315 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingTomi Adeyemi: The Writing Life and Her New Writing Course.874. With 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: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)...2022-05-0641 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingScissors, Jeans, and Other Nouns That Are Always Plural. Flat Adverbs. Boteep.873. Today, 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.quickanddirtytips.com/https://www...2022-04-2818 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingIf Earth Looks Like a Blue Marble, Why Is Earth Day Associated with the Color Green? Also, 'Funnest.'872. The 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: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214...2022-04-2114 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingYou Know. Doppelganger. Trademarks. Funnily. Chicken Milk.871. It'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: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)| Grammar Girl is part...2022-04-1414 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingI Cannot Tell a Lie (but I Can Mislead)! And Sometimes People Do It With Percentages.870. We 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.| Grammar Girl books.| HOST: Mignon Fogarty| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)2022-04-0816 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingHow Aphasia Causes Difficulty Speaking. Chairdrobe.869. Prodded 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://masterworks.io/about/disclosure and https://bit.ly/ggondemand with the code MACMIL and https://bombas...2022-03-3124 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhy Tired People Talk About Being 'Out of Spoons.' Why Nouns Are More Complicated Than You May Think.A 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.
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...2022-03-2410 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingBarracking, Sheilas and Shouts: How the Irish Influenced Australian English"Barracking," "sheilas" and "shouts": How the Irish influenced Australian English. Plus, what makes "NASA" different from "FBI."
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2022-03-1713 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingThe Oxford Comma. And Should You Start a Sentence with 'And'?Have 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).
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| Grammar Girl is part of the...2022-03-1016 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingIs 'Materiel' Just a Fancy Pronunciation of 'Material'? Are Binomials the Same Across Languages?A 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?
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...2022-03-0310 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhy Do We Cringe at 'Pepper and Salt'? Why 'Square' Is Uncool. Quickquish."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.
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|Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.2022-02-2416 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhat's Square About a Square Meal? How to Use Parentheses, Brackets, and Braces. Guck.The 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.)
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...2022-02-1716 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingAre People Using 'Commiserate' Wrong? The Origin of (the Word) 'Influenza.' Hersband.How the "Witch of Wall Street" relates to the word "commiserate." Plus, the interesting origin of "influenza" and other disease names.
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https://www...2022-02-1012 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingDo You Call In, Out, or Off Sick? How Kids Learn Language. Hexaboobiated.People 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.
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|Grammar Girl is part of...2022-02-0417 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingTips for Learning a New Language: The Fluent ShowKerstin 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.
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2022-01-2727 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhy 'Tiny' Sounds Smaller Than 'Huge.' Nixing the Horrid 'Of.' Kokopelli.The 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.
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| VOICEMAIL: 833...2022-01-2019 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing'Strollout,' 'Insurrection,' 'Yassify,' and Other Words of the Year for 2021"Strollout," "insurrection," "yassify," "hard pants" and other words of the year for 2021.
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https://www.quickanddirtytips.com...2022-01-1314 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingCardsharp. The Old-New Singular 'They.' Grignug.Was 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.Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/cardsharp-the-old-new-singular-they-grignug/transcript| 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...2022-01-0616 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingQuestions, Questions, So Many Questions!I 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.
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|Grammar Girl...2021-12-3014 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingIs "Milk and Cookies" One Thing or Two? A New Language Term: The Santaback. Shoedabakers.Today 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!
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...2021-12-2516 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingHow Lori Rader-Day Wrote a Historical Novel About War Evacuees in Agatha Christie's Vacation HomeAccomplished 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."
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Grammar Girl books...2021-12-1628 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingPretending to Be British. How to Use Ellipses. Spiders.|HOST: Mignon Fogarty
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2021-12-0918 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingShibboleth. Greeting Card Grammar. Bunkaree.Does your group use shibboleths? Plus, I'll help you avoid common embarrassing greeting card mistakes.
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Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips...2021-12-0311 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingHow to Use a Semicolon, Amirite? Partu.Amirite? 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.
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...2021-11-2513 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingPenultimate. Veni, Vidi, Vici. Smidge.In 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."
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2021-11-1813 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingNew Words from WWII. How Places Like Featherstonehaugh Get Their Names. Uncoming.WWII 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.
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Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. https://j.mp...2021-11-1118 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingEditing an Anthology: 'Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed'Today, 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.
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Peeve Wars card game.2021-11-0428 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingIs That a Tombstone, Gravestone, or Headstone? Why Is the Sound of a Human Scream So Terrifying?The 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).
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2021-10-2812 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingUsing Present Tense in a Story About the Past. Beck and Call. Tie-Dye Trees.Have 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.
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VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)2021-10-2216 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingSurprise! These Names Are Trademarks. How to Write 'Dos and Don'ts' (or Is That 'Do's and Don'ts'?). Wording Your Mixes.Many 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."
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Theme...2021-10-1411 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingThe Hedonometer and Your Feelings. What Does 'Schnozz' Mean?Researchers 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?
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Grammar Girl books....2021-10-0720 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingThe Power of Very Specific Words, with Joel SchwartzbergThe 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.
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Theme music by...2021-09-2329 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingHow to Really Talk Like a Pirate. When Do You Need a Comma Before 'Because'?Based 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.
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Grammar Gi...2021-09-1611 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhy and When 'Very Unique' Is Wrong. Capitalizing 'Delta Variant' (or Not). Happy to You.Instead 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.
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Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips...2021-09-0915 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingNaked Idioms. Short-Lived. Capitalizing Earth. Hector Protector.We 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."
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Theme...2021-09-0212 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingThe Origin of 'Honeymoon.' 'Where' Versus 'In Which.' Fevesteter.What does getting married have to do with honey and the moon? What is tricky about the word "where"?
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...2021-08-2611 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWeird Words for Alcohol. Starting a Sentence with 'However.' Fam-ished.What 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."
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Theme music...2021-08-1916 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingHow Storytelling Makes a Difference (and How to Do It Well)As 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.
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...2021-08-1342 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhat's the Opposite of Deja Vu? Commas Between AdjectivesYou 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...2021-08-0514 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingThe Best Stories from 15 Years of Grammar GirlWe'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.
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VOICEMAIL: 833-214-G...2021-07-2915 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhat the Two Spellings of Stationary/ery Have to Do with Booksellers. Why Pronunciations Change."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.
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Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.2021-07-2215 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing'Fish' or 'Fishes'? Why Do We Call Out 'Nothing' as 'Bupkis'?"Fish" really does have two plurals. Usually you want "fish," but we talk about the odd examples when "fishes" is the right choice. Plus, "bupkis" can mean "nothing" or "something worthless," but it has a funny origin!
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Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and...2021-07-1510 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing'If' Versus 'Whether.' Why We Say 'The Exception That Proves the Rule.'"If" and "whether" are often interchangeable, but sometimes using one or the other will change the meaning of your sentence. And if you've ever wondered why we say, "the exception that proves the rule" (like I did), you'll love this week's episode.
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Grammar Girl...2021-07-0812 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingTrundle, Amble, Roam, and Shamble. How Some Preposition Use Has Changed Over Time.We look at the surprising origins of some of our favorite words for walking. Plus, how do you know when to write "The car almost ran me over" versus "The car almost ran over me"?
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Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty...2021-07-0217 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingPedantic Nonsense Up with Which I Will Not Put! 'Discreet' or 'Discrete'?
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...2021-06-2514 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingStarting a Sentence with a Conjunction: Right or Wrong? Good 'Subpar' and Bad 'Subpar.'Many people have been taught that it's wrong to start a sentence with a conjunction, but nearly all major style guides say doing so is fine. Neal Whitman investigates why there seems to be such a difference between what teachers say and what style guides say. Also, we look at why sometimes "subpar" is good, and sometimes "subpar" is bad.
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...2021-06-1715 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingHow Long Is a Good Sentence? 'Cord' or 'Chord'? Grumple.How Long Is a Good Sentence? 'Cord' or 'Chord'?
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https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe2021-06-1011 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhat Made 'Friends' Funny. How Cicadas Got Their Name. Dog Replacer.You laughed and laughed while watching "Friends." One reason it was funny is that the writers took what you expect from a conversation and flipped it on its head. Plus, how cicadas got their name, and why they aren't the same thing as locusts.
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VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)2021-06-0313 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingIs 'Graduated College' Wrong? Five Wonderful Latin Phrases.I'm hearing "graduated college" much more often. Is it still wrong? Plus, five bona fide Latin phrases you can use to describe something wonderful.
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https://www.quickanddirtytips...2021-05-2711 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing'Bring,' 'Take,' and 'Carry.' 'The Queen's Gambit.' Sweepy Thing.We go through the simple rules for "bring" and "take," but then talk about the fun exceptions and dialect forms. Plus, how "The Queen's Gambit" can help us remember the difference between "gambit" and "gamut" (with "gamble" thrown in for good measure).
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Grammar Girl...2021-05-2015 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWriting Dialogue. 'Associate Degree' or 'Associate's Degree'? Wiffy.Is that dialogue feeling off? We're here to help! Plus, how to write about degrees this graduation season.
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https://www.quickanddirtytips...2021-05-1313 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing'Ketchup' or 'Catsup'? How to Punctuate Questions. Gmoing Gmoing.Have you seen the tomato sauce spelled two different ways? "Ketchup" is the better spelling, but the history of the word is pretty interesting. We also look at how to punctuate questions, especially the weird ones!
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Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and...2021-05-0613 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingWhat Does ‘Op-Ed’ Really Mean? The Perfect Paragraph Length. Items."Op-ed" may not mean what you think it means. Then we discuss how long a paragraph should be.
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https://www.quickanddirtytips...2021-04-2911 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingThe Intrusive "Of." What Makes English Weird.We talk about the difference between "a prince of a fellow" and "not too good of a time," and then we look at two things that make English especially weird.
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...2021-04-2214 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingHow to Write Faster. The Origin of the Odd Letter W12 practical tips and tools that will help you write faster in the time you already have. Also, we explore why we call a letter that looks like two V's a "double U."
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Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.2021-04-1514 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing'Borrow' and 'Lend.' When to Use 'Nor.' Boncho.We use a children's book and a Shakespeare play to talk about "borrow" and "lend," and then we help with the complexities of using "neither" and "nor."
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...2021-04-0811 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingSquirrelly Animal Verbs. 'People,' 'Peoples,' and 'Persons': Why It Matters.8.17 To hog, to ram, to bird dog. We run through a fun list of animal-inspired verbs. Plus, amazingly, it wasn't that long ago that usage experts recommended "persons" instead of "people." And what's the deal with "peoples."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 FogartyVOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)Grammar Girl is part of the Quick...2021-04-0110 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingA vast number of words have surprising origins. We talked about some today, including "scientist," "impressionist," "beatnik," and "paradigm."A vast number of words have surprising origins. We talked about some today with author Ralph Keyes, including "scientist," "impressionist," "beatnik," and "paradigm."
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https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/2021-03-2518 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing'Normalcy' or 'Normality'? A Punctuation Question from a Famous Movie Line. Taco Cats.Did you know that in the book "Gone with the Wind," Rhett Butler said "My dear..." instead of "Frankly, my dear..."? Also, are we getting back to normalcy or normality? One of these words came from a misspeak (followed by a doubling-down) by William Harding.
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VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214...2021-03-1810 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better WritingIt's Not Just March. Other Months Have 'Ides' Too! Are You on the Pig's Back Today?Instead of bewaring the ides of March, I'm going to beware engaging with the Roman calendar. What a fascinating mess! In honor of St. Patrick's Day, we also look at some fun Irish phrases. On the pig's back, anyone?
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Grammar Girl is part of...2021-03-1211 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing813 - The History of National Grammar Day. My Favorite Resources. AnniversityHave you ever wondered WHY we celebrate National Grammar Day? Who started this thing anyway? And if you want to do your own grammar research, I'll help you get started.
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...2021-03-0514 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing812 - Kibosh. Sidekicks. Misolation.The origin of "kibosh" is a long-standing mystery in the English language. Yiddish? A whip? Clog-makers tools? We investigate. Also, sidekicks play interesting and important roles in fiction. Does your Watson or Robin meet expectations? A familect story about misolation.
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Grammar Girl is part...2021-02-2617 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing811 - Inigo Montoya and Coining Phrases. 'Dose' or 'Dosage'?Coin a phrase? It does not mean what you think it means. And get your dose (or dosage?) right.
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https://www...2021-02-1912 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing810 - Words out of Time. Why 'OK' Is OK.Would words and phrases like "operative" and "pump him for information" be out of place in a novel set in the 1800s? We investigate! And we also look at the two spellings of "OK/okay," and I explain why I prefer "OK." (It has a fun history.)
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VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214...2021-02-1115 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing809 - Rethink Descriptions Like 'Diabetic.' The Wonderful World of Italics,Should you call someone a diabetic or a person with diabetes? Also, are you confused about when to use italics? We have the basics (and something that might be changing)!
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...2021-02-0514 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing808 - 6 Latin Abbreviations You Should Know. 'Imply' or 'Infer'?6 Latin Abbreviations You Should Know. 'Imply' or 'Infer'?
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2021-01-2814 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing807 - Why We Call Them Sea 'Shanties.' A Trick to Remember How to Spell 'Conscience'If you're enjoying sea shanties these days, have you wondered why they're called "shanties"? Plus, I always have a hard time remembering how to spell "conscience." Here's my trick for getting it right.
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Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast...2021-01-2112 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing806 - Why You Should Try Fanfiction. How to Find Tricky Pronunciations.Why writing fanfiction can make you a better overall writer. Plus, my tricks for figuring out tricky pronunciations.
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https://www.quickanddirtytips...2021-01-1416 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing805 - 'Acedia': the lost name for the emotion we're all feeling right now"Acedia": the lost name for the emotion we're all feeling right now. Plus, when does "thank you" need a hyphen?
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https...2021-01-0711 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing804 - Another Think/Thing Coming. 'Sanction,' 'Cleave,' 'Dust,' and MoreAre Americans ruining the put-down "You've got another think coming," or was it the British band Judas Priest? Also, everyone loves Janus words like "sanction," "cleave," and "dust." We talk about what makes them special.
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Grammar Girl is part of the Quick...2020-12-3114 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing803 - Pandemic, COVID, anderhalvemetersamenleving: 2020 Words of the YearIt's the Oscars of the language world: word-of-the-year data analysis and voting! A spirited conversation with Merriam-Webster's Emily Brewster about the 2020 words of the year.
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https://www...2020-12-2422 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing802 - Brandon Sanderson on Writing, Character and Place Names, and the FutureBrandon shares funny stories about character and place names gone wrong, his writing struggles, and what the future holds for his work.
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2020-12-1734 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing801 - How to Get Your 'Just Deserts.' Comma After 'But'? Why?More people get the phrase "just deserts" wrong than get it right, but we're here to help! Also, why do some people put a comma after "but"? They shouldn't, but we have some theories about why they do. (But don't.)
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Grammar Girl is part...2020-12-1011 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing800 - What Did You Step On? And Is That a Desert or a Dessert?Here's why you can ignore zombie rules and why it's actually better to write "What did you step on?" than "On what did you step?" (But also when you can't ignore those rules!) Then, I have two great memory tricks to help you remember the spellings for "dessert" and "desert." They relate to camels and, well, food.
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Grammar Girl books.2020-12-0309 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing799 - What 'Whence' Has to Do with 'Where Are You At?' 'Regime' or 'Regimen'?Why the decline of 'whence' and 'whither' led to 'Where are you at?' And weird memory tricks to help you remember the difference between 'regime,' 'regimen,' and 'regiment.' (Don't say you weren't warned!)
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Grammar Girl books.2020-11-2611 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing798 - Why 'Hilarious' Is Funnier than 'Hysterical.' How to Start a Novel.The root of "hysterical" may surprise you (and make you want to use "hilarious" instead). Also, things to remember when starting a novel.
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Grammar...2020-11-1915 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing797 - Why Dickens' Character Names Are So Revealing. 'Continual' or 'Continuous'?What Dickens can teach you about choosing your characters' names. Plus, how to remember the frustratingly different meanings of "continuous" and "continual."
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Grammar Girl...2020-11-1214 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing796 - What Is a 'Crony'? Why Doesn’t 'Veterans Day' Have an Apostrophe?What Is a 'Crony'? Why Doesn’t 'Veterans Day' Have an Apostrophe?
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Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network....2020-11-0612 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing795 - Why People Use Scare Quotes. 'Dialog' or 'Dialogue'?We have some theories on why people write things such as "'fresh' meat." Plus, we dig in to the two spellings of "dialog" (or is that "dialogue"?).
Read the transcript: Scare Quotes. 'Dialog' or 'Dialogue'?
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Grammar Girl books.2020-10-2910 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing794 - Create Characters as Great as Hamlet. How to Format Internal Dialogue6 steps to help you create gripping characters. Plus, we talk about how to format internal dialogue: italics, quotation marks, or nothing?
Read the transcript: Character Creation. Formatting Internal Dialogue.
Reedsy Character Profile Template
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Grammar Girl books.2020-10-2214 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing793 - Why Journalists Use Misspellings Like 'Lede' and 'Spox'Journalists "bury the lede," not the "lead." But why do they spell it that way? And what do HTK, TK, and CQ stand for? From "hed" to "spox," here's all the journo jargon that's fit to print.
Read the transcript: Lede
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Peeve Wars card...2020-10-1515 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing792 - A Totally, Like, Bitchin' Podcast About 'Like'It's not lazy and it's not just filler, but using "like" too much can still get you in trouble.
Read the transcript: Like
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2020-10-0815 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing791 - 'Although' Versus 'While.' Why We Write with Cliches (and How to Stop)What happens when I discover that my pet peeve is wrong? Also, why do we write with cliches? Should we stop, and if so, how?
Read the transcript: Although. Cliches.
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HOST: Mignon Fogarty2020-10-0111 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing790 - 'Laureate' Is Good. Why Is 'Resting on Your Laurels' Bad? 'Smarmy.'If getting laurels is good, and being a Nobel laureate is good, how did we get to "resting on your laurels" being bad? Also, we learn that the word "smarmy" started as a joke (in fact, a kind of familect story).
Read the transcript: Laurels. Smarmy.
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Grammar Pop iOS...2020-09-2415 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing789 - How to Make Your Readers Laugh. 'Whoa' or 'Woah'?Believe it or not, there are actually rules to being funny. Also, do you think "woah" is a separate word from "whoa"? Some people do, and they think it has a separate meaning.
Read the transcript: Humor Writing. Whoa.
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2020-09-1714 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing788 - Why 'Out of Pocket' Means Both 'Inappropriate' and 'Unavailable'People have been asking about the "unavailable" meaning of "out of pocket" for decades, but there's also an "inappropriate" meaning that is spreading.
Read the transcript: Out of Pocket
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HOST: Mignon Fogarty
...2020-09-1116 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing787 - Why We Associate Political Parties with the Colors Red and BlueNick and Hannah explain "red" and "blue," the origin of "POTUS," why the Declaration of Independence is the greatest break-up letter ever written, and more.
Read the transcript: The Interview
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HOST: Mignon Fogarty2020-09-0324 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing786 - 'Doomscrolling' (OK, Doomer). 'Each Other' or 'One Another'?Whether you call it "doomscrolling" or "doomsurfing," it's not your fault that you feel compelled to do it. "Doom" has an interesting history though. Also, in honor of "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," we talk about being excellent to each other (or should that be one another?).
Read the transcripts: Doomscrolling. Each Other.
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Join the conversation on Facebook...2020-08-2714 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing785 - 'Gantlet' or 'Gauntlet'? Do You Want to Say 'Had Went'?Have you been told to write "run the GANTLET"? Here's why you shouldn't. Also, editor Ben Yagoda explains why he's so tempted to use "had went" instead of "had gone."
Read the transcripts: Gauntlet. Had Went.
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Grammar Girl...2020-08-2012 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing784 - A Historical Tip for Remembering When to Use 'Historical.' Put More Thought into Your Punctuation.Kamala Harris's selection as Joe Biden's running mate is important, significant, and a number of firsts, but should we call it "historic" or "historical"? (Also, learn about the time a woman shook her fist at me.) Plus, Edwin Battistella has some great examples that show how small changes in punctuation can change the meaning and pacing of your work.
Read the transcripts: Historic. Punctuation.
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Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing...2020-08-1414 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing783 - How Hurricanes Get Their Names. When You Should Avoid Using Contractions.Isaias. Mitch. Andrew. Jimena. How hurricanes get their names, and why you'll see some names twice and others never again. Also, have you ever heard that you shouldn't use contractions in your writing? We have the real story.
Read the transcripts: Hurricanes. Contractions.
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Peeve Wars card game.2020-08-0618 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing782 - What are those dots over letters? Why does 'money' have a plural, and how do you spell it?What are those double dots over letters in English? Why does "money" have a plural, and how do you spell it?
Read the transcripts: Diaeresis. 'Monies' or 'Moneys'?
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HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214...2020-07-3010 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing781 - Blursday or Whensday? Middle Grade Versus Young Adult FictionBlursday is a popular word to use when you don't know what day of the week it is. It captures that disoriented feeling when everything is a blur. And our wonderful fiction editor Diana Pho is back with a comparison of middle grade and young adult fiction. You'll learn a lot!
Read the transcripts: Blursday. Middle Grade Versus Young Adult
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Join...2020-07-2316 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing780 - Which Comes First? Who or Where?We started to wonder about the question words in the phrase "Who does what and goes where when."
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HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part...2020-07-1614 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing779 - How You Can Help the OED. Capitalizing 'Black.' How Playwriting Techniques Can Improve Your Writing.Imagine the bragging rights: The OED needs your help antedating words. Why you should capitalize "Black." How playwriting techniques can improve your writing.
Read the transcripts: OED. Black. Playwriting.
OED Antedating Link: public.oed.com/appeals/oed-antedatings
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Grammar Girl...2020-07-0914 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing778 - Do We Say 'Red Skies at Night, Sailor's Delight' Because of the Saharan Dust Plumes? Also, 'Yoiks!'The Saharan dust plumes can make the sky red, but they aren't the source of the old saying "Red skies at night, sailor's delight. Red skies in the morning, sailor take warning." That comes from clouds! Also, we talk about which came first: "yikes" or "yoiks."
Read the transcripts: Red Skies. Yoiks.
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...2020-07-0314 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing777 - How to Write Fight Scenes (and How to Get Started as a Fiction Editor)Fiction editor Joshua Essoe gives his best tips for writing fight scenes (hint: it's not about the fighting). And he describes how he got his first editing gig, which has led to a solid career as a freelance fiction editor.
Get Joshua's book, Essoe's Guides to Writing: Action Sequences.
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Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.2020-06-2529 minGrammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing776 - Why a Detective Searched for 'Clews' in a 1929 Novel. ‘Systemic’ or ‘Systematic’?Our writer was surprised when he came across "clew" instead of "clue" in a detective novel from 1929, and the explanation includes a great story about the origin of the word "clue." Also, people have been wondering about the difference between "systematic" and "systemic." They come from the same root, but have subtle differences in meaning. Don't get it wrong!
Read the transcripts: ‘Clue’ or ‘Clew’? ‘Systemic’ or ‘Systematic’?
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