Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

By QuickAndDirtyTips.com

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Subscribers: 4720
Reviews: 7
Episodes: 817


 Mar 24, 2022

Fábio
 Jan 1, 2021
Too much wordy.

𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠𝗠𝗔𝗥 ℬℴ𝓎®
 Jun 1, 2020
𝑼𝒔𝒆𝒇𝒖𝒍 ☆☆☆☆☆

Pavel
 May 18, 2019
Great show, Mignon! Tuning in from Havana 🇨🇺

Laura
 Apr 7, 2019
Thank you Grammar Girl!! your podcast is always engaging and very informative; quite often I use what I learn to spark dinner table conversation!! your voice, delivery and enthusiasm are a pleasure to listen to!

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.

Episode Date
The birth of punctuation: from oral traditions to silent reading. Noun clusters. A wing wang in a mucket.
Apr 23, 2024
How to become a supercommunicator, with Charles Duhigg
Apr 18, 2024
Big changes in Associated Press style. The 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' finale was catawampus. Bappy
Apr 16, 2024
Pet-Speak: From Meowlogisms to Zoomies. 'Imply' or 'Infer'?
Apr 09, 2024
You love to read. Could you narrate?
Apr 02, 2024
Memory, Aging, and the Lingering 'Anyways'
Mar 26, 2024
A nuclear win at the Oscars. CamelCase. One clo.
Mar 19, 2024
From grunts to grammar. The Irish 'after doing.' The winning NGD poem!
Mar 12, 2024
Where did our language start?
Mar 05, 2024
'Addictive' or 'addicting'? Types of nouns. Folley
Feb 27, 2024
Tracing the origins of Miami's new English. Why it's not a 'gumballs' machine. Embassy Sweets.
Feb 20, 2024
Taylor Swift Doesn't Need Your Grammatical Approval. In Love. Foil Lump Surprise.
Feb 13, 2024
'A' versus 'an.' 'Larruping' rides again. Euonyms. Flavoring.
Feb 06, 2024
From 'hwhat' to 'what': Tracing a letter's disappearing act. Barkhouse.
Jan 30, 2024
The listener show! (canceled, think, lettuce, funnily, episode numbers, at about, mangos, musgos)
Jan 23, 2024
Technology changes how we write. Who was the first Goody Two Shoes?
Jan 16, 2024
More than fluff: Understanding 'needless' words. Larruping. Chicken surprise.
Jan 09, 2024
The psychology (and language) of time. Commas are like people on the subway. Fox chores.
Jan 02, 2024
Why English has silent letters. Dayjamas.
Dec 26, 2023
A rizzy word-of-the-year chat (with Jess Zafarris)
Dec 26, 2023
The special sauce of human language. Gotten. NATO alphabet. A1 sauce.
Dec 19, 2023
What's the difference between Hispanic, Chicano, Latino, Latinx, and Latine? Can something 'grow' smaller? Musko.
Dec 12, 2023
When does a house become a mansion? Giving someone house.
Dec 05, 2023
From metal type to metaphor: printing terms that extended their reach. The positive 'anymore.' Gigglemare.
Nov 28, 2023
Why is Black Friday black? The NATO alphabet. Byeloveyou.
Nov 21, 2023
The science of the plot twist. Irregardless. Spug.
Nov 14, 2023
Omnishambles! Military slang across the pond (interview with Ben Yagoda)
Nov 07, 2023
Cliches. Organic. Bully pulpit. Fimfy.
Oct 31, 2023
The dark histories behind your favorite scary words, with Jess Zafarris
Oct 24, 2023
Namesake. Commentate. Sprigly
Oct 17, 2023
How to write great topic sentences. Fanilects. Throwawayable.
Oct 10, 2023
When 'nice' was bad and 'bully' was good. Is 'preorder' redundant? High-intensity transformer.
Oct 03, 2023
Think faster and talk smarter. Tips from Matt Abrahams that will make you a better writer and speaker
Sep 26, 2023
Did Disney nail the pronunciation of 'Caribbean'? How to write equations. Chuther.
Sep 19, 2023
Asking experts about language (interview with Steve Kleinedler, former executive editor of the American Heritage Dictionary Usage Panel)
Sep 12, 2023
When you shouldn't 'write tight.' 'Behead' versus 'decapitate.' YesHony.
Sep 05, 2023
Say hwat?! 'Anxious' versus 'eager.' Pink stein.
Aug 29, 2023
The wonders of the 'a-' prefix in English. 'Personal' versus 'personnel.'
Aug 22, 2023
Hilarious typos (and how to avoid them). Why do we 'take' a walk?
Aug 15, 2023
Have you ridden an acoustic bike lately? Write it tight.
Aug 08, 2023
Did you know that on US Army bases, soldiers get a tattoo every day? Keep writing.
Aug 01, 2023
People have ~feelings~ about the exclamation point (Florence Hazrat interview)
Jul 25, 2023
15 years of podcasting with Money Girl and Nutrition Diva
Jul 21, 2023
'Less' versus 'fewer.' Fun names for fingers. Scunscreen.
Jul 18, 2023
'Inspirational' or 'aspirational'? The surprising dangers of ChatGPT. Spaghetto.
Jul 11, 2023
Phrasal verb mysteries and minced oath origins. Night water.
Jul 04, 2023
Unlocking the mystery of 'ever words' and Latin abbreviations. Juna.
Jun 27, 2023
Why words can suddenly look unrecognizable. Learn to love the full stop. Marley.
Jun 20, 2023
Imagine life as a fiction editor (interview with Amy Schneider, author of the Chicago Guide to Copy Editing Fiction)
Jun 13, 2023
Darth Vader and the word 'father.' Comparatives and superlatives. Pritinear.
Jun 06, 2023
TV changes how you use language. When to use (and not use) 'more' and 'most'
May 30, 2023
Why the heck does 'score' mean 20? How we subconsciously know how to pronounce different plurals.
May 23, 2023
Why English is the best language for Wordle, with Lynne Murphy
May 16, 2023
It's all uphill from here (or is that downhill?). Eating like a pig (animal idioms).
May 09, 2023
What's wrong with 'there are' sentences? 5 fun facts about Spanish for Cinco de Mayo
May 02, 2023
Have you begged the question lately? What kind of learning is best: online, remote, distance, or virtual?
Apr 25, 2023
What we get wrong about 'um' and 'uh,' with Valerie Fridland
Apr 18, 2023
5 things every writer wants to learn, with Roy Peter Clark
Apr 11, 2023
Killer bunnies in medieval manuscripts. The strange rules of 'dozen.'
Apr 04, 2023
The Rosetta Stone and taxes. Is your sufficiency suffonsified?
Mar 28, 2023
Why we have both 'a' and 'an.' What does it mean to be lonely? Sufficiency.
Mar 21, 2023
How 'napron' became 'apron' (and what that has to do with newts). 'Ahold' or 'a hold'?
Mar 14, 2023
Why do people 'drop' a new single? How to pronounce 'often.'
Mar 07, 2023
How to actually improve your grammar. Why parallelism is important (and how to use it). Keycoos.
Feb 28, 2023
How writing very short stories can improve all your writing (with Grant Faulkner)
Feb 21, 2023
Language reveals universal truths about love. 'Wool sweater' or 'woolen sweater'? Grandmother crackers.
Feb 14, 2023
Interview with a creator of 'Schoolhouse Rock'!
Feb 07, 2023
What Does the AP Have Against France? Out Over Your Skis. Lands' End. Tolater.
Jan 31, 2023
Teddy Bears. The Brothers Grimm. Danger Cluck.
Jan 24, 2023
Weird punctuation with 'Jr.' Carl's Jr. Hockey.
Jan 17, 2023
Inflation, quiet quitting, and "un-" words, like "undressed," that can have two meanings. Gotcha Day.
Jan 10, 2023
How COVID Changed the Way We Think About Words. How to Write Dates. Prefeed.
Jan 03, 2023
World Cup Words. The Origin of Toasting. Says.
Dec 27, 2022
Goblin Mode, Woman, & More. Words of the Year, with Kory Stamper
Dec 20, 2022
The Wonderful Words of Christmas
Dec 13, 2022
We found the book!
Dec 06, 2022
What's a Honeyfuggler? 'Through' vs. 'Throughout.' Arriversary.
Dec 02, 2022
A Strange Use of 'Said.' Kith and Kin. New Scrabble Words!
Nov 25, 2022
Why Today's 'Thank You' Is Different from an Ancient 'Thank You.' Gerunds.
Nov 18, 2022
WWII Words. A 'bit' of an Issue. Kleenex.
Nov 11, 2022
The Medieval Origins of the @ Symbol. Hyphens in Dual-Heritage Terms. Pitch.
Nov 04, 2022
The Difference Between Magic and Magick. Some Fascinating Spooky Words. Holy Fagachi!
Oct 28, 2022
Randall Munroe of xkcd: Language Chat and Weird Bee Laws.
Oct 21, 2022
The Subconscious Rules of Conversation. The Double-Word Problem. Cookie Fish.
Oct 14, 2022
Wick-ED Fun Pronunciations. Deviled Eggs.
Oct 07, 2022
When Is a Man a Widow? Where Do We Get the Word 'Blurb'? Sci-Fi Versus Fantasy. Bert and Ernie.
Sep 30, 2022
Mood & Atmosphere in Fiction. An Interview with Joshua Essoe
Sep 23, 2022
Split Infinitives. I Can't Even. Macken.
Sep 16, 2022
Why Some People Say 'Might Could.' The Spanish Influence on English. Mickle Story.
Sep 09, 2022
Accent Hallucination. False Ranges. Thanks, Chris.
Sep 02, 2022
'Skrrt,' 'Bottle Episode,' 'Skeuomorphs' and more. An Interview with John Kelly of Dictionary.com.
Aug 26, 2022
What's up with Splooting? Capitalizing Titles. Momilltellya.
Aug 19, 2022
How Gendered Languages Are Changing. Jugopop.
Aug 12, 2022
How Using Pliers Improves Your Language. Weird Possessives. Ducky File.
Aug 05, 2022
A Riotous Good Time with Ellen Jovin of the Grammar Table
Jul 29, 2022
Ripe. Lede. Prevent. Awesome. Fulsome. MacGuffin. Daisy.
Jul 22, 2022
Why Nobody Says 'You're Welcome' Anymore. Whose. Chimichanga.
Jul 15, 2022
Code-Switching. Mignon Snaps Over Numbers. Foomp.
Jul 08, 2022
Surprising Words Related to 'Freedom.' Double Subjects. Foop.
Jul 01, 2022
'Ant' or 'Ahnt'? Capitalizing Cocktail Names. Archie Bunker.
Jun 24, 2022
The Many Meanings of 'Father.' How Watergate Changed English. Punim
Jun 17, 2022
Demonyms: Why People from North Carolina Are Called Tar Heels. 'Healthy' Versus 'Healthful.' Sussies 3!
Jun 10, 2022
Are Wisdom Teeth Smart? Capitalizing Degree Names. Sussies 2
Jun 03, 2022
Whatever Happened to "Thou"?
May 27, 2022
How Spellers Tackle the 'Dreaded Schwa'
May 20, 2022
Why "'Em" Isn't Short for "Them." The Subjunctive. Sussies.
May 13, 2022
Tomi Adeyemi: The Writing Life and Her New Writing Course.
May 06, 2022
Scissors, Jeans, and Other Nouns That Are Always Plural. Flat Adverbs. Boteep.
Apr 28, 2022
If Earth Looks Like a Blue Marble, Why Is Earth Day Associated with the Color Green? Also, 'Funnest.'
Apr 21, 2022
You Know. Doppelganger. Trademarks. Funnily. Chicken Milk.
Apr 14, 2022
I Cannot Tell a Lie (but I Can Mislead)! And Sometimes People Do It With Percentages.
Apr 08, 2022
How Aphasia Causes Difficulty Speaking. Chairdrobe.
Mar 31, 2022
Why Tired People Talk About Being 'Out of Spoons.' Why Nouns Are More Complicated Than You May Think.
Mar 24, 2022
Barracking, Sheilas and Shouts: How the Irish Influenced Australian English
Mar 17, 2022
The Oxford Comma. And Should You Start a Sentence with 'And'?
Mar 10, 2022
Is 'Materiel' Just a Fancy Pronunciation of 'Material'? Are Binomials the Same Across Languages?
Mar 03, 2022
Why Do We Cringe at 'Pepper and Salt'? Why 'Square' Is Uncool. Quickquish.
Feb 24, 2022
What's Square About a Square Meal? How to Use Parentheses, Brackets, and Braces. Guck.
Feb 17, 2022
Are People Using 'Commiserate' Wrong? The Origin of (the Word) 'Influenza.' Hersband.
Feb 10, 2022
Do You Call In, Out, or Off Sick? How Kids Learn Language. Hexaboobiated.
Feb 04, 2022
Tips for Learning a New Language: The Fluent Show
Jan 27, 2022
Why 'Tiny' Sounds Smaller Than 'Huge.' Nixing the Horrid 'Of.' Kokopelli.
Jan 20, 2022
'Strollout,' 'Insurrection,' 'Yassify,' and Other Words of the Year for 2021
Jan 13, 2022
Cardsharp. The Old-New Singular 'They.' Grignug.
Jan 06, 2022
Questions, Questions, So Many Questions!
Dec 30, 2021
Is "Milk and Cookies" One Thing or Two? A New Language Term: The Santaback. Shoedabakers.
Dec 24, 2021
How Lori Rader-Day Wrote a Historical Novel About War Evacuees in Agatha Christie's Vacation Home
Dec 16, 2021
Pretending to Be British. How to Use Ellipses. Spiders.
Dec 09, 2021
Shibboleth. Greeting Card Grammar. Bunkaree.
Dec 03, 2021
How to Use a Semicolon, Amirite? Partu.
Nov 25, 2021
Penultimate. Veni, Vidi, Vici. Smidge.
Nov 18, 2021
New Words from WWII. How Places Like Featherstonehaugh Get Their Names. Uncoming.
Nov 11, 2021
Editing an Anthology: 'Wild Tongues Can't Be Tamed'
Nov 04, 2021
Is That a Tombstone, Gravestone, or Headstone? Why Is the Sound of a Human Scream So Terrifying?
Oct 28, 2021
Using Present Tense in a Story About the Past. Beck and Call. Tie-Dye Trees.
Oct 21, 2021
Surprise! These Names Are Trademarks. How to Write 'Dos and Don'ts' (or Is That 'Do's and Don'ts'?). Wording Your Mixes.
Oct 14, 2021
The Hedonometer and Your Feelings. What Does 'Schnozz' Mean?
Oct 07, 2021
How Do You Pronounce 'Tomato'? Why Is 'Chiropractic' Singular. Fish.
Sep 30, 2021
The Power of Very Specific Words, with Joel Schwartzberg
Sep 23, 2021
How to Really Talk Like a Pirate. When Do You Need a Comma Before 'Because'?
Sep 16, 2021
Why and When 'Very Unique' Is Wrong. Capitalizing 'Delta Variant' (or Not). Happy to You.
Sep 09, 2021
Naked Idioms. Short-Lived. Capitalizing Earth. Hector Protector.
Sep 02, 2021
The Origin of 'Honeymoon.' 'Where' Versus 'In Which.' Fevesteter.
Aug 26, 2021
Weird Words for Alcohol. Starting a Sentence with 'However.' Fam-ished.
Aug 19, 2021
How Storytelling Makes a Difference (and How to Do It Well)
Aug 13, 2021
What's the Opposite of Deja Vu? Commas Between Adjectives
Aug 05, 2021
The Best Stories from 15 Years of Grammar Girl
Jul 29, 2021
What the Two Spellings of Stationary/ery Have to Do with Booksellers. Why Pronunciations Change.
Jul 22, 2021
'Fish' or 'Fishes'? Why Do We Call Out 'Nothing' as 'Bupkis'?
Jul 15, 2021
'If' Versus 'Whether.' Why We Say 'The Exception That Proves the Rule.'
Jul 08, 2021
Trundle, Amble, Roam, and Shamble. How Some Preposition Use Has Changed Over Time.
Jul 01, 2021
Pedantic Nonsense Up with Which I Will Not Put! 'Discreet' or 'Discrete'?
Jun 24, 2021
Starting a Sentence with a Conjunction: Right or Wrong? Good 'Subpar' and Bad 'Subpar.'
Jun 17, 2021
How Long Is a Good Sentence? 'Cord' or 'Chord'? Grumple.
Jun 10, 2021
What Made 'Friends' Funny. How Cicadas Got Their Name. Dog Replacer.
Jun 03, 2021
Is 'Graduated College' Wrong? Five Wonderful Latin Phrases.
May 27, 2021
'Bring,' 'Take,' and 'Carry.' 'The Queen's Gambit.' Sweepy Thing.
May 20, 2021
Writing Dialogue. 'Associate Degree' or 'Associate's Degree'? Wiffy.
May 13, 2021
'Ketchup' or 'Catsup'? How to Punctuate Questions. Gmoing Gmoing.
May 06, 2021
What Does ‘Op-Ed’ Really Mean? The Perfect Paragraph Length. Items.
Apr 29, 2021
The Intrusive "Of." What Makes English Weird.
Apr 22, 2021
How to Write Faster. The Origin of the Odd Letter W
Apr 15, 2021
'Borrow' and 'Lend.' When to Use 'Nor.' Boncho.
Apr 08, 2021
Squirrelly Animal Verbs. 'People,' 'Peoples,' and 'Persons': Why It Matters.
Apr 01, 2021
A vast number of words have surprising origins. We talked about some today, including "scientist," "impressionist," "beatnik," and "paradigm."
Mar 25, 2021
'Normalcy' or 'Normality'? A Punctuation Question from a Famous Movie Line. Taco Cats.
Mar 18, 2021
It's Not Just March. Other Months Have 'Ides' Too! Are You on the Pig's Back Today?
Mar 11, 2021
813 - The History of National Grammar Day. My Favorite Resources. Anniversity
Mar 04, 2021
812 - Kibosh. Sidekicks. Misolation.
Feb 25, 2021
811 - Inigo Montoya and Coining Phrases. 'Dose' or 'Dosage'?
Feb 18, 2021
810 - Words out of Time. Why 'OK' Is OK.
Feb 11, 2021
809 - Rethink Descriptions Like 'Diabetic.' The Wonderful World of Italics,
Feb 04, 2021
808 - 6 Latin Abbreviations You Should Know. 'Imply' or 'Infer'?
Jan 28, 2021
807 - Why We Call Them Sea 'Shanties.' A Trick to Remember How to Spell 'Conscience'
Jan 21, 2021
806 - Why You Should Try Fanfiction. How to Find Tricky Pronunciations.
Jan 14, 2021
805 - 'Acedia': the lost name for the emotion we're all feeling right now
Jan 07, 2021
804 - Another Think/Thing Coming. 'Sanction,' 'Cleave,' 'Dust,' and More
Dec 31, 2020
803 - Pandemic, COVID, anderhalvemetersamenleving: 2020 Words of the Year
Dec 24, 2020
802 - Brandon Sanderson on Writing, Character and Place Names, and the Future
Dec 17, 2020
801 - How to Get Your 'Just Deserts.' Comma After 'But'? Why?
Dec 10, 2020
800 - What Did You Step On? And Is That a Desert or a Dessert?
Dec 03, 2020
799 - What 'Whence' Has to Do with 'Where Are You At?' 'Regime' or 'Regimen'?
Nov 26, 2020
798 - Why 'Hilarious' Is Funnier than 'Hysterical.' How to Start a Novel.
Nov 19, 2020
797 - Why Dickens' Character Names Are So Revealing. 'Continual' or 'Continuous'?
Nov 12, 2020
796 - What Is a 'Crony'? Why Doesn’t 'Veterans Day' Have an Apostrophe?
Nov 06, 2020
795 - Why People Use Scare Quotes. 'Dialog' or 'Dialogue'?
Oct 29, 2020
794 - Create Characters as Great as Hamlet. How to Format Internal Dialogue
Oct 22, 2020
793 - Why Journalists Use Misspellings Like 'Lede' and 'Spox'
Oct 15, 2020
792 - A Totally, Like, Bitchin' Podcast About 'Like'
Oct 08, 2020
791 - 'Although' Versus 'While.' Why We Write with Cliches (and How to Stop)
Oct 01, 2020
790 - 'Laureate' Is Good. Why Is 'Resting on Your Laurels' Bad? 'Smarmy.'
Sep 24, 2020
789 - How to Make Your Readers Laugh. 'Whoa' or 'Woah'?
Sep 17, 2020
788 - Why 'Out of Pocket' Means Both 'Inappropriate' and 'Unavailable'
Sep 10, 2020
787 - Why We Associate Political Parties with the Colors Red and Blue
Sep 03, 2020
786 - 'Doomscrolling' (OK, Doomer). 'Each Other' or 'One Another'?
Aug 27, 2020
785 - 'Gantlet' or 'Gauntlet'? Do You Want to Say 'Had Went'?
Aug 20, 2020
784 - A Historical Tip for Remembering When to Use 'Historical.' Put More Thought into Your Punctuation.
Aug 13, 2020
783 - How Hurricanes Get Their Names. When You Should Avoid Using Contractions.
Aug 06, 2020
782 - What are those dots over letters? Why does 'money' have a plural, and how do you spell it?
Jul 30, 2020
781 - Blursday or Whensday? Middle Grade Versus Young Adult Fiction
Jul 23, 2020
780 - Which Comes First? Who or Where?
Jul 16, 2020
779 - How You Can Help the OED. Capitalizing 'Black.' How Playwriting Techniques Can Improve Your Writing.
Jul 09, 2020
778 - Do We Say 'Red Skies at Night, Sailor's Delight' Because of the Saharan Dust Plumes? Also, 'Yoiks!'
Jul 02, 2020
777 - How to Write Fight Scenes (and How to Get Started as a Fiction Editor)
Jun 25, 2020
776 - Why a Detective Searched for 'Clews' in a 1929 Novel. ‘Systemic’ or ‘Systematic’?
Jun 18, 2020
775 - Why We Talk About 'Bad Apples.' 'A Few' Versus 'a Couple'
Jun 11, 2020
774 - Roy Peter Clark on Civic Clarity
Jun 04, 2020
773 - Postal Zones. Reenter. Bougie.
May 28, 2020
772 - The History of ZIP Codes and Addresses (Plus How to Write Them)
May 21, 2020
771 - Writing Lessons from Bad Job Applications
May 14, 2020
770 - 'Muslim' or 'Moslem'? 'Fishfolk'? 'Fishist'? What Is the Gender-Neutral Term for 'Fisherman'?
May 07, 2020
769 - Why Do We Say 'Cool Your Heels'? What's Up With 'Zhuzh'?
Apr 30, 2020
768 - Why Aren't We 'Whelmed'? And Cabin 'Fever,' Anyone?
Apr 23, 2020
767 - The semicolon is so much more interesting than you imagine
Apr 16, 2020
766 - 'Flaunt' and 'Flout.' 'Band Together.'
Apr 09, 2020
765 - Say No to Marshall Law. How 'Vaccine' Is Related to 'Cow.'
Apr 02, 2020
764 - Skeleton Crew. Hunker Down. Uncharted. Existential.
Mar 26, 2020
763 - How to Write Better Email. 'Pandemic' vs. 'Epidemic.' 'Canceled' vs. 'Cancelled.'
Mar 19, 2020
762 - How to Pronounce 'Celtic.' 'Whiskey' or 'Whisky'?
Mar 12, 2020
761 - Why It's Called 'Daylight Saving Time.' The Origin of the Word 'Woman.'
Mar 05, 2020
760 - What Is Genre. 'Bangs' Versus 'Fringe.'
Feb 27, 2020
759 - What Does ‛Mardi Gras’ Mean? "Drive to Work" Versus "Drive Home"
Feb 20, 2020
758 - Why 'XOXO' Means 'Hugs and Kisses'
Feb 13, 2020
757 - The days of the week are names you've known your whole life, but do you know their origin?
Feb 06, 2020
756 - High Odds or Low Odds?
Jan 30, 2020
755 - How to Write Anything
Jan 23, 2020
754 - The Tie Between Ann Landers and 'Could Care Less.'
Jan 16, 2020
753 - Take Heart! Here's Why You Still Have Time to Write Your First Novel
Jan 09, 2020
752 - Why Do Asian Languages Have So Many Different Scripts?
Jan 02, 2020
751 - Why Are There So Many Spellings for 'Hanukkah'? (Or Is That 'Chanukah'?)
Dec 26, 2019
750 - Pitch Black. Frankincense and Myrrh.
Dec 19, 2019
749 - How to Identify Your Main Point. It's Harder Than You Think!
Dec 16, 2019
748 - Your Language Affects Your Perception of Time. 'Star Wars' Languages.
Dec 12, 2019
747 - You Don't Have to Get Up on Stage for Improv to Boost Your Creativity
Dec 09, 2019
746 - How to Make Family Names Plural. How Come We Ask 'How Come?'
Dec 05, 2019
745 - 'More Than' Versus 'Over.' Is a Hamburger a Sandwich?
Dec 02, 2019
744 - Cold Turkey, Talk Turkey, and More. The Weird Origin of the Cornucopia.
Nov 28, 2019
743 - How to Get Your Characters Right (Especially When They Aren't Like You)
Nov 25, 2019
742 - Famous Quotations. Silent Letters.
Nov 21, 2019
741 - Behind the Scenes in Publishing.
Nov 18, 2019
740 - Do You Know When to Use Quotation Marks? Also, How to Create a House Style.
Nov 15, 2019
739 - The Problem with Sarcasm. Filthy Lucre.
Nov 11, 2019
738 - Can a Boy Raised by Wolves Learn to Speak Human Language? It Depends.
Nov 07, 2019
737 - Curtis Chen: Using NaNoWriMo to Kickstart Your Novel
Nov 04, 2019
736 - Ghastly Words for Ghosts. Quid pro Quo.
Oct 31, 2019
735 - Dave Itzkoff on Writing a Biography of Robin Williams
Oct 28, 2019
734 - Ghost Words
Oct 24, 2019
733 - Why People Hate Words Like 'Moist'
Oct 21, 2019
732 - How to Write a Conclusion. ‘Rebut’ or ‘Refute’?
Oct 17, 2019
731 - Compound Possession. 'Friday' or 'On Friday'?
Oct 14, 2019
730 - Turning a Podcast into a Novel: 'The Bright Sessions' to 'The Infinite Noise'
Oct 10, 2019
729 - Making Words That End in Y Plural.'Primer' Pronunciation.
Oct 07, 2019
728 - How English Words Came Into French After World War II
Oct 03, 2019
727 - The Quirky Australian 'Crime' Tense. 'Hopefully.'
Sep 30, 2019
726 - A Cup of Joe. ‘Smokey’ and ‘Smoky.’
Sep 26, 2019
725 - Interviewing, Story Structure, and Writing Tools with Jonathan Small
Sep 23, 2019
724 - Why Esperanto Is an Amazing Language. 'Fall' or 'Autumn'?
Sep 19, 2019
723 - Grammar Girl #723. Tips for Fact Checking. Why We Use the Term 'Watershed Moment.'
Sep 16, 2019
722 - 'Math' or 'Maths'? Irregular Verbs.
Sep 12, 2019
721 - Verbing Nouns. 'It Is I' or 'It Is Me'?
Sep 09, 2019
720 - Getting Your Tricky Conditionals Right. Wheelhouse.
Sep 05, 2019
719 - Why 'Literally' Doesn't Mean 'Literally' Anymore. Video Games for Language Learning.
Sep 02, 2019
718 - Writing Scripts and Speeches. Ask and Aks.
Aug 29, 2019
717 - Words that Sound Funny
Aug 26, 2019
716 - What's Up With Words That Are Spelled the Same but Sound Different?
Aug 23, 2019
715 - POV. Plus 'Tinderella,' 'phubbing,' and more words at the intersection of relationships and technology.
Aug 19, 2019
714 - Eponyms: Cardigan, Dunce, Quisling, and More.
Aug 16, 2019
713 - More Apostrophe Mayhem. Dyslexia Writing Tips
Aug 12, 2019
712 - Apostrophe Catastrophe. What (or Who) Is a Cipher?
Aug 08, 2019
711 - Misheard Song Lyrics and Eggcorns. The Ampersand.
Aug 05, 2019
710 - Vacay. Why Some People Call Green Peppers 'Mangoes'
Aug 01, 2019
709 - Surprise! The History of Semicolons Is Exciting.
Jul 29, 2019
708 - Why Alcohol Is 'Hard.' 'Phenomena' or 'Phenomenon'?
Jul 25, 2019
707 - How and Why the Internet Is Changing Language
Jul 22, 2019
706 - Sometimes It's Not a Bad Idea to Dumb Down Your Language.
Jul 18, 2019
705 - 'Blue Collar,' 'Bluestocking,' and 'the Blue Hair Brigade.' 'Oral' Versus 'Verbal.'
Jul 16, 2019
704 - Present Tense When Writing About Fiction. The Poop Emoji and Eggcorns.
Jul 11, 2019
703 - Why There Are 9 Different Ways to Pronounce the Letter T
Jul 08, 2019
702 - ‘All of a Sudden’ or ‘All of the Sudden’? ‘Baited’ or ‘Bated’ Breath?
Jul 04, 2019
701 - ‘Biweekly’ or ‘Semiweekly’? ‘Foward' and ‘Forward.’
Jul 01, 2019
700 - When to Capitalize 'Google.' Why Zero is 'Love' in Tennis.
Jun 27, 2019
699 - When to Capitalize Computer Terms. StetWalk
Jun 24, 2019
698 - 'Subpoena.' When To Capitalize 'The' in Titles.
Jun 20, 2019
697 - What Anyone Can Learn From the College Essay Process
Jun 17, 2019
696 - Hyphens in Ages. The Emphatic 'This.'
Jun 13, 2019
695 - 'Armageddon' or 'Apocalypse'? Numbers in Dialogue.
Jun 10, 2019
694 - Country Names and “The”: The Ukraine or Ukraine. Theater Idioms.
Jun 06, 2019
693 - What's Wrong with Saying Something Is 'Very Unique'?
Jun 04, 2019
692 - Godzilla, Cryptids, and Dilemma Comments.
May 30, 2019
691 - BONUS: Introducing Science Rules! with Bill Nye
May 27, 2019
690 - The Spelling Bee Kids
May 23, 2019
689 - More or most? Majority or plurality? The many (how many?) ways to describe amounts.
May 20, 2019
688 - Dangling Participles
May 16, 2019
687 - What It's Like to Be a Book Editor and Translator
May 13, 2019
686 - The 'Dilemma' Dilemma. 'Big Bang Theory" Words and Language.
May 09, 2019
685 - How to Find Work as a Freelance Writer. Adventure.
May 06, 2019
684 - ‘Unquote’ or ‘End Quote’? Cinco de Mayo. Horse Idioms.
May 02, 2019
683 - ‘So’ and ‘So That’: What Type of Conjunction Are They?
Apr 29, 2019
682 - Do You Drop Your T's? 'Sneaked' and 'Snuck.'
Apr 25, 2019
681 - 'The Dictionary of Difficult Words,' an Interview with Jane Solomon
Apr 22, 2019
680 - Wakandan, Groot, and Other Languages of the Marvel Universe. Easter and Passover.
Apr 18, 2019
679 - Brussels sprouts? Scotch eggs? Swedish meatballs? Which food names can you trust?
Apr 15, 2019
678 - Moolah, Clams, and Scratch. God, Godsend, and Godfather.
Apr 11, 2019
676 - The Language of 'Game of Thrones'
Apr 04, 2019
675 - Why Verbs Like 'Witness' Are Weird
Apr 01, 2019
674 - How You Can Benefit Year-Round from NaNoWriMo
Mar 28, 2019
673 - Schwa-ify This! Scrabble Stories
Mar 25, 2019
672 - How a Semicolon Brought Two Writers Together
Mar 21, 2019
671 - Why We Have Both 'Color' and 'Colour'
Mar 18, 2019
670 - Equinox. Is Irish the Same as Gaelic?
Mar 14, 2019
669 - 'Red Tape,' 'Red Herring,' 'Paint the Town Red,' and More 'Red' Idioms.
Mar 11, 2019
668 - What's Wrong with 'These Ones'? Faith and Begorrah, We Have Irish Phrases for St. Patrick's Day!
Mar 07, 2019
667 - Why ducks say "quack-quack" in English but "ga-ga" in Japanese.
Mar 04, 2019
666 - Double Negatives.
Feb 28, 2019
665 - Language News Chat
Feb 25, 2019
664 - Benjamin Dreyer and His Unusual Pet Peeves
Feb 21, 2019
663 - D-Day. Why I Want a Salad-Salad.
Feb 18, 2019
662 - 'Racket' or 'Racquet'? Never Misspell 'Bureaucracy' Again.
Feb 14, 2019
661 - How Paula Brackston picks her characters’ names and uses language to set a tone.
Feb 11, 2019
660 - 'Irregardless' or 'Regardless'? Crime Words.
Feb 07, 2019
659 - Normans, Ralls, and Voicemail
Feb 04, 2019
658 - 'Wage,' 'Wager,' and 'Wed'
Jan 31, 2019
657 - 'Tip of the Hat" or 'Tip Your Hand'? 'Yeah No.'
Jan 24, 2019
656 - ‘Relapse’ or ‘Recur’? 'Kneeled' or 'Knelt.' ’Methinks.’
Jan 17, 2019
655 - ‘Myriad’ or ‘Myriad Of’? What Is a Run-On Sentence?
Jan 10, 2019
654 - 'Stint' or 'Stent'? How to Pronounce 'Coyote.'
Jan 03, 2019
653 - How to Use an Asterisk. Journaling.
Dec 27, 2018
652 - ‘Purposely' or 'Purposefully'? Yule.
Dec 20, 2018
651 - 'Capitulate' or 'Recapitulate'? Colons.
Dec 13, 2018
650 - 'Wreaked' or 'Wrought'? 'Crescendo.' Could We Understand Aliens?
Dec 06, 2018
649 - 'Ado' or 'Adieu'? Pronouns and Antecedents
Nov 29, 2018
648 - Does Your Language Influence How You Think?
Nov 22, 2018
647 - Pronoun Order. ‘Flier’ or ‘Flyer.’ The Plural of ‘Mouse.’
Nov 15, 2018
646 - 'Blond' or 'Blonde'? How 'Trolloping' Became a Word.
Nov 08, 2018
645 - Interview with New York Times bestselling author Courtney Summers
Nov 01, 2018
644 - 'Sit' or 'Set'? Monster Names.
Oct 25, 2018
643 - ‘In the Limelight.’ ‘A’ or ‘An’?
Oct 18, 2018
642 - 'Regard' Versus 'Regards.' Languages Without Numbers.
Oct 11, 2018
641 - 'Myself.' ‘Get the Skinny.’
Oct 04, 2018
640 - Can a Screw Screw Itself into a Board? (Middle Voice)
Sep 27, 2018
639 - Great Paragraphs. Falling off the Turnip Truck.
Sep 20, 2018
638 - 'None.' How Pirates Talked.
Sep 13, 2018
637 - ‘MacGyver.’ ‘Semicolons.’
Sep 06, 2018
636 - 'To Boot.' Duck Tape. 'Can' and 'May.' Pronouns.
Aug 30, 2018
635 - 'Quick and Dirty.' 'Momentarily.' Short Subjects.
Aug 24, 2018
634 - 'Rack' or 'Wrack'? How to Eliminate Adverbs.
Aug 16, 2018
BONUS: Words for Color
Aug 14, 2018
633 - Is That Comment Facetious, Sarcastic, or Sardonic? Cleft Sentences.
Aug 09, 2018
632 - 'Ask' as a Noun. Ships as 'She.'
Aug 02, 2018
631 - Anniversaries. Conversate.
Jul 26, 2018
630 - Who Wrote the ABC Song? Shark Idioms!
Jul 19, 2018
629 - 'Gourmet' or 'Gourmand'? Why July 14 Is Called Bastille Day.
Jul 12, 2018
628 - Why 'Bag' and 'Beg' Sound the same to some people? Does 'Texas' Mean 'Crazy'?
Jul 05, 2018
627 - How to Write a Great Cover Letter. 'Kinda' and 'Wanna': Real Words or Not?
Jun 28, 2018
626 - ‘Aggravate’ Versus ‘Irritate’ What Is a Functional Shift?
Jun 21, 2018
625 - ‘Dinner’ or ‘Supper’? How to Write a Thank-You Note
Jun 14, 2018
624 - ‘Trooper’ and ‘Trouper.” Why Is It Called a Spelling Bee?
Jun 07, 2018
623 - 'Calvary' or 'Cavalry'? Spelling Bee Interview.
May 31, 2018
622 - Is a Troop One Person or a Group? Repetition
May 24, 2018
621 - ‘Council’ or ‘Counsel’? Direct and Indirect Quotations. Oxymorons.
May 17, 2018
620 - When to Capitalize 'Mom.' In the Doldrums.
May 10, 2018
619 - Co-worker. Barefaced and Baldfaced Lies. Mixed Metaphors.
May 03, 2018
618 - Jazz and Thunder. Say Your Piece (or Peace)?
Apr 26, 2018
617 - 'Lay' and 'Lie.' 'Grill' and 'Grille.' 'Warsh.'
Apr 19, 2018
616 - The Prodigal Tongue. Odoriferous. Battle Royale.
Apr 12, 2018
615 - Humor with Adverbs. Noisome. Receipts. Case Quarters.
Apr 05, 2018
614 - Illeism. Named For or After? Misinformation and Disinformation.
Mar 29, 2018
613 - Dictionary.com Starts Defining Emoji (an interview with Jane Solomon)
Mar 22, 2018
612 - The Pin/Pen Merger. American. 'Half-Staff' or 'Half-Mast'?
Mar 16, 2018
611 - Pudding. "There Are" Sentences. Winning Limerick
Mar 08, 2018
610 - Top 10 Grammar Myths. How 13 Dog Breeds Got Their Names.
Mar 02, 2018
609 - Pull Idioms. Surprising Food Names. Dillydally.
Feb 22, 2018
608 - Dilly Dilly. How Many Prepositions Can You Put in a Row?
Feb 15, 2018
607 - Brainstorming. Call Out Sick? Synesis.
Feb 08, 2018
606 - Levidromes, Tom Swifty Jokes, and new OED Words.
Feb 01, 2018
605 - A Homophone Error at the SAG Awards. Lectern or Podium? Capitalizing Award Names
Jan 25, 2018
BONUS: Introducing Launch
Jan 22, 2018
604 - Origin of 'Gerrymandering.' Is 'Data' Singular or Plural?
Jan 18, 2018
603 - Words of the Year, Why You Shouldn't Use 'Eskimo,' 'Canon' or 'Cannon'?
Jan 11, 2018
601 - 'Based In' or 'Based Out Of.' Omitting 'That'
Dec 28, 2017
600 - How to Pronounce 'Caramel.' Sports Idioms
Dec 21, 2017
599 - Delicious English Words (Chocolate, Guacamole) with Aztec Roots
Dec 14, 2017
598 - Gifting and Regifting. Take a Decision.
Dec 08, 2017
597 - Eskimo Words for Snow. Write a Book!
Nov 30, 2017
595 - 'Side' Words. What Is a Bailiwick?
Nov 16, 2017
594 - The Plural of 'Batman.' Why Smart People Struggle with Shakespeare Too.
Nov 09, 2017
593 - The Origin of English: Proto-Indo-European.
Nov 02, 2017
592 - "Sofa" or "Couch"? "Skeleton" Idioms.
Oct 26, 2017
591 - 'Cannot' or 'Can Not'? 'Dead' Idioms.
Oct 19, 2017
590 - How to Write an Apology
Oct 12, 2017
589 - The "Ruth's Chris" Apostrophe. Thingamajigs.
Oct 05, 2017
588 - Why People Mimic Accents. Why People "Have Your Six."
Sep 28, 2017
587 - More British & American Differences. Quotation Marks with Periods and Commas
Sep 21, 2017
586 - UK and US English. 'Bad' or 'Badly'?
Sep 15, 2017
585 GG. Rainy Idioms. "Because," "Due To," "Since," and "As"
Sep 07, 2017
584 GG. Pipe Dream. Comma Before a Quotation.
Sep 01, 2017
583 GG Important or Importantly? Time Traveler Words
Aug 25, 2017
582 GG. How to Use Quotations. Stop Calling Yourself a Grammar Nazi
Aug 17, 2017
581 GG. Riffle and Rifle. Worcestershire Sauce.
Aug 10, 2017
580 GG. Introductory Paragraphs. One of The...
Aug 03, 2017
579 GG Language Games. Jerry-Built. And Female Juniors
Jul 27, 2017
578 GG Words from Obsolete Technology
Jul 20, 2017
577 GG The Trump Jr. Punctuation Kerfuffle. Generation Names.
Jul 13, 2017
576 GG Critique or Criticize? Games Like Pig Latin
Jul 06, 2017
575 GG Gestures. Elbow Grease. Capitalizing Directions.
Jun 29, 2017
574 GG Commas with Transition Words. Double Whammy.
Jun 22, 2017
573 GG Until, Till, and 'Til. Dad Jokes.
Jun 15, 2017
572 GG Themself. Comma Splices.
Jun 08, 2017
571 GG Lego or Legos? Why English Spelling Reform Is Doomed.
Jun 01, 2017
570 GG Burned or Burnt? Why English Spelling Is a Mess.
May 26, 2017
569 GG. Explain vs. Explanation. How to Outline.
May 18, 2017
568 GG. In or Among. Weird Words.
May 12, 2017
567 Is Pig Latin a Real Language?
May 04, 2017
566 GG. Off Your Feed. Animal Language.
Apr 27, 2017
565 GG. Solving Crimes with Language. Apple, Podcasts, and Prepositions.
Apr 20, 2017
564 GG. Preposition or Adverb?
Apr 13, 2017
563 GG Singular 'They'
Apr 07, 2017
562 GG AP Style and Chicago Manual of Style Updates
Mar 31, 2017
561 GG $10 Million Comma. Ambiguous Sentences. Tribute to Bill Walsh
Mar 23, 2017
560 GG Devil's Advocate. 3 Tips for Creating Sentences with Punch
Mar 16, 2017
559 GG. Abbreviations. And Then the Murders Began. Runcible. Haiku.
Mar 10, 2017
558 GG How to Write Good Survey Questions
Mar 03, 2017
557 GG Double Dactyl Poetry
Feb 23, 2017
556 GG Tumult. Bull in a China Shop. Always, Never, Usually, Often, Most, and More
Feb 16, 2017
555 GG. Toe/Tow the Line. Pled or Pleaded. Animal Idioms.
Feb 09, 2017
554 GG 'Reticent' or 'Reluctant.' Which' or 'That.'
Feb 02, 2017
553 GG Not Only, But Also. Leave in the Lurch. Month Names.
Jan 27, 2017
551 Capital vs Capitol. Citing Podcasts and Websites
Jan 19, 2017
551 GG. Words of the Year. Writing Tips.
Jan 12, 2017
550 GG Enormity or Enormousness? Badminton
Jan 05, 2017
549 GG Hone/Home In. Apostrophes.
Dec 29, 2016
548 GG. What Makes Good Stories.
Dec 22, 2016
547 GG 'A While' or 'Awhile'? Writing Dialogue
Dec 15, 2016
546 GG Anxious/Eager. If Not.
Dec 08, 2016
545 GG Read the Riot Act. The Changing English Language.
Dec 01, 2016
544 GG. Pilgrim Names. Pronouncing Foreign Words
Nov 24, 2016
543 GG. By the Wayside. How to Pronounce 'Biopic'
Nov 17, 2016
542 GG. 'Aloud' or "Out Loud'? Strong Voice
Nov 11, 2016
541 GG Before or Prior To? Foreign Language Syndrome
Nov 03, 2016
540 GG. Cemetery or Graveyard? Peer Editing. To Calendar.
Oct 27, 2016
539 GG Capitalizing Job Titles. I.e. Versus E.g. Sentence Diagramming
Oct 20, 2016
538 Alumni. Words from Bookmaking. Beyond the Pale
Oct 14, 2016
537 GG "Further" Versus "Farther." Horse's Mouth
Oct 07, 2016
536 GG Hit the Bestseller List: How to Style Your Words Like a Bestselling Author
Sep 29, 2016
535 GG Anyways or Anyway? Topic Sentences
Sep 22, 2016
534 GG. Bridget Jones. Pay Dirt. Dashes.
Sep 15, 2016
533 GG. Etc. Short Shrift. Prepositions
Sep 08, 2016
532 GG Loose or Lose. You Wazzock.
Sep 01, 2016
531 GG Writing Dual POVs. Space Operas and Soap Operas.
Aug 25, 2016
530 GG Whom. Preorder. Badger, Weasel, Ferret.
Aug 18, 2016
529 GG Latin Words. Batten Down the Hatches
Aug 11, 2016
528 GG Adjectives. Logical Fallacies
Aug 04, 2016
527 GG 'Lit' or 'Lighted.' Why Some Words Become Homophones
Jul 29, 2016
526 GG Types of Third Person Point of View. Flammable and Inflammable
Jul 22, 2016
525 GG Food Idioms. 'Affective' or 'Effective'
Jul 15, 2016
524 - Affect Versus Effect. How to Pronounce The
Jul 07, 2016
523 GG Sightseeing. On Accident Versus by Accident
Jun 30, 2016
522 GG Hearty or Hardy? How English Became English. Jury-Rigged.
Jun 23, 2016
521 GG Is Funnest a Word? How to Pronounce Adirondack.
Jun 16, 2016
520 GG Band Names. Woman or Female?
Jun 10, 2016
519 GG RBIs. Principal and Principle. Run of the Mill
Jun 02, 2016
518 GG Are You Interurban? Vonnegut's Famous Semicolon Quotation Was Taken Out of Context. Off the Cuff.
May 26, 2016
517 GG Why Do We Call It Commencement? When to Delete "It"
May 19, 2016
516 GG Celsius Versus Centigrade. 'Between' Versus 'Among'
May 12, 2016
515 GG Home vs. Away? How to Make Product Names Plural
May 05, 2016
514 GG Brouhaha. New Words. One Fell Swoop.
Apr 29, 2016
513 GG North or Northbound. Subjunctive Verbs.
Apr 21, 2016
512 GG Titled or Entitled? AP Style Updates. Into Thin Air.
Apr 14, 2016
511 GG Pronouncing Pulitzer. Navajo Codes in WWII
Apr 07, 2016
509 GG Charlie Chaplin Grammar. S-Backing.
Mar 24, 2016
508 GG. Haiku Winners. Great Story Ideas
Mar 17, 2016
507 Patty or Paddy? Needs Washed
Mar 10, 2016
506 GG Subordinate Clause Examples
Mar 04, 2016
505 GG Maudlin. Vocabulary Words
Feb 25, 2016
504 GG Shined or Shone? Idioms About Tea
Feb 18, 2016
503 GG What Is a Canard?
Feb 11, 2016
502 GG. Straw Man. Wicked.
Feb 04, 2016
501 GG Word Families. Caucus
Jan 28, 2016
500 GG Redundancy. Letters of Recommendation.
Jan 21, 2016
499 GG Current or Currant? Singular They
Jan 14, 2016
498 GG A Joke About a Mongoose. Writing Dates.
Jan 07, 2016
497 GG Should You Capitalize 'the Force' from Star Wars?
Dec 31, 2015
496 GG Plural of Hippopotamus
Dec 24, 2015
495 GG Pair. Misusing “So” and “Very.” Even Keel
Dec 17, 2015
494 GG Pair. Forensic Linguistics. In Cold Blood
Dec 10, 2015
493 GG Hoofs or Hooves? Color Phrases
Dec 03, 2015
492. GG. Blue. Kith and Kin
Nov 27, 2015
490 GG Formatting URLs in Text
Nov 12, 2015
489 GG Dialogue Tags. Writing Fight Scenes. NaNoWriMo
Nov 05, 2015
488 GG Hallowe'en. Apostrophes. The Garden Path
Oct 29, 2015
487 GG Wolf or Woof. Interrobang. Riding Roughshod
Oct 22, 2015
486 - Suffragette. Ginormous
Oct 15, 2015
485 GG Firstly. Exclamation Points. Leeway.
Oct 08, 2015
484 GG Mantel or Mantle? Bulleted Lists
Oct 01, 2015
483 GG Sort, Kind, or Type? Homophones, Homographs, and Homonyms
Sep 24, 2015
482 GG Amused or Bemused. Being Bilingual. Positive Anymore.
Sep 17, 2015
481 GG And/Or. That Should Be a Word.
Sep 10, 2015
480 GG Matriculate. Diminutives. Crocodile or Alligator?
Sep 03, 2015
479 GG Scrabble in Different Parts of the World
Aug 28, 2015
478 GG Why English Has Silent Letters
Aug 20, 2015
477 GG Scrabble Extravaganza
Aug 13, 2015
476 GG Zero Percent, Prefixes and Suffixes, Malapropisms
Aug 06, 2015
281 How Do Words Get in the Dictionary?
Jul 31, 2015
475 GG How a Comma Can Get You out of a Parking Ticket
Jul 23, 2015
474 GG Flesh Out. Last Names. Hat Trick.
Jul 16, 2015
473 GG How Understanding Toy Story Can Help You Get into College
Jul 09, 2015
472 GG Citizen or Resident? Let's and Let Us. Newfangled.
Jun 23, 2015
471 GG Size versus Sized. When Is It OK to Be Redundant? Mind Your P’s and Q’s.
Jun 18, 2015
470 GG Prepositions in Shakespeare
Jun 12, 2015
469 GG Kudos. Crossword Puzzles. Squad Goals. June 4, 2015.
Jun 04, 2015
468 GG Congratulations. Food Names That Come From Countries…or Not. Tall Poppy Syndrome.
May 28, 2015
467 GG Deep Seeded or Deep Seated?, Lewis Carroll: He Loved to Play with Language, Japanese Words in English
May 21, 2015
466 GG Healthy Versus Healthful. The Best SAT Essay Ever. Fast and Loose
May 14, 2015
465 GG Two Spaces After a Period?
May 07, 2015
464 GG Weird Conditionals
Apr 30, 2015
463 GG Most or Almost. Parallel Structure. Follow Suit
Apr 23, 2015
462 GG Everyday. Ain't. Eponyms
Apr 16, 2015
461 GG Between You and Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen
Apr 09, 2015
105 Yoda Grammar (Reissue)
Apr 02, 2015
460 GG Global English: Prepone, Do the Needful, and More
Mar 26, 2015
459 GG Subject-Verb Agreement
Mar 19, 2015
458 GG Can You Process These Tricky, but Grammatical, Sentences?
Mar 13, 2015
456 GG Is Starting a Sentence With So Condescending?
Feb 26, 2015
Announcement
Feb 20, 2015
455 GG Why Do We Drive on Parkways and Park on Driveways?
Feb 12, 2015
454 GG Splitting Infinitives
Feb 05, 2015
453 GG Less Versus Fewer
Jan 29, 2015
452 GG Why People Misuse Prepositions
Jan 22, 2015
451 GG Impossible Participals
Jan 15, 2015
450 GG Is Sign Language Universal?
Jan 08, 2015
449 GG Double Possessives
Jan 01, 2015
448 GG How Our Brains Process Hyperbole
Dec 25, 2014
446 GG Why Don't People Say "Thou" Anymore
Dec 11, 2014
445 GG Why Do People Say "Like" All the Time?
Dec 04, 2014
444 GG Between You and Me
Nov 27, 2014
442 GG Make Me a Sandwich
Nov 13, 2014
441 GG Mic or Mike? Simple or Simplistic? Uppercase and Lowercase
Nov 06, 2014
440 GG How to Plan a Novel
Oct 30, 2014
439 GG Texting, Coffins, and Death
Oct 23, 2014
438 GG Why Do People Say Punctuation Out Loud?
Oct 16, 2014
437 GG What’s the difference between England, Great Britain, and the UK?
Oct 09, 2014
436 GG Why People Have Always Been Confused About Apostrophes
Oct 02, 2014
435 GG We Might Could Harvest the Corn
Sep 25, 2014
434 GG Ya Shank: The Made-Up Swear Words of 'The Maze Runner'
Sep 18, 2014
433 GG Why People Mix Up the Pronouns "Me" and "I"
Sep 11, 2014
431 GG Words That Aren't Words
Aug 28, 2014
430 GG The Plural of Money. This Is Your Brain on Writing. Egregious
Aug 21, 2014
429 GG How to Use the Conjunction “Nor”
Aug 14, 2014
428 GG Crash Blossoms
Aug 07, 2014
427 GG 7 French Food-Related Words That Became English
Jul 31, 2014
426 GG A Language Lover's Trip to England
Jul 24, 2014
425 GG Why Weird Al's Word Crimes Video Made Me Want to Quit
Jul 17, 2014
424GG There's Something Weird About "For," "Yet," and "So"
Jul 10, 2014
423 GG Is the Semicolon in TL;DR Ironic?
Jul 03, 2014
422GG Manipulating Words to Make Things Funny
Jun 26, 2014
421 - Part II: Why Do People Say 'A-Whole-Nother'?
Jun 19, 2014
420 - Why 'A-Whole-Nother' Isn’t Like 'Ala-Frickin’-Bama' and 'Hizzouse'
Jun 12, 2014
419 - Using Stick Figures to Understand First, Second, and Third Person
Jun 05, 2014
417 - An Unparalleled Letdown
May 22, 2014
416GG How to Kick Your Annoying Preposition Habit
May 15, 2014
415 - Commas Are Like People on the Subway
May 08, 2014
414 - Luisa Zissman's Missing Apostrophe
May 01, 2014
413 - Words Invented by Shakespeare
Apr 24, 2014
412 - Can I Help Who's Next?
Apr 18, 2014
411 - Addictive Versus Addicting
Apr 10, 2014
410GG Just Because
Mar 30, 2014
408 - Why We Don't End Sentences With "You're"
Mar 21, 2014
407GG Why Canadians Don't Really Say "Aboot"
Mar 13, 2014
406GG Begging the Question
Mar 07, 2014
405 - Is Cash Money a Regional Expression?
Feb 28, 2014
404 - Why "Substitute" Is Weird
Feb 27, 2014
403 - Preventative and Orientate
Feb 22, 2014
402 - Little Bunny Foo Foo
Feb 21, 2014
401 - How Clipping Creates New Words
Feb 14, 2014
400 - How Reading Tickles Your Neurons
Feb 09, 2014
399 - Your Brain on Fiction
Feb 07, 2014
071 Units Of Measure
Jan 30, 2014
398GG Why Some Band Names Take "The" and Some Don't
Jan 24, 2014
397 - Secrets of Bestselling Novels
Jan 16, 2014
396 GG Tenterhooks or Tenderhooks?
Jan 10, 2014
192 Do I Hate Your Singing or You Singing?
Jan 02, 2014
395 GG How to Use Quotation Marks
Dec 24, 2013
394GG Hashtag Rap
Dec 17, 2013
393 GG Nonsense Syllables
Dec 13, 2013
392 GG Orangehead
Dec 06, 2013
251 - What Is a Gerund?
Nov 28, 2013
391 GG Scrabble Words
Nov 22, 2013
390 - Passive Voice
Nov 15, 2013
389 GG English Plurals: Wugs and Blicks
Nov 07, 2013
388 GG Style Sheets
Oct 23, 2013
387 GG "Because" as a Preposition
Oct 14, 2013
386 - Negation in Night Vale
Oct 10, 2013
117 - Biweekly Versus Semiweekly
Oct 03, 2013
385 - Irony
Sep 27, 2013
384 - Homophones
Sep 19, 2013
383 GG Could Care Less
Sep 12, 2013
50 GG Like Versus As
Sep 05, 2013
381 GG Prepositions
Aug 30, 2013
380 GG Participles and Gerunds
Aug 22, 2013
379 GG Apostrophes in Science Fiction and Fantasy Names
Aug 15, 2013
378 GG Apostrophes and Plurals
Aug 09, 2013
377 GG Royal "We"
Aug 02, 2013
376 GG Why Do We Have Both A and An?
Jul 19, 2013
375 GG What Is It Called When You Mishear Song Lyrics?
Jul 11, 2013
374 GG Rebracketing
Jul 05, 2013
372 GG Retronyms
Jun 21, 2013
371 GG Commma Splice
Jun 14, 2013
370 GG Why Isn't "Gruntled" A Word?
Jun 07, 2013
369 GG Why Does "I" Take Plural Verbs?
May 31, 2013
368 GG Hyphens
May 24, 2013
367 GG The Old Editor Says
May 17, 2013
366 GG How Texting Is Changing English
May 10, 2013
285 GG "Moot" Versus "Mute"
May 03, 2013
365 GG The Language of Crime
Apr 26, 2013
364 GG Why Would Anyone Use "The Chicago Manual of Style"?
Apr 19, 2013
363 GG Writing Flashbacks
Apr 12, 2013
362 GG Why Are Some Portmanteaus So Awful?
Apr 05, 2013
361 GG Is That a Wool Sweater or a Woolen Sweater?
Mar 29, 2013
051 GG I'm Good
Mar 22, 2013
359 GG Do You Tell People to Pound Sand or Pound Salt?
Mar 08, 2013
358 GG "Only": The Most Insidious Misplaced Modifier
Mar 01, 2013
357 GG Why the Plural of "Die" Is "Dice," not "Douse."
Feb 22, 2013
356 GG Where Do I Use Commas?
Feb 15, 2013
355 GG Subject Object
Feb 08, 2013
353 GG Can Apple Get Away with "Funness"?
Jan 25, 2013
352 GG How to Create and Use Figures of Speech Pt.1
Jan 18, 2013
351 GG Pronouns: Is a Company a "Who" or a "That"?
Jan 11, 2013
350 GG "Who" Versus "That"
Jan 04, 2013
349 GG A Word Lover's Highlights of 2012
Dec 28, 2012
348 GG How Webster's Screwed Up
Dec 21, 2012
347 GG How to Use a Hyphen
Dec 14, 2012
346 GG Tuxedo Verbs
Dec 07, 2012
342 GG Writing for Dyslexic Readers
Nov 09, 2012
341 GG Google Ngram and "Impact" as a Verb
Nov 02, 2012
151 GG Just Say No to Drugs
Oct 12, 2012
142 GG When Are Double Words OK?
Sep 28, 2012
334 GG Using Present Tense in a Story About the Past
Aug 31, 2012
333 GG When Is W a Vowel
Aug 24, 2012
332 GG How Do You Tell If Something Is True?
Aug 10, 2012
331 GG "Pet" or "Petted"? Troublesome Past Tenses
Aug 03, 2012
330 GG The Rules of Story
Jul 27, 2012
329 GG "Versus"
Jul 20, 2012
328 GG "Decimate" and "All Right"
Jul 13, 2012
327 GG "Dilemma" and "Gone Missing"
Jul 06, 2012
326 GG "Jealousy" Versus "Envy"
Jun 29, 2012
325 GG So You Think You Can Edit?
Jun 22, 2012
324 GG When Bad Grammar Means Good Fiction
Jun 08, 2012
323 GG How to Write Numbers
Jun 01, 2012
320 GG You Have No Idea How Weird "Do" Is
May 04, 2012
318 GG Dashes, Colons, and Commas
Apr 20, 2012
317 GG What Does "Proper English" Mean?
Apr 13, 2012
316 GG Sentence Fragments
Apr 06, 2012
315 GG Possessives
Mar 30, 2012
314 GG Mary Sue
Mar 23, 2012
312 GG This NGD story is "all right."
Mar 02, 2012
309 GG Why Do Kids Say "Versing"?
Feb 17, 2012
308 GG Should We Abandon Standard Spelling?
Feb 10, 2012
310 GG Stationary, Stationery, Complement, and Compliment
Feb 03, 2012
111 GG Everybody Wants Some
Jan 27, 2012
306 GG "The Night Circus": Well Done Second Person Narrative
Jan 13, 2012
305 GG Where Did the @ Symbol Come From?
Jan 06, 2012
304 GG Should You Point Out Errors?
Dec 30, 2011
030 GG Sentence Fragments
Dec 23, 2011
200 "Who" Versus "Whom," Advanced
Dec 11, 2011
302 GG Passive Voice
Dec 09, 2011
301 GG Active Voice
Dec 02, 2011
300 GG Christmas Carol Grammar
Nov 25, 2011
299 GG Ten Tips to Banish Typos
Nov 18, 2011
298 GG Color Your Readers' Imagination with Words
Nov 04, 2011
297 GG How to Search a Corpus
Oct 28, 2011
029 GG "They" as a Singular Pronoun
Oct 21, 2011
294 GG Do You Resent Your Editor?
Oct 07, 2011
293 When to Capitalize Seasons
Sep 29, 2011
292 Overcoming Writer’s Block
Sep 23, 2011
288 Compound Nouns
Aug 08, 2011
284 Who Says “Fun” Can’t Be an Adjective?
Jul 14, 2011
283 Did Oxford Drop the Oxford Comma?
Jul 08, 2011
282 "Each Other" Versus "One Another"
Jul 01, 2011
280 Whoever or Whomever?
Jun 16, 2011
279 Capitalizing Titles
Jun 09, 2011
275 Camel Case
May 12, 2011
274 Double Subjects
May 05, 2011
273 "A Hold" or "Ahold"?
Apr 28, 2011
272 Do You Capitalize “God”?
Apr 21, 2011
270 Commas With Participial Phrases
Apr 07, 2011
268 Mixing Verb Tenses
Mar 24, 2011
267 How to Speak English Like the Irish
Mar 17, 2011
263 How to Write Grammatically Correct Photo Captions
Feb 17, 2011
260 Contractions
Jan 27, 2011
259 First, Second, and Third Person
Jan 20, 2011
258 How to Write Dialogue
Jan 13, 2011
257 Should You Ever Put a Space Before a Period?
Jan 13, 2011
252 What Is Plagiarism?
Dec 02, 2010
250 "Foreword" Versus "Forward"
Nov 19, 2010
248 How to Write a Better Resume
Nov 04, 2010
246 Show, Don’t Tell
Oct 28, 2010
245 "Talk With" versus "Talk To"
Oct 22, 2010
243 "Think Different" or "Think Differently"
Oct 07, 2010
242 "Like" Versus "Such As"
Sep 30, 2010
240 Do All Adverbs End in "-Ly"?
Sep 16, 2010
239 Capitalizing Proper Nouns
Sep 09, 2010
238 Is It OK to Switch Verb Tenses?
Sep 02, 2010
235 Swearing
Aug 12, 2010
234 Does "Until" Include the Date?
Aug 05, 2010
232 Active Voice Versus Passive Voice
Jul 22, 2010
231 How to Write Clear Sentences
Jul 15, 2010
230 When to Use Female Nouns
Jul 08, 2010
229 Understanding Voice and Tone in Writing
Jul 01, 2010
228 Comma Splice
Jun 25, 2010
226 How to Use Transition Words
Jun 17, 2010
224 When to Use Articles Before Nouns
Jun 04, 2010
222 Dashes, Parentheses, and Commas
May 21, 2010
219 "Bad" Versus "Badly"
Apr 30, 2010
220 How to Eliminate Adverbs
Apr 29, 2010
217 What Is Poetic License?
Apr 15, 2010
215 Hey, That's Not Grammar Girl!
Apr 01, 2010
213 Stacked Modifiers
Mar 18, 2010
209 Does the Olympic Theme Song “I Believe” Have a Grammar Error?
Feb 19, 2010
206 Is "I'm Loving It" Proper Grammar?
Jan 29, 2010
205 Readers Share Their Funny Errors
Jan 21, 2010
203 How Do You Pronounce 2010?
Jan 18, 2010
204 Is "Got" Proper English?
Jan 14, 2010
201 Is “Ain't” a Word?
Dec 25, 2009
199 "Alternate" Versus "Alternative"
Dec 05, 2009
197 "Where" Versus "In Which"
Nov 19, 2009
196 Adverbs Ending in -ly
Nov 13, 2009
193 "Diffuse" Versus "Defuse"
Oct 16, 2009
191 How to Write a Complaint Letter
Oct 02, 2009
190 Ellipses Spurned
Sep 25, 2009
188 "Comprise" Versus "Compose"
Sep 18, 2009
187 Should Writers Keep a Journal?
Sep 11, 2009
186 Funny Misplaced Modifiers
Sep 04, 2009
185 When Should You Capitalize Titles?
Aug 28, 2009
183 Verbs Sandwiched Between Singular and Plural Nouns
Aug 14, 2009
184 When Should You Capitalize Words?
Aug 01, 2009
181 How Many Spaces After A Period?
Jul 30, 2009
176 What Is Subject-Complement Agreement?
Jul 26, 2009
180 How to Use Parallel Construction Correctly
Jul 24, 2009
119 "Shall" Versus "Will"
Jul 22, 2009
179 Can You Start a Sentence with “Which”?
Jul 17, 2009
178 Do Rhetorical Questions Need a Question Mark?
Jul 10, 2009
174 "Myself"
Jun 12, 2009
172 "All Right" Versus "Alright"
May 29, 2009
170 Swear Words in Text
May 15, 2009
169 Using “For” to Mean “Because”
May 09, 2009
168 Troublesome Contractions (e.g., I'd've)
May 01, 2009
167 Dashes Versus Colons
Apr 23, 2009
166 Strunk and White
Apr 17, 2009
182 Are You Annoyingly Redundant?
Apr 07, 2009
164 "One" Versus "You"
Apr 03, 2009
177 Why Are British English and American English Different?
Apr 03, 2009
162 How to Write a Great Blog Comment
Mar 20, 2009
161 "Use" Versus "Utilize"
Mar 13, 2009
158 "Flammable" Versus "Inflammable"
Feb 20, 2009
157 GG When to Use a Comma with “Too”
Feb 13, 2009
156 What is the plural of scissors
Feb 06, 2009
155 What to Call People With Disabilities.
Jan 30, 2009
150 How to Podcast a Book
Dec 26, 2008
148 How to Write Your First Novel
Dec 12, 2008
012 Wordiness And Idioms
Nov 21, 2008
146 Mixed Metaphors
Nov 13, 2008
144 Concrete Versus Cement
Nov 07, 2008
141 Appositives
Oct 17, 2008
140 Modifying Phrases at the Beginning of Sentences
Oct 10, 2008
139 Is "Data" Singular or Plural?
Oct 03, 2008
136 Complex-Compound Sentences
Sep 19, 2008
131 Collective Nouns
Sep 02, 2008
129 Assure Versus Ensure Versus Insure
Aug 25, 2008
127 Begs the Question
Aug 19, 2008
126 - Through, Threw, and Thru
Aug 14, 2008
125 Comparatives Versus Superlatives
Aug 12, 2008
124 Better Versus Best
Aug 08, 2008
122 Is "Have Got" Acceptable English?
Aug 01, 2008
120 He Said, She Said
Jul 25, 2008
118 Writing Accents and Dialects
Jul 18, 2008
123 How to Avoid Clichés
Jul 15, 2008
116 "Than I" Versus "Than Me"
Jul 10, 2008
114 Phrasal Verbs
Jul 04, 2008
113 Writing with Slang
Jun 27, 2008
110 When to Leave Out "That"
Jun 06, 2008
108 Whose for Inanimate Objects
May 23, 2008
107 Graduated versus Graduated From
May 15, 2008
100 How to Write Numbers
Mar 28, 2008
007 Which Versus That
Mar 21, 2008
098 Who Versus Whom--Advanced
Mar 07, 2008
096 May Versus Might
Feb 21, 2008
095 Zeroscape Versus Xeriscape
Feb 15, 2008
093 Hyphens
Jan 31, 2008
091 Yo as a Pronoun
Jan 10, 2008
090 Went Missing
Jan 04, 2008
087 Used to Versus Use to, and Other Listener Questions
Dec 07, 2007
084 People Versus Entities
Nov 16, 2007
082 Daylight-Saving Time
Nov 09, 2007
083 Interviewing Tips
Nov 09, 2007
078 Formatting Hyperlinks
Oct 05, 2007
077 Verbification of a Noun
Sep 28, 2007
076 Starting a Sentence With "Hopefully"
Sep 21, 2007
073 Simplify Your Writing
Aug 30, 2007
072 The The -- The Double The
Aug 23, 2007
070 The Asterisk (Trust Me About Grammar, Not About Baseball)
Aug 10, 2007
067 Your Versus You're
Jul 20, 2007
068 Unlawful Versus Illegal
Jul 20, 2007
065 Regionalisms
Jun 29, 2007
064 Between You and Me
Jun 26, 2007
056 Generating Story Ideas and Overcoming Writer's Block
May 22, 2007
055 Misplaced Modifiers
May 18, 2007
048 April Fools' Day Episode
Apr 01, 2007
266 When Should You Capitalize Cocktail and Food Names?
Mar 11, 2007
042 Semicolons
Feb 21, 2007
036 Grammar Manners
Jan 12, 2007
031 The Lord Is Come?
Dec 15, 2006
024 Who Versus That
Nov 04, 2006
021 Proofreading Tips
Oct 20, 2006
165 Abbreviations, Acronyms, And Initialisms
Oct 10, 2006
Excessive Redundant Redundancies
Oct 08, 2006
015 Title Capitalization Rules
Sep 24, 2006
11 Grammar Style Issues
Sep 07, 2006