Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

Are 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. 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 car...

It'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. 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 F...

Brandon shares funny stories about character and place names gone wrong, his writing struggles, and what the future holds for his work. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game . Grammar Girl books . HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-44...

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.) 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...

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. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing c...

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!) Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Joi...

The root of "hysterical" may surprise you (and make you want to use "hilarious" instead). Also, things to remember when starting a novel. Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game ....

What Dickens can teach you about choosing your characters' names. Plus, how to remember the frustratingly different meanings of "continuous" and "continual." Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Gra...

What Is a 'Crony'? Why Doesn’t 'Veterans Day' Have an Apostrophe? Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game . Grammar Girl books . HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMA...

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'? Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . J...

6 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 Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my...

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 Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing c...

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 Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. 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...

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 . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twit...

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 . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. W...

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 . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writin...

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 Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation o...

Nick 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 Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversa...

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 . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you lis...

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 . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag @GrammarGirl to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writi...

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 ....

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 . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regul...

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'? Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar...

Blursday 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 Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to...

We started to wonder about the question words in the phrase "Who does what and goes where when." Read the transcript . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. 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...