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Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

Education EN ↓ 1041 episodes

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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episodes

679 - Brussels sprouts? Scotch eggs? Swedish meatballs? Which food names can you trust? 15.04.2019 14:41

Some foods really do come from a certain city or region, others have names that are tied to the location but not in the way you think, and some are outright fakers. We get to the bottom of Brussels sprouts, Scotch eggs, Swedish meatballs, French dressing, and more. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebo...

678 - Moolah, Clams, and Scratch. God, Godsend, and Godfather. 11.04.2019 15:14

Paying our taxes made us think about slang words for money, and all the upcoming religious holidays made us wonder which "god" words to capitalize. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl...

676 - The Language of 'Game of Thrones' 04.04.2019 13:41

There’s so much excitement about the 'Game of Thrones' finale that we just had to include a segment about on it this week’s show. Not just because we love dragons and swords—we do! — but because a core part of the series has been the languages the characters speak. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebo...

675 - Why Verbs Like 'Witness' Are Weird 01.04.2019 15:59

A listener asked why a sentence using the verb "witness" sounded weird, and we found a surprising answer. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin...

674 - How You Can Benefit Year-Round from NaNoWriMo 28.03.2019 19:45

Grant Faulkner's organization has worked with hundreds of thousands of writers, and he has some advice for you. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com...

673 - Schwa-ify This! Scrabble Stories 25.03.2019 14:50

A scene from "The Princess Bride" will help you understand the schwa. Plus, how one Scrabble tournament got out of hand. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https...

672 - How a Semicolon Brought Two Writers Together 21.03.2019 20:57

Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer, authors of "Mr. Nice Guy," talk about how the semicolon brought them together, how they wrangle working as a writing team, and more. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://...

671 - Why We Have Both 'Color' and 'Colour' 18.03.2019 7:46

670 - Equinox. Is Irish the Same as Gaelic? 14.03.2019 14:08

669 - 'Red Tape,' 'Red Herring,' 'Paint the Town Red,' and More 'Red' Idioms. 11.03.2019 11:05

This week, we investigate the origin of "red tape" and other "red" idioms. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl SPONSOR...

668 - What's Wrong with 'These Ones'? Faith and Begorrah, We Have Irish Phrases for St. Patrick's Day! 07.03.2019 13:14

Faith and begorrah, we have Irish phrases for St. Patrick's Day! Plus, a listener asks whether it's wrong to say "these ones" and "those ones." FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: http...

667 - Why ducks say "quack-quack" in English but "ga-ga" in Japanese. 04.03.2019 9:27

FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad For iPad and iPhone: http://bit....

666 - Double Negatives. 28.02.2019 11:09

In this week's Grammar Girl podcast, we talk about why double negatives aren't always wrong. You just need to be careful with them. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: https://www.link...

665 - Language News Chat 25.02.2019 34:32

Mignon and Neal talk about language influencing memory, OFOM, university language programs, and more. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl...

664 - Benjamin Dreyer and His Unusual Pet Peeves 21.02.2019 35:52

New York Times bestselling author Benjamin Dreyer talks about his pet peeves, how he found his voice, why his book largely ignores AP style, and more. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedI...

663 - D-Day. Why I Want a Salad-Salad. 18.02.2019 13:11

What does the "D" in "D-Day" mean? What makes a salad-salad different from a plain old salad? FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/g...

662 - 'Racket' or 'Racquet'? Never Misspell 'Bureaucracy' Again. 14.02.2019 16:08

When to use "racket" and "racquet," never forget how to spell "bureaucracy" again, the origin of winter storm words. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/compan...

661 - How Paula Brackston picks her characters’ names and uses language to set a tone. 11.02.2019 22:37

Mignon and Paula Brackston (author of "The Witch's Daughter" and "The Little Shop of Found Things") talk about how Paula picks her characters’ names, how she uses language to set a tone, and how she juggles working on multiple books at once. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/gra...

660 - 'Irregardless' or 'Regardless'? Crime Words. 07.02.2019 16:18

Why do people say "irregardless" and where do we get words like "sleuth," "red herring," and "gumshoe"? FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: http...

659 - Normans, Ralls, and Voicemail 04.02.2019 3:48

I want you to share your family's word stories, and I tell one of my own to get you started. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl SPONSORS...

658 - 'Wage,' 'Wager,' and 'Wed' 31.01.2019 12:58

It's a Super Bowl episode! Grammar Girl investigates how "wager" is related to "wed" and "mortgage." Why does the saying "The wages of sin is death," treat "wages" as singular when it's most often plural? Plus, what does it mean to 'punt' something? FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammar...

657 - 'Tip of the Hat" or 'Tip Your Hand'? 'Yeah No.' 24.01.2019 17:01

This week, we figure out why you tip both your hat and your hand, and then we take a fascinating look at why people use the seemingly illogical phrase "Yeah no." FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/t...

656 - ‘Relapse’ or ‘Recur’? 'Kneeled' or 'Knelt.' ’Methinks.’ 17.01.2019 10:13

This week, I have a Quick and Dirty Tip about the difference between the words “relapse” and “recur,” another Quick and Dirty Tip about the difference between “kneeled” and “knelt,” and a meaty middle about the word “methinks.” Methinks you’ll like it! FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl...

655 - ‘Myriad’ or ‘Myriad Of’? What Is a Run-On Sentence? 10.01.2019 10:11

This week, we talk about the controversy over "a myriad of" and (clutch your pearls!) "myriads" and explain why a run-on sentence isn't just a really long sentence. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegramm...

654 - 'Stint' or 'Stent'? How to Pronounce 'Coyote.' 03.01.2019 14:23

This week, I give you a memory trick--based on an amazing story from history--for remembering the difference between "stint" and "stent," and we look at why people pronounce "coyote" at least five different ways. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl Pinterest:...