Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

By QuickAndDirtyTips.com

Arts Education Literature

What's Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing about?

WINNER OF BEST EDUCATION PODCAST IN THE 2017 PODCAST AWARDS. Grammar Girl provides short, friendly tips to improve your writing. 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. Find the full, ad-free archive of Grammar Girl, as well as exclusive bonus episodes, only on Stitcher Premium. Use code GRAMMAR for one free month at stitcherpremium.com/grammar

4.5

2,213 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

755 - How to Write Anything

01.23.2020

Develop this one skill and you'll write better essays, profiles, movie reviews, complaint letters, and more. LINKS AND SPONSORS | Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT | GRAMMAR GIRL EMAIL NEWSLETTER | https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/newsletters | GRAMMAR ...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing episodes:

01.23.2020 755 - How to Write Anything Develop this one skill and you'll write better essays, profiles, movie reviews, complaint letters, and more. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT \| GRAMMAR GIRL EMAIL NEWSLETTER \| https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/newsletters \| GRAMMAR ...
01.16.2020 754. The Tie Between Ann Landers and 'Could Care Less.' Language experts actually have theories about why people say they "could care less" (instead of they "couldn't care less"). We dig deep to find the root of the problem. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can get my LinkedIn ...
01.09.2020 753 - Take Heart! Here's Why You Still Have Time to Write Your First Novel In this interview, I talk with Bourne Morris about starting a writing career after you've retired. Bourne had one amazing career running a large advertising agency, a second as a journalism professor, and is now the author of four novels ...
01.02.2020 752 - Why Do Asian Languages Have So Many Different Scripts? You don’t have to learn a new script when you learn Norwegian, Czech, or Portuguese, let alone French, so why does every East Asian language require you to learn a new script? LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can ...
12.26.2019 751 - Why Are There So Many Spellings for 'Hanukkah'? (Or Is That 'Chanukah'?) Hebrew and English don't use the same alphabet, which is why you see so many different spellings for "Hanukkah." The word is transliterated from Hebrew instead of being directly translated from Hebrew. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can ...
12.19.2019 750 - Pitch Black. Frankincense and Myrrh. The sky is so dark in the Northern Hemisphere these days that it feels pitch black by 5:00 PM. Here's why call it "pitch black." Also, we know what gold is, but why did the three wise men give gifts ...
12.16.2019 749 - How to Identify Your Main Point. It's Harder Than You Think! You think you know what you're trying to say, but are you making it clear? Joel Schwartzberg, author of "Get to the Point" has some great tips for, well, getting to the point. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you ...
12.12.2019 748 - Your Language Affects Your Perception of Time. 'Star Wars' Languages. Do you think of the future as being in front of you or behind you? It might depend on what language you speak. Also, we explore the many languages of 'Star Wars.' LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can ...
12.09.2019 747 - You Don't Have to Get Up on Stage for Improv to Boost Your Creativity Are you looking for a way to jumpstart your creativity and writing? You may be surprised to find out how much techniques from improv can help! You'll love this interview with Jorjeana Marie, the author of "Improv for Writers." LINKS ...
12.05.2019 746 - How to Make Family Names Plural. How Come We Ask 'How Come?' Making last names plural? Addressing more than one sister-in-law? More than one Mister? We show you how to address them properly. Also, we investigate why we sometimes ask "How come?" instead of "Why?" LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you ...
12.02.2019 745 - 'More Than' Versus 'Over.' Is a Hamburger a Sandwich? The AP Stylebook changed its stance on using "over" to mean "more than." Plenty of people were shocked, but they shouldn't have been. And then we debate the linguistics of whether a hamburger is a sandwich. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| ...
11.28.2019 744 - Cold Turkey, Talk Turkey, and More. The Weird Origin of the Cornucopia. Have you ever wondered what cold turkey has to do with quitting a habit? We have the answer to that and we look at other turkey idioms. And continuing the Thanksgiving theme, we also explore the weird origin of the ...
11.25.2019 743 - How to Get Your Characters Right (Especially When They Aren't Like You) In this interview, Diana Pho, a two-time Hugo nominated editor with Tor.com Publishing, helped me understand the role of sensitivity readers and how to write a diverse cast of characters without completely screwing it up. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn ...
11.21.2019 742 - Famous Quotations. Silent Letters. You may think that quotation you love came from Plato or G. K. Chesterton, but are you sure? Also, we look at why it's tricky to to figure out why a letter is silent in certain words. LINKS AND SPONSORS ...
11.18.2019 741 - Behind the Scenes in Publishing. If you're interested in publishing a YA novel (or are just interested in how publishing works), this interview with Kat Brzozowski about Swoon Reads and what happens behind the scenes is for you. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you ...
11.15.2019 740 - Do You Know When to Use Quotation Marks? Also, How to Create a House Style. Do you know when to use quotation marks? How about single quotation marks? Also, you know about the major style guides (AP, Chicago, etc.), but do you also have your own house style guide? Here's why you should! LINKS AND ...
11.11.2019 739 - The Problem with Sarcasm. Filthy Lucre. People have been trying to create sarcasm punctuation marks for years, but the solution is already in our hands. Plus, have you ever wondered why we call money "filthy lucre"? We did! LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can ...
11.07.2019 738 - Can a Boy Raised by Wolves Learn to Speak Human Language? It Depends. The story of Victor of Aveyron, a boy who was raised by wolves and taught us about language. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT \| Hallmark: https://hallmark.com/grammar Code:GRAMMAR \| Bombas: https://bombas.com/grammar ...
11.04.2019 737 - Curtis Chen: Using NaNoWriMo to Kickstart Your Novel How you can use NaNoWriMo to jumpstart your fiction writing. Plus, more extreme measures to move your writing forward...if you're up for it. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT \| Waterpik: ...
10.31.2019 736 - Ghastly Words for Ghosts. Quid pro Quo. In honor of Halloween, we look at ghastly words for ghosts. Also, people have been asking how to properly use the phrase "quid pro quo," so we have the answer. (Do you know the plural?) LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn ...
10.28.2019 735 - Dave Itzkoff on Writing a Biography of Robin Williams LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Ways to get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT \| Capterra: https://capterra.com/grammar \| GRAMMAR GIRL EMAIL NEWSLETTER \| https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/newsletters \| GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME \| Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop \| For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopMobile \| ...
10.24.2019 734 - Ghost Words In honor of Halloween, we talk about ghost words such as "phantomnation," "gravy," "twill," and more. Words that shouldn't exist. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT \| Bona: https://bona.com/grammar \| Masterclass: ...
10.21.2019 733 - Why People Hate Words Like 'Moist' When people have a negative physical reaction to a specific word, it's called word aversion (not misophonia as some people mistakenly presume). "Moist," "pustule," and "panties" are just a few of the words that come up over and over. In ...
10.17.2019 732 - How to Write a Conclusion. ‘Rebut’ or ‘Refute’? Writing a conclusion can be the hardest part of writing an essay. We have help! Also, a listener asked me to explain the difference between "rebut" and "refute." LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning ...
10.14.2019 731 - Compound Possession. 'Friday' or 'On Friday'? In this show, we answer two listener questions: 1. Should you write about "Bill and Ted's trip" or "Bill's and Ted's trip"? 2. Should you say you'll listen "Tuesday" or "on Tuesday"? LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can ...
10.10.2019 730 - Turning a Podcast into a Novel: 'The Bright Sessions' to 'The Infinite Noise' Lauren Shippen, the creator of one of my new favorite audio dramas, "The Bright Sessions," talks about turning a podcast into a novel and about going from working alone to working on multiple projects and managing whole teams. LINKS AND ...
10.07.2019 729 - Making Words That End in Y Plural.'Primer' Pronunciation. If you've ever wondered why "primer" is sometimes pronounced "primmer," this show is for you! We also talk about why you make words that end in Y plural in different ways. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can get ...
10.03.2019 728 - How English Words Came Into French After World War II French authorities tried to keep English out of their language, but “tank,” “bulldozer,” and “jeep” got the ball rolling, and it kept going from there. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT ...
09.30.2019 727 - The Quirky Australian 'Crime' Tense. 'Hopefully.' A listener asked why Australians use the present perfect tense in a way you won't hear in British or American English. You'll often hear it in crime reports or on the radio. Also, we look at a slightly controversial use ...
09.26.2019 726 - A Cup of Joe. ‘Smokey’ and ‘Smoky.’ In honor of National Coffee Day, we talk about the origin of coffee and all its nicknames. Plus, I'll help you remember the difference between "smoky" and "smokey" with a little help from Smokey Bear. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| TED ...
09.23.2019 725 - Interviewing, Story Structure, and Writing Tools with Jonathan Small If you've ever been nervous before interviewing someone, struggled to write a good lede, or just want to get some tips on handy tools for writers, this interview with Jonathan Small is for you. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| TED Talks ...
09.19.2019 724 - Why Esperanto Is an Amazing Language. 'Fall' or 'Autumn'? Created on purpose and easy to learn, Esperanto will amaze you. Once you learn the origin of "fall," you'll look at trees in a whole new way. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Bona: http:/bona.com/grammar \| Masterclass: http://masterclass.com/grammar\| Grammar Girl Email Newsletter ...
09.16.2019 723 - Grammar Girl #723. Tips for Fact Checking. Why We Use the Term 'Watershed Moment.' Learn from our fact checking tips that come from years of experience. Also, we answer a listener question about why we call something a "watershed moment." LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Merrill Financial Advisor Development Program: http:/careers.bankofamerica.com \| Magoosh: http://magoosh.com code: ...
09.12.2019 722 - 'Math' or 'Maths'? Irregular Verbs. Have you ever wondered why the British say "maths" and "in hospital" and Americans say "math" and "in the hospital"? We have some answers. Also, we look at why the most common verbs tend to be irregular. LINKS AND SPONSORS ...
09.09.2019 721 - Verbing Nouns. 'It Is I' or 'It Is Me'? Alan wonders what to think about his co-workers "solutioning" problems. Also, we investigate whether you should tell people "It is I" or "It is me." LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Merrill Financial Advisor Development Program: http:/careers.bankofamerica.com \| Magoosh: http://magoosh.com code: GRAMMAR ...
09.05.2019 720 - Getting Your Tricky Conditionals Right. Wheelhouse. We think there are better ways to talk about conditionals (such as "If Squiggly knew the answer...") than to use the vague terms first, second, and third conditionals. Also we look at why people talk about things being "in their ...
09.02.2019 719 - Why 'Literally' Doesn't Mean 'Literally' Anymore. Video Games for Language Learning. If you hate how people misuse words like "literally" and "awesome," at least you can learn that there's a name for that kind of misuse: semantic bleaching. Also, have you ever considered using World of Warcraft or Final Fantasy XIV ...
08.29.2019 718 - Writing Scripts and Speeches. Ask and Aks. Writing for speech is different from writing for print. The "aks" pronunciation for "ask" has a nearly 1000-year history. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Magoosh: http://magoosh.com code: GRAMMAR \| Babbel: http://babbel.com \| Blinkist: http://blinkist.com/grammar Grammar Girl Email Newsletter \| https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/newsletters \| ...
08.26.2019 717 - Words that Sound Funny Use these tricks to get a laugh. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Merrill Financial Advisor Development Program: http:/careers.bankofamerica.com \| Magoosh: http://magoosh.com code: GRAMMAR \| Proactiv: http://proactiv.com/grammar \| Grammar Girl Email Newsletter \| https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/newsletters \| Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/APStyle2019 \| ...
08.23.2019 716 - What's Up With Words That Are Spelled the Same but Sound Different? SUS-pect and sus-PECT. IN-valid and in-VALID. English is filled with words that are spelled the same but sound different. We dug in and found a few interesting reasons. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Magoosh: http://magoosh.com code: GRAMMAR \| Bank of America.: ...
08.19.2019 715 - POV. Plus 'Tinderella,' 'phubbing,' and more words at the intersection of relationships and technology. We rock. You rock. They rock. Understanding point of view in fiction. "Tinderella," "phubbing," and more words at the intersection of relationships and technology. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Merrill Financial Advisor Development Program: http:/careers.bankofamerica.com \| True & Co.: http://trueandco.com/grammar code: ...
08.16.2019 714 - Eponyms: Cardigan, Dunce, Quisling, and More. Some words get their names from people, and when they do, the stories are usually fascinating. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Magoosh: http://magoosh.com code: GRAMMAR \| True & Co.: http://trueandco.com/grammar code: GRAMMAR \| Babbel: http://babbel.com \| Grammar Girl Email Newsletter \| ...
08.12.2019 713 - More Apostrophe Mayhem. Dyslexia Writing Tips One of the most common questions I get is how to make a word like "Kansas" possessive. There isn't a right or wrong answer, but I can help you decide which is best for you. Also, we have tips on ...
08.08.2019 712 - Apostrophe Catastrophe. What (or Who) Is a Cipher? It's not your fault apostrophes are confusing. We have help. Also, I called someone a "cipher," and my husband didn't know what that meant. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Magoosh: http://magoosh.com code: GRAMMAR \| True & Co.: http://trueandco.com/grammar code: GRAMMAR \| ...
08.05.2019 711 - Misheard Song Lyrics and Eggcorns. The Ampersand. When you mishear song lyrics, the resulting (often funny) error is called a mondegreen. We have the story about why and the run-down on similar funny errors. Also, did you know the ampersand used to be the last "letter" in ...
08.01.2019 710 - Vacay. Why Some People Call Green Peppers 'Mangoes' It's time to take off, and we have 10 words to describe it. Also, we dig in to an interesting mystery: Why some people call green peppers "mangoes." LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Magoosh: http://magoosh.com code:GRAMMAR \| Audible: http://audible.com/GG or text ...
07.29.2019 709 - Surprise! The History of Semicolons Is Exciting. I talked with Cecelia Watson, author of the new book "Semicolon" about how grammar writers in the 1800s became fabulously wealthy, struggled to create rules, and had vicious arguments; and we talked about how researching the book changed her approach ...
07.25.2019 708 - Why Alcohol Is 'Hard.' 'Phenomena' or 'Phenomenon'? A listener asked why we call some kinds of alcohol hard drinks and spirits, so we found the answer! Also, I'll help you remember the difference between "phenomenon" and "phenomena." LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Magoosh: http://magoosh.com code:GRAMMAR \| Blinkist: http://blinkist.com/grammar ...
07.22.2019 707 - How and Why the Internet Is Changing Language Gretchen McCulloch studies how people use language on the internet, and today we talked about her new book, "Because Internet." I bet you'll recognize yourself or your friends in her insights. I did! LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Embark: http://embarkvet.com promo ...
07.18.2019 706 - Sometimes It's Not a Bad Idea to Dumb Down Your Language. Why sometimes it's not a bad idea to dumb down your language. LINKS AND SPONSORS \| True & Co: http://trueandco.com/grammar code:GRAMMAR \| Grammar Girl Email Newsletter \| https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/newsletters \| Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/APStyle2019 \| GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME ...

Older episodes