Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

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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

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806 - Why You Should Try Fa...

01.14.2021

Why writing fanfiction can make you a better overall writer. Plus, my tricks for figuring out tricky pronunciations. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop ...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing episodes:

01.14.2021 806 - Why You Should Try Fanfiction. How to Find Tricky Pronunciations. Why writing fanfiction can make you a better overall writer. Plus, my tricks for figuring out tricky pronunciations. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop ...
01.07.2021 805 - 'Acedia': the lost name for the emotion we're all feeling right now "Acedia": the lost name for the emotion we're all feeling right now. Plus, when does "thank you" need a hyphen? Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. ...
12.31.2020 804 - Another Think/Thing Coming. 'Sanction,' 'Cleave,' 'Dust,' and More 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 ...
12.24.2020 803 - Pandemic, COVID, anderhalvemetersamenleving: 2020 Words of the Year 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 ...
12.17.2020 802 - Brandon Sanderson on Writing, Character and Place Names, and the Future 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 ...
12.10.2020 801 - How to Get Your 'Just Deserts.' Comma After 'But'? Why? More people get the phrase "just deserts" wrong than get it right, but we're here to help! Also, why do some people put a comma after "but"? They shouldn't, but we have some theories about why they do. (But don't.) ...
12.03.2020 800 - What Did You Step On? And Is That a Desert or a Dessert? Here's why you can ignore zombie rules and why it's actually better to write "What did you step on?" than "On what did you step?" (But also when you can't ignore those rules!) Then, I have two great memory tricks ...
11.26.2020 799 - What 'Whence' Has to Do with 'Where Are You At?' 'Regime' or 'Regimen'? Why the decline of 'whence' and 'whither' led to 'Where are you at?' And weird memory tricks to help you remember the difference between 'regime,' 'regimen,' and 'regiment.' (Don't say you weren't warned!) Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me ...
11.19.2020 798 - Why 'Hilarious' Is Funnier than 'Hysterical.' How to Start a Novel. The root of "hysterical" may surprise you (and make you want to use "hilarious" instead). Also, things to remember when starting a novel. Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl ...
11.12.2020 797 - Why Dickens' Character Names Are So Revealing. 'Continual' or 'Continuous'? What Dickens can teach you about choosing your characters' names. Plus, how to remember the frustratingly different meanings of "continuous" and "continual." Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. ...
11.06.2020 796 - What Is a 'Crony'? Why Doesn’t 'Veterans Day' Have an Apostrophe? 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 ...
10.29.2020 795 - Why People Use Scare Quotes. 'Dialog' or 'Dialogue'? We have some theories on why people write things such as "'fresh' meat." Plus, we dig in to the two spellings of "dialog" (or is that "dialogue"?). Read the transcript: Scare Quotes. 'Dialog' or 'Dialogue'? Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and ...
10.22.2020 794 - Create Characters as Great as Hamlet. How to Format Internal Dialogue 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 ...
10.15.2020 793 - Why Journalists Use Misspellings Like 'Lede' and 'Spox' Journalists "bury the lede," not the "lead." But why do they spell it that way? And what do HTK, TK, and CQ stand for? From "hed" to "spox," here's all the journo jargon that's fit to print. Read the transcript: ...
10.08.2020 792 - A Totally, Like, Bitchin' Podcast About 'Like' It's not lazy and it's not just filler, but using "like" too much can still get you in trouble. Read the transcript: Like Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl ...
10.01.2020 791 - 'Although' Versus 'While.' Why We Write with Cliches (and How to Stop) What happens when I discover that my pet peeve is wrong? Also, why do we write with cliches? Should we stop, and if so, how? Read the transcript: Although. Cliches. Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me ...
09.24.2020 790 - 'Laureate' Is Good. Why Is 'Resting on Your Laurels' Bad? 'Smarmy.' If getting laurels is good, and being a Nobel laureate is good, how did we get to "resting on your laurels" being bad? Also, we learn that the word "smarmy" started as a joke (in fact, a kind of familect ...
09.17.2020 789 - How to Make Your Readers Laugh. 'Whoa' or 'Woah'? Believe it or not, there are actually rules to being funny. Also, do you think "woah" is a separate word from "whoa"? Some people do, and they think it has a separate meaning. Read the transcript: Humor Writing. Whoa. Use ...
09.10.2020 788 - Why 'Out of Pocket' Means Both 'Inappropriate' and 'Unavailable' People have been asking about the "unavailable" meaning of "out of pocket" for decades, but there's also an "inappropriate" meaning that is spreading. Read the transcript: Out of Pocket Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where ...
09.03.2020 787 - Why We Associate Political Parties with the Colors Red and Blue 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 ...
08.27.2020 786 - 'Doomscrolling' (OK, Doomer). 'Each Other' or 'One Another'? Whether you call it "doomscrolling" or "doomsurfing," it's not your fault that you feel compelled to do it. "Doom" has an interesting history though. Also, in honor of "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," we talk about being excellent to each ...
08.20.2020 785 - 'Gantlet' or 'Gauntlet'? Do You Want to Say 'Had Went'? Have you been told to write "run the GANTLET"? Here's why you shouldn't. Also, editor Ben Yagoda explains why he's so tempted to use "had went" instead of "had gone." Read the transcripts: Gauntlet. Had Went. Use the hashtag #WhereIListen ...
08.13.2020 784 - A Historical Tip for Remembering When to Use 'Historical.' Put More Thought into Your Punctuation. Kamala Harris's selection as Joe Biden's running mate is important, significant, and a number of firsts, but should we call it "historic" or "historical"? (Also, learn about the time a woman shook her fist at me.) Plus, Edwin Battistella has ...
08.06.2020 783 - How Hurricanes Get Their Names. When You Should Avoid Using Contractions. Isaias. Mitch. Andrew. Jimena. How hurricanes get their names, and why you'll see some names twice and others never again. Also, have you ever heard that you shouldn't use contractions in your writing? We have the real story. Read the ...
07.30.2020 782 - What are those dots over letters? Why does 'money' have a plural, and how do you spell it? What are those double dots over letters in English? Why does "money" have a plural, and how do you spell it? Read the transcripts: Diaeresis. 'Monies' or 'Moneys'? Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the ...
07.23.2020 781 - Blursday or Whensday? Middle Grade Versus Young Adult Fiction 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 ...
07.16.2020 780 - Which Comes First? Who or Where? 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 ...
07.09.2020 779 - How You Can Help the OED. Capitalizing 'Black.' How Playwriting Techniques Can Improve Your Writing. Imagine the bragging rights: The OED needs your help antedating words. Why you should capitalize "Black." How playwriting techniques can improve your writing. Read the transcripts: OED. Black. Playwriting. OED Antedating Link: public.oed.com/appeals/oed-antedatings Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me ...
07.02.2020 778 - Do We Say 'Red Skies at Night, Sailor's Delight' Because of the Saharan Dust Plumes? Also, 'Yoiks!' The Saharan dust plumes can make the sky red, but they aren't the source of the old saying "Red skies at night, sailor's delight. Red skies in the morning, sailor take warning." That comes from clouds! Also, we talk about ...
06.25.2020 777 - How to Write Fight Scenes (and How to Get Started as a Fiction Editor) Fiction editor Joshua Essoe gives his best tips for writing fight scenes (hint: it's not about the fighting). And he describes how he got his first editing gig, which has led to a solid career as a freelance fiction editor. ...
06.18.2020 776 - Why a Detective Searched for 'Clews' in a 1929 Novel. ‘Systemic’ or ‘Systematic’? Our writer was surprised when he came across "clew" instead of "clue" in a detective novel from 1929, and the explanation includes a great story about the origin of the word "clue." Also, people have been wondering about the difference ...
06.11.2020 775 - Why We Talk About 'Bad Apples.' 'A Few' Versus 'a Couple' We started to wonder why people seem to forget the second half of the saying about bad apples. Plus, we settle a dispute about the difference between "a couple" and "a few." Read the transcripts: Bad Apples. A Couple and ...
06.04.2020 774 - Roy Peter Clark on Civic Clarity Roy Peter Clark has been teaching writing at the Poynter Institute since 1977 and regularly offers up some of the best writing advice I see. Today, we talked about Writing differently during the pandemic Living up to your duty as ...
05.28.2020 773 - Postal Zones. Reenter. Bougie. How postal zones led to ZIP codes. Why I like to put a hyphen in "re-enter." How "bougie," which today has a negative connotation, came from an older word that meant simply "middle class." Read the transcripts: ZIP Codes. Re-enter. ...
05.21.2020 772 - The History of ZIP Codes and Addresses (Plus How to Write Them) If you've ever wondered how to capitalize 'ZIP Code' (or is that 'ZIP code' or 'zip code'?), this one is for you. Plus, I have an interview with Deirdre Mask about this history and importance of addresses in general. It's ...
05.14.2020 771 - Writing Lessons from Bad Job Applications Our guest, Lindsay McMahon of the All Ears English podcast, recently hired and now shares the lessons she learned going through a lot of bad résumés and cover letters. Read the transcripts: Dos and Don'ts for Job Applications. Use the ...
05.07.2020 770 - 'Muslim' or 'Moslem'? 'Fishfolk'? 'Fishist'? What Is the Gender-Neutral Term for 'Fisherman'? Why do we use the new spelling "Muslim" and not the older spelling "Moslem" anymore? Also, we talk about AP Stylebook updates and end up on a fun tangent about a gender-neutral term for "fisherman." Read the transcripts: Muslim. AP ...
04.30.2020 769 - Why Do We Say 'Cool Your Heels'? What's Up With 'Zhuzh'? Here's why we say "cool your heels" and "cool your jets"—they're different! Also, we take a close look at the word "zhuzh" which means to make something more interesting or attractive. You may have never seen it spelled before, and ...
04.23.2020 768 - Why Aren't We 'Whelmed'? And Cabin 'Fever,' Anyone? We know we can be overwhelmed. Why aren't we ever just whelmed? Also, maybe it was having cabin fever that made us start thinking about all the English idioms that use the word "fever." Read the transcripts: Whelmed. Fever Idioms. ...
04.16.2020 767 - The semicolon is so much more interesting than you imagine From 19th century grammatical duels to modern day suicide prevention campaigns, the semicolon has a long history of inspiring strong emotions. Read the transcript. The Semicolon Profile of Lindley Murray Leave a review on Grammar Girl's Podchaser profile before April ...
04.09.2020 766 - 'Flaunt' and 'Flout.' 'Band Together.' The word "flaunt" and "flute" are strangely related (flue of shame, anyone?), but don't use either of them to mean "flout." Read the transcripts. 'Flout' and 'Flaunt.' 'Band Together.' Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning ...
04.02.2020 765 - Say No to Marshall Law. How 'Vaccine' Is Related to 'Cow.' Why you could be forgiven for (briefly) getting excited about "Marshall Law." Plus, the word "vaccine" is related to cows. That's a surprise! Read the transcripts. Martial Law. Vaccine and Vaccination. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my ...
03.26.2020 764 - Skeleton Crew. Hunker Down. Uncharted. Existential. Times are terrible, but no matter what is happening, we will always have interesting words and phrases to explore. Read the transcripts. Skeleton Crew. Hunker Down. Uncharted. Existential. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing ...
03.19.2020 763 - How to Write Better Email. 'Pandemic' vs. 'Epidemic.' 'Canceled' vs. 'Cancelled.' Are you writing more email? We have seven ways to do it better. Also, we'll help you understand the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic and when you should use "canceled" versus "cancelled." Read the transcripts. Email. Pandemic. Canceled. ...
03.12.2020 762 - How to Pronounce 'Celtic.' 'Whiskey' or 'Whisky'? Sports fans say "Seltik." Historians say "Keltik." Here's the deal. Plus, have you ever noticed that Irish whiskey and Scottish whisky are spelled differently? Read the transcripts. Celtic. Whiskey. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Join the conversation on ...
03.05.2020 761 - Why It's Called 'Daylight Saving Time.' The Origin of the Word 'Woman.' We're moving our clocks forward this weekend, but do you know why we call it "daylight saving time"? Plus, I have some other time-related tips. Finally, in honor of International Women's Day, we look at the surprising origin of the ...
02.27.2020 760 - What Is Genre. 'Bangs' Versus 'Fringe.' How to figure out which genre you love or how to describe the book you're writing so the publishing industry will understand where it fits. Also, we explain how Americans came to call fringe "bangs." LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn ...
02.20.2020 759 - What Does ‛Mardi Gras’ Mean? "Drive to Work" Versus "Drive Home" It’s the end of February, which means Mardi Gras is almost here! When we think of Mardi Gras, we picture parties, parades, and beads. But did you ever wonder what “Mardi Gras” means? Also, we answer a questions about why ...
02.13.2020 758 - Why 'XOXO' Means 'Hugs and Kisses' You may write "XOXO" to means "hugs and kisses," but do you know how those symbols get their meaning? LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT \| Earnest: http://earnest.com/grammar \| Modern Mentor ...
02.06.2020 757 - The days of the week are names you've known your whole life, but do you know their origin? Saturday and Tuesday come from different places. The days of the week are names you've known your whole life, but have you ever wondered about their origin? LINKS AND SPONSORS \| Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course ...

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