In “Not Your Grandma’s Grammar,” we dive deep into the evolving landscape of language, exploring what’s truly worth holding onto from the old-school grammar playbook and what’s time to retire.

Dave Nelsen shares what he thinks Grandma did get right, the most common mistakes he still spots out in the wild, and the grammar “hills” he’s ready to defend fiercely.

Dave has more than two decades of experience copy editing business collateral, academic writing, proposal content, marketing materials, and anything else that’s been put in front of him. Dave has been with Dragonfly Editorial since 2017. He began as a contractor, editing and writing proposal content for several of Dragonfly’s health care and IT clients. Today, as the deputy editorial manager, he works closely with the editorial manager to develop and maintain Dragonfly’s high editing standards. He also edits and proofreads proposal content and other communication for key clients. He’s especially proud of his super-nerd-level love of style guides. Ask him any question about the Associated Press Stylebook or The Chicago Manual of Style, and you’ll have a hard time shutting him up.

In this episode, we challenge the myths (yes, including that infamous “don’t end a sentence with a preposition” rule), and discuss how modern communication—think texting, TikTok, and Threads—is reshaping our understanding of language.

We also tackle hot topics like:

·       Is autocorrect helping or hurting our grammar brains?

·       Why punctuation in texts can sometimes feel like a secret message.

·       How grammar rebels from history inspire today’s editors.

·       Why editors might want to broaden their skill sets beyond traditional copyediting.

Plus, for exclusive content, Dave dives into the future of grammar in an AI-driven world. From how editors might become language ethicists to the challenge of editing algorithm-generated voices, this episode is a must-listen for anyone passionate about the craft of language. (Visit patreon.com/EditorsHalfHour to become a Patreon supporter to get access to the exclusive content.)

You can find Dave on LinkedIn and Bluesky:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-nelsen-0551588/

@thegrammargeek.bsky.social

Visit https://dragonflyeditorial.com/resources/top-4-english-myths/ to read the “Top 4 English Language Myths,” which is one of Dragonfly’s Field Guides written by Dave.

Visit https://dragonflyeditorial.com/training/ to learn more about the webinars they have to offer.

Leave a review or share this episode with your fellow word nerds and editing enthusiasts!

Check out other episodes of The Editor’s Half Hour: piquepublishing.com/podcast

Connect with me on Instagram: @Editors_Half_Hour

Subscribe to my newsletter: tinyurl.com/EditorsHalfHour

Become a Patreon Sneak “Pique” supporter: patreon.com/EditorsHalfHour