At some point you probably learned that words like "wife" and "life" are spelled with a "v" instead of "f" in plural form. Easy enough, until you found out plenty of other words, like "roof" and "sheriff," don't follow this rule.

TWTS: Why we can't spend our lifes cutting loafs with knifes

That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. Each week University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan will discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public Weekend Edition host Rebecca Kruth.

Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Language Learning

Social media has made a couple of longstanding English verbs work or mean differently.

TWTS: It "ghosts" without saying ... well, anything

If you want to pronounce "homage" to a tee, it may depend what you mean.

TWTS: You can pay homage with or without the "h"

As we live our lives, there's some new slang words that can help us narrate it as we go. That is, if we're in a demographic that allows us to use slang credibly.

TWTS: Learning new slang is good "for the plot"

We don’t all agree on whether or not we should correct the phrasing "whether or not."

TWTS: Whether "or not" belongs in "whether or not" or not

We can talk about sending emails back and forth. But why does it sound odd to talk about sending them forth and back?

TWTS: Why we can't spend our lifes cutting loafs with knifes

Download our free app to listen on your phone