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 and tag @GrammarGirl to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop iOS game. Peeve Wars card game...
Aug 20, 2020•12 min•Ep 785•Transcript available on Metacast 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 some great examples that show how small changes in punctuation can change the meaning and pacing of your work. Read the transcripts: Historic . Punctuation . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to ...
Aug 13, 2020•15 min•Ep 784•Transcript available on Metacast 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 transcripts: Hurricanes . Contractions . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitte...
Aug 06, 2020•18 min•Ep 783•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game . Grammar Girl books . HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-...
Jul 30, 2020•10 min•Ep 782•Transcript available on Metacast 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 of middle grade and young adult fiction. You'll learn a lot! Read the transcripts: Blursday. Middle Grade Versus Young Adult Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learni...
Jul 23, 2020•17 min•Ep 781•Transcript available on Metacast 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 for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game . Grammar Girl books . HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of th...
Jul 16, 2020•15 min•Ep 780•Transcript available on Metacast 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 where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Gra...
Jul 09, 2020•14 min•Ep 779•Transcript available on Metacast 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 which came first: "yikes" or "yoiks." Read the transcripts: Red Skies . Yoiks . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversat...
Jul 02, 2020•14 min•Ep 778•Transcript available on Metacast 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. Get Joshua's book, Essoe's Guides to Writing: Action Sequences . Read the transcript . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the ...
Jun 25, 2020•29 min•Ep 777•Transcript available on Metacast 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 between "systematic" and "systemic." They come from the same root, but have subtle differences in meaning. Don't get it wrong! Read the transcripts: ‘Clue’ or ‘Clew’? ‘Systemic’ or ‘Systematic’? Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Gram...
Jun 18, 2020•12 min•Ep 776•Transcript available on Metacast 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 a Few . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card gam...
Jun 11, 2020•11 min•Ep 775•Transcript available on Metacast 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 a writer to achieve civic clarity Creating his new book, " Murder Your Darlings " Learning that one of his best writing tips (which he shares) is as old as Roman times Being a putter-inner instead of a taker-outter Read the transcript: Roy Peter Clark interview . Use th...
Jun 04, 2020•33 min•Ep 774•Transcript available on Metacast 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 . Bougie . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve ...
May 28, 2020•12 min•Ep 773•Transcript available on Metacast 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 fascinating! Read the transcripts: ZIP Codes . Deirdre Mask Interview . Links mentioned in the podcast: ESRI Tapestry . Missing Maps . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch m...
May 21, 2020•22 min•Ep 772•Transcript available on Metacast 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 hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game ...
May 14, 2020•16 min•Ep 771•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Style Update s. Fisherman . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop...
May 07, 2020•13 min•Ep 770•Transcript available on Metacast 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 there's a reason. Read the transcripts: Cool Your Heels . Zhuzh . Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation ...
Apr 30, 2020•18 min•Ep 769•Transcript available on Metacast 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 . Nina Simone video of " Rags and Old Iron ." Leave a review on Grammar Girl's Podchaser profile before April 30, 2020, to benefit Meals on Wheels. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Fac...
Apr 23, 2020•11 min•Ep 768•Transcript available on Metacast 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 30, 2020, to benefit Meals on Wheels. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game . Grammar...
Apr 16, 2020•29 min•Ep 767•Transcript available on Metacast 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 writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game . Grammar Girl books . HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty T...
Apr 09, 2020•12 min•Ep 766•Transcript available on Metacast 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 LinkedIn Learning writing course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game . Grammar Girl books . HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of the ...
Apr 02, 2020•10 min•Ep 765•Transcript available on Metacast 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 course . Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game . Grammar Girl books . HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and D...
Mar 26, 2020•11 min•Ep 764•Transcript available on Metacast 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 . Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game . Grammar Girl books . HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of...
Mar 19, 2020•14 min•Ep 763•Transcript available on Metacast 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 Facebook and Twitter . Grammar Pop iOS game . Peeve Wars card game . Grammar Girl books . HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network . Links: h...
Mar 12, 2020•11 min•Ep 762•Transcript available on Metacast 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 words "woman" and "queen." LINKS AND SPONSORS | Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT | Earnest: http://earnest.com/grammar | GRAMMAR GIRL EMAIL NEWSLETTER | https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/newsletters | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME...
Mar 05, 2020•14 min•Ep 761•Transcript available on Metacast 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 how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT | 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/GrammarP...
Feb 27, 2020•11 min•Ep 760•Transcript available on Metacast 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 we need the "to" in "drive to work" but not in "drive home." 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 POP iOS GAME | Optimized fo...
Feb 20, 2020•9 min•Ep 759•Transcript available on Metacast 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 podcast: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/modern-mentor | 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://bi...
Feb 13, 2020•6 min•Ep 758•Transcript available on Metacast 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 free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT | http://helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com | Modern Mentor podcast from QDT | GRAMMAR GIRL EMAIL NEWSLETTER | https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/newsletters | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop | For iPad and...
Feb 06, 2020•10 min•Ep 757•Transcript available on Metacast In this Super-Bowl-themed episode, we learn why "high odds" and "low odds" are confusing, we learn why you want a disinterested referee, and in honor of the Puppy Bowl, we learn when to capitalize breed names. LINKS AND SPONSORS | Learn how you can get my LinkedIn Learning course free: https://t.co/coQuXJRtrT | Earnest: http://earnest.com/grammar GRAMMAR GIRL EMAIL NEWSLETTER | https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/newsletters | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop...
Jan 30, 2020•10 min•Ep 756•Transcript available on Metacast 
