Shows / Grammar Girl
Grammar Girl
Five-time winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. Grammar Girl provides short, friendly tips to improve your writing and feed your love of the English language. 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.
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Episodes
Grammar GirlThe ancient word for 'star' and the steppe nomads who spread it, with Laura Spinney
1233. This week, we talk to Laura Spinney, author of "Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global." We look at how linguists reconstruct a language no one…
Grammar Girl4 everyday words that started out as monsters. 'Graveyard' versus 'cemetery.' Which is which?
1232. This week, we look at four ordinary words — "hippocampus," "chimera," "behemoth," and "gargantuan" — that all started as the names of monsters. Then, we…
Grammar GirlBeowulf’s ‘you know,’ Shakespeare’s ‘prithee,’ and the myth of Valley Girl ‘like,’ with Dr. Laurel Brinton
1231. This week, Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and sits down with linguist Laurel Brinton to talk about little words like “well,” “you know,” and…
Grammar GirlWhat's a familect? The words only your family uses
1230. This week, the whole show is about familects, the words and phrases you only use with your family. We look at where they come from and what they do, how…
Grammar GirlYour college essay doesn't need an extraordinary story, with Ethan Sawyer
1229. This week, we talk with Ethan Sawyer, the College Essay Guy, about AI and college admissions essays. We look at why admissions officers told him “don’t”…
Grammar GirlWhy does 'Here comes he' sound so wrong?
1228. This week, we look at why "Here comes the bride" sounds right but "Here comes he" sounds wrong. Then we have an update on Zipf's law: after whales and…
Grammar GirlFamous quotes we've been getting wrong, from Robert Frost to 'Don't mess with Texas,' with Eli Burnstein
1227. This week, we talk to Eli Burnstein, author of "Phrased & Confused." We look at why Robert Frost's "road less traveled" wasn't really less traveled, and…
Grammar GirlIs it 'try and' or 'try to'? What does an epilogue do?
1226. This week, we look at why so many people say "try and" instead of "try to," including why it may be the older form, why it turns up more in speech than…
Grammar Girl'Rizz,' 'lost in the sauce,' and Dictionary.com's newest words, with Steve Johnson
1225. This week, we talk to lexicographer Steve Johnson from Dictionary.com. We look at how slang like "no cap" and "throw hands" works its way up from a…
Grammar GirlWhy are ships called 'she'?
1224. This week, we look at why English speakers call ships "she," even when the ship is named Henry. Then we have a follow-up on "maxxing" from two listeners…
Grammar GirlWhat's in a word? Mapping America's regional vocabulary and the Linguistic Atlas Project, with Allison Burkette
1223. This week, Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and sits down with linguist Allison Burkette of the Linguistic Atlas Project at the University of…
Grammar GirlHow often do you use 'the'? Meet Zipf's law
1222. This week, we look at Zipf's law, a pattern that shapes how often you use your most common words, and why SETI researchers think it could help identify…
Grammar GirlMin-maxxing, looksmaxxing, and Nixon-maxxing, with Roger Kreuz
1221. This week, we talk to Roger Kreuz, associate dean at the University of Memphis, about the "maxxing" craze. We look at how it started with min-maxxing in…
Grammar GirlWhy do pirates say 'Arr'? Is it 'none is' or 'none are'?
1220. This week, in honor of Talk Like a Pirate Day, we look at the history of eight pirate words, and then we look at whether the right pairing is "none is"…
Grammar GirlStray Russian words and made-up style rules, with Daniel Heuman and Chris Ryder
1219. This week, we talk to Daniel Heuman and Chris Ryder from Intelligent Editing about the errors hiding in AI writing that looks flawless. We look at why it…
Grammar GirlWho's a good boy? The science behind 'dog voice.' Is it 'bated breath' or 'baited breath'?
1218. This week, we look at "dog-directed speech" — the high-pitched, sing-songy register people love to use with dogs — and what the research says about…
Grammar GirlHow we got from no spaces between words to the interrobang, with Florence Hazrat
1217. This week, we talk to Florence Hazrat, author of "On the Mark," about how punctuation evolved over 2,000 years. We look at why ancient Greek and Roman…
Grammar GirlWhy do so many last names sound like jobs?
1216. In honor of Labor Day, we look at occupational surnames — why Baker, Cooper, and Fletcher sound like jobs, and why Wainwright, Chandler, and Fuller were…
Grammar GirlExplosions, chemistry, and dictionary 'spite,' with Kory Stamper
1215. This week, we talk to Kory Stamper about why color science is surprisingly dangerous. We look at the literal chemical explosions at DuPont dye labs and…
Grammar GirlIt's Greek to me: Why is the language of 'The Odyssey' shorthand for all that we don’t understand?
1214. This week, we look at why we say, "It's all Greek to me" when we don't understand something. We trace the phrase from medieval monks who couldn't read…
Grammar GirlSarah L. Kaufman on the shared rhythm of dance, critical writing, and finding better verbs
1213. Pulitzer-Prize-winning dance critic Sarah L. Kaufman goes deeper into her journey from the "Washington Post" copy desk to the world of professional dance…
Grammar GirlWhat 'kith and kin' and 'beck and call' have in common
1212. This week, we look at fossil words — old words like "kith," "beck," and "hue" that survive only inside phrases like "kith and kin," "beck and call," and…
Grammar GirlWord wagons and bobbasheelys: Life at DARE, with Joan Houston Hall
1211. Today, we look at the behind-the-scenes history of the Dictionary of American Regional English with Joan Houston Hall. We look at her personal journey…
Grammar GirlWhy does 'shh' mean the same thing in so many languages, and what's 'broad' about daylight?
1210. This week, we look at why the sound "shh" means "be quiet" in so many different languages, and we trace the phrase "broad daylight" back to Old English…
Grammar GirlHow comics are made, with Glenn Fleishman
1209. Glenn Fleishman discusses the mechanical journey of a comic strip, from the cartoonist’s ink to the final newspaper page. We look at why drawing close to…
Grammar GirlWhy does the U.S. have so many regional accents?
1208. This week, linguist Valerie Fridland explains why the U.S. has so many regional accents — tracing New England, Mid-Atlantic, Southern, and Western speech…
Grammar GirlWhy "golly" and "gosh" are going the way of the dinosaur, with Sali Tagliamonte
1207. This week, we look at the hidden linguistic history of Ontario with Sali Tagliamonte. We look at why euphemisms like "golly" and "gosh" are going the way…
Grammar GirlThe secret language of gamers. Plus, why ducks don't ‘duck’ from danger
1206. This week, we look at the secret language of video gamers — including why getting "nerfed" is a bad thing and what it means to "rage quit" — and we…
Grammar Girl'Writing for AI' and the flaws of AI detectors, with Sean Goedecke
1205. In the bonus discussion this week, we continue discussing AI em dashes with Sean Goedecke, software engineer for GitHub. We talk about why AI detectors…
Grammar GirlShark Week: 6 sayings from pop culture
1204. This week, in honor of Shark Week, we look at six fun shark sayings from pop culture, including "jumping the shark," "voodoo shark," and more. The shark…
Grammar GirlDecoding the Chinese character paradox, with Dr. Charles Kemp
1203. In this bonus discussion with Dr. Charles Kemp, we look at why the Chinese writing system has actually become visually more complex over thousands of…
Grammar GirlIsn't it ironic? Plus, the man behind the guillotine
1202. This week, we look at the tricky question of what makes something ironic, including situational irony, verbal irony, and "skunked" words, with help from…
Grammar GirlSaving Canadian lexicography, with John Chew
1201. In this bonus discussion from January, we look at why Canada has been without a current homegrown dictionary for twenty years and how John Chew is…
Grammar GirlSnowclones: fill-in-the-blank phrases we can’t stop remixing. Plus, is it 'RBIs' or 'RBI'?
1200. This week, we look at snowclones like “X is the new Y,” including where the name came from and why we find them so satisfying. Then, we look at how to…
Grammar GirlBuilding a beloved resource for word lovers, with Doug Harper
1199. In this bonus episode first released to Grammarpaloozians in January, we look at what it means to turn a "channeled obsession" into a resource used by…
Grammar GirlHow to answer the question 'What's your book about?'
1198. This week, we look at how to answer the question every author dreads: "So, what's your book about?" with workplace communications coach Joel…
Grammar GirlFossil words, eponyms, and a miscellany of weird facts, with Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller
1197. This week, guest host Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and talks to Jess Zafarris and Shannon Miller about their new book, "A Miscellany of Weird and…
Grammar GirlWhy 'love' means 'zero' in tennis
1196. This week, we look at why "love" means "zero" in tennis, from egg-shaped zeros to playing for the love of the game, and how the sport's quirky 15-30-40…
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Tomi Adeyemi: The writing life
874. With her book "Children of Blood and Bone" spending 120 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, Tomi Adeyemi knows what it takes to write a great…
Grammar GirlThe bouba-kiki effect in baby chicks, with Dr. Maria Loconsole
1195. This week, we talk to Dr. Maria Loconsole from the University of Padua about her research into the bouba-kiki effect, the near-universal tendency to…
Grammar GirlThe secret code of weather forecasts
1194. This week, we look at weather forecast terminology, including why "mostly sunny" and "partly cloudy" aren't the same thing, what "oktas" are, and how…
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Randall Munroe of xkcd: Language chat and weird bee laws.
898. Randall Munroe joined me back in October 2022 to talk about his language-themed xkcd cartoons, his simple-language project Up Goer V, his biggest pet…
Grammar GirlWhat it really takes to translate Shakespeare, with Daniel Hahn
1193. Today, we talk to award-winning translator Daniel Hahn, author of "If This Be Magic," about what it really takes to translate Shakespeare, starting with…
Grammar GirlHow to get started as a freelance writer
1192. How do you get your first writing jobs when you don’t have much experience? Grammar Girl shares stories from her own early career and offers advice on…
Grammar GirlThe case for language clarity, with Iva Cheung
1191. This week, we talk to Iva Cheung, a plain language expert and editor who has helped shape Canada's accessibility standards. We look at what plain…
Grammar GirlDoes Yoda speak 'real' English? Is it 'a real trouper' or 'a real trooper'?
1190. This week, we look at what makes Yoda's English special, and we look at the difference between “trooper” and “trouper,” including whether singular…
Grammar GirlEveryone has a story to tell, and why your memoir matters, with Grant Faulkner
1189. This week, we talk to Grant Faulkner, co-founder of Memoir Nation and former executive director of NaNoWriMo, about what makes writing a memoir different…
Grammar GirlHow ‘bee’s knees’ became high praise, and why do recipes sound so bossy?
1188. This week, we look at how “the bee's knees” went from meaning something tiny to the cheeriest slang of the 1920s — and why it outlasted the cat's pajamas…
Grammar GirlWhy your topic isn't a point (and how to fix it), with Joel Schwartzberg
1187. Today, we talk to workplace communications coach and author Joel Schwartzberg about how to clearly and effectively get to the point, and he outlines how…
Grammar GirlHow many people is a 'troop'? Why spelling bees are called 'bees.'
1186. This week, we look at why the word "troops" is surprisingly ambiguous and what style guides say about using it to refer to individual service members…
Grammar GirlThe hidden logic of English spelling, with Colin Gorrie
1185. Today, we look at why English spelling is secretly optimized for readers. Colin Gorrie, linguist and creator of the Dead Language Society newsletter…
Grammar GirlHow the Crusades gave us 'lingua franca.' 'That' or 'who' for animals? Doot doot doot
1184. This week, we look at the history of lingua francas, from the original mix of Italian, French, Spanish, Arabic, and Turkish used during the Crusades to…
Grammar GirlMeeting the new editor, with AP Stylebook's Anna Jo Bratton
1183. This week, we talk to Anna Jo Bratton about leading the committee that decides the rules for the "journalism bible." We look at how the team…
Grammar GirlDecoding the colon: AP vs. MLA style. Plus, words with no known origin.
1182. This week, we solve the mystery of the colon: when do you actually need to capitalize the next word? We compare AP, Chicago, and MLA styles to give you a…
Grammar GirlThe hidden superpower of verbs, with Sarah L. Kaufman
1181. This week, we talk to Sarah L. Kaufman about verbs. We look at why English is a "manner verb" superpower and why babies often learn prepositions before…
Grammar GirlWhy English creates so many words spelled the same. Why we say 'ye olde' instead of 'the old.'
1180. Why does "Ye Olde Shoppe" look old-fashioned? This week, we look at the vanished letters of English — thorn, eth, and yogh — and at why English has so…
Grammar Girl'Why We Talk Funny.' The reasons behind our accents, with Valerie Fridland
1179. This week, we talk to Valerie Fridland, a linguist and professor who grew up in Memphis surrounded by Southern accents and now researches the history and…
Grammar GirlShould you start a sentence with 'hopefully'? Why we might not recognize alien language.
1178. Do you cringe when someone says "Hopefully, he'll pass the test"? This week, we look at why "hopefully" as a sentence adverb has been controversial for…
Grammar GirlInside the life of a curator (and the myth of white gloves), with John Overholt.
1177. This week, we look at behind-the-scenes of being a curator at Harvard's Houghton Library with John Overholt. We look at why 18th-century paper is…
Grammar GirlWhy 'stressed' spelled backwards reveals a delicious truth. 'Me' versus 'myself'
1176. This week, we look at mind-bending words, including "semordnilap" (which spells "palindromes" backwards), "pentasyllabic" (which has five syllables), and…