Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
By QuickAndDirtyTips.com
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.
Latest episode
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Do words like 'mandate' and 'cockamamie' come from words for men? Grammatical doppelgangers. A pair of teeth.
1014. We debunk misconceptions about gendered language, tracing the etymology of words like "cockamamie" and "gynecology." We also look at the flexibility of English grammar, examining how common words like "that" and "up" can function as different p… -
What fiction writers know about avoiding stereotypes, with Alex Temblador
1013. How can fiction writers create diverse, authentic characters without relying on stereotypes? Alex Temblador, author of "Writing An Identity Not Your Own," tackles this question and more. Learn about the importance of community engagement in res… -
'Tea' or 'chai'? Why we misspeak. Fellatone.
1012. Most words are different in different languages, but water from steeped leaves has only two main names: tea and chai. We look at why! Also, if you've ever mixed up words, like calling a butterfly a "flutterby," you'll love learning about what t… -
The language of liars. 'Legendary,' 'famous,' or 'notorious'? Fish shapes.
1011. This week, we look at language patterns that may indicate someone is lying, such as how often they say "um" and the diversity of the words they use. Then we tease out the difference between being legendary, famous, infamous, and notorious. -
Cat Idioms. 'Summerween' and other blends. Bankery
1010. We'd never be accused of belling the cat, but we did let our curiosity get the best of us when sniffing around common cat-related idioms. Plus, little did we know that we're already in Augtober and Summerween! Grab a pumpkin-spiced treat and co… -
Apostrophes have always been confusing. 'First' or 'firstly'? Trudy!
1009. If you think apostrophes are confusing today, wait until you hear how people used them 100s of years ago! Ammon Shea has some wild stories. Plus, should you use "first," "second," and "third" or "firstly," "secondly," and "thirdly"? -
When to use 'the' before a noun. Why rhymes help us remember. Opening a lime.
1008. We look at why you have to use "the" before some nouns and not others, and then we dive into the science behind why rhymes stick in our memory and how they can even influence our beliefs. -
Why singers lose their accents. Why the 'I before E' rule is weird.
1007. Why do Adele and Susan Boyle sound American when they sing? We have answers. Plus, with all the talk about "weird" lately, we think it's time to examine the old "I before E except after C" rule that has so many exceptions it's hardly a rule at … -
Why 'I' takes plural verbs. Making names that end in S, like Harris and Biles, possessive. Marinate.
1006. We look at why the pronoun "I" seems to take plural verbs, and then we talk about a grammar topic that's in the news: how to make names that end in S (like Harris and Biles) possessive. -
A brief history of English (aka when they spoke French in England). Killer death meat.
1005. You asked, so I have a brief history of English from invading Germanic tribes to the Modern English era. We talk about Vikings, the Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the Tyndale Bible, the printing press, and more.