Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

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
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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.'
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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...

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....

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

You may write "XOXO" to means "hugs and kisses," but do you know how those symbols get their meaning?
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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?
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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...

Develop this one skill and you'll write better essays, profiles, movie reviews, complaint letters, and more.
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Language experts actually have theories about why people say they "could care less" (instead of they "couldn't care less"). We dig deep to find the root of the problem.
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In this interview, I talk with Bourne Morris about starting a writing career after you've retired. Bourne had one amazing career running a large advertising agency, a second as a journalism...

You don’t have to learn a new script when you learn Norwegian, Czech, or Portuguese, let alone French, so why does every East Asian language require you to learn a new script?
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Hebrew and English don't use the same alphabet, which is why you see so many different spellings for "Hanukkah." The word is transliterated from Hebrew instead of being directly translated from...

The sky is so dark in the Northern Hemisphere these days that it feels pitch black by 5:00 PM. Here's why call it "pitch black." Also, we know what gold is, but why did the three wise men give...

You think you know what you're trying to say, but are you making it clear? Joel Schwartzberg, author of "Get to the Point" has some great tips for, well, getting to the point.
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Do you think of the future as being in front of you or behind you? It might depend on what language you speak. Also, we explore the many languages of 'Star Wars.'
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