Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

957. We trace the linguistic history behind "house" and "mansion" to uncover how these two humble words for dwellings grew apart, with "mansion" gaining airs — all because of the Norman invasion....

956. How did terms like "stereotype," "boilerplate," and "typecast" make the leap from specialist printing vocabulary to widespread figurative language? We trace the etymology of these and other...

955.  This week, we're looking at the curious origins and histories behind common idioms and expressions that use "black," like "Black Friday," "black sheep," "in-the-black," and more. Then we...

954.  Uh-oh, "irregardless" isn’t going away anytime soon. Take a deep breath while we dig into this hated word’s history, from its first appearance in 1795 to today. And then, do you love a good...

953. In honor of Veterans Day, Ben Yagoda tells us tales of military words that marched from the British lexicon to American English and influence the way we speak today. "Omnishambles," "gadget,"...

951.  In honor of National Cliché day, we uncover why some overused phrases rub us the wrong way. What is the boundary between idioms, slang, and clichés—and should we give "adulting" a break?...

951. What's the difference between terror and horror? Why was the word for "bear" so scary that it is lost to history? Jess Zafarris, author of "Words from Hell," goes through these stories and...

950. Nowthen, a town with an odd little name, helps us understand the word "namesake," and then I have some surprising poll results about the much-hated verb "commentate."The "namesake" segment is...

949. Topic sentences aren't just for students! This week, we have real-life, grown-up examples — and you'll finally understand why that concept your English teacher kept talking about will help you...

948. Think you know where words like "bully," "nice," and "bimbo" come from? Think again! Join me as we explore surprising origins of common words. We'll see how terms like "bully" and "nice"...

947. Do you wish you could think on your feet faster? Well, Stanford business professor and communication expert Matt Abrahams has insights on having great off-the-cuff conversations that are also...

946. It's Talk Like a Pirate Day, which brings to mind "Pirates of the Caribbean," but you can actually pronounce "Caribbean" at least two different ways. Did Disney get it right or wrong? We turn...

945. What was the famous Usage Panel from the American Heritage Dictionary and how did the panel's opinions influence dictionary entries? Steve Kleinedler, who managed the Usage Panel for many...

944. Today, we untangle the often confusing web of writing styles. We'll explore the benefits of loose writing in fiction, creative writing, and academic writing, and how you can vary your sentence...

943. Join us for a fascinating romp through the evolution of phrases like "you know," "right?" and "I mean" from Beowulf's time to today. Plus, we look at how people's feelings about using...

942. We’re diving deep into the chameleon-like nature of the "a-" prefix, tracing its journey from Latin, where it often started out as "ad-," to its function as a preposition in French, and its...

941. Whether you've been betrayed by autocorrect or your own fingers, almost everyone has made embarrassing typos. Even the Bible isn't immune: typos led to an old version called the "Sinners...

940. Pork bacon, manual transmissions, and acoustic guitars: retronyms help us describe the original form of something that has now become a class. But sometimes, retronyms go even further. This...

939. When I say the word "tattoo," you probably think of body art, but "tattoo" has another meaning that's related to a famous Edinburgh festival that is happening this month. Plus, we look at why...

938. Love it or hate it, the exclamation point has been on the red carpet lately because we're using it more. But it also has a fascinating history: the man who invented it was trying to fix a...