Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

We talk about the origins of the phrases "blue collar," "bluestocking," and "blue hair," and discuss whether you should follow a rule you may not have even heard before: Don't use "verbal" to mean...

If you're writing about fiction, especially time-shifting fiction, it can be tricky figuring out whether to use present tense or past tense. We have help! Also, I answer a listener question about a...

We count nine different allophones of the letter T. Odds are good you'll recognize them all (and some of them may annoy you).
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Babbel: http://babbel.com/grammar |
True & Co:...

I had a listener insist the wrong way of saying "suddenly" was right, so I had to look into it. Also, I'll help you spell "bated breath" properly (and explain why it looks so weird).
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Today I have a Quick and Dirty Tip about the difference between “biweekly” and “semiweekly,” and I respond to a listener question about why I pronounce “forward” without the R.
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Today I answer a listener question about how to write "Google" when you use it as a verb, and we talk about the strange scoring system in tennis. Wimbledon is upon us!
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Today I answer listener questions about how to write about a Word document, a PDF file, or a zip file. And learn how to play along with #StetWalk!
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Stitcher App:...

I could never remember how to spell "subpoena" until I came up with a memory trick! Also, we go over the tricky cases of when to capitalize the word "the" in titles such as The New York Times and...

Even if you're not applying to college right now, the format of the college essay has a lot to teach about writing and self-reflection. A college essay can be an exploratory journey that ends up...

We talk about when to use (and not use) hyphens in ages, and when it's OK to say, "I listen to THIS podcast that covers language" instead of "I listen to A podcast that covers language."
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Watching the new show "Good Omens," we started wondering about the difference between Armageddon and the apocalypse. Also after helping a friend with an editing dispute about numbers in dialogue,...

You used to hear people say "the Ukraine," but now it's just "Ukraine." We know why! Plus, in honor of the Tony Awards, we talk about idioms from the theater.
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How to Be...

What's wrong with saying something is "very unique"? Plus, autological words like "longer."
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Family Ghosts Podcast: https://familyghostspodcast.com/ |
Audible:...

Merriam-Webster added the word “cryptid” to its dictionary, and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is hitting theaters, so it seemed like a good time to talk about a few monster words and to answer...

Bill Nye is on a mission to change the world—one phone call at a time. On his new podcast, Science Rules!, he tackles the curliest questions on just about anything in the universe. Perhaps you’ve...

The author of "Beeline" reveals where those funny example sentences come from in the spelling bee and what the success of young spellers can tell us about Generation Z.
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Grammar...

How many do you need for a "majority." When "a couple" isn't two. And more.

What are participles and why do they dangle?
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Graduation Sweepstakes: http://bit.ly/qdtlifeaftercollege |
Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/GrammarWebinar2019...

Palgrave Macmillan executive editor Elisabeth Dyssegaard is from Denmark and also works as a translator.
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http://bombas.com/grammar |
Grammar Girl's AP style webinar:...

The 'Dilemma' Dilemma. 'Big Bang Theory" Words and Language.
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http://stamps.com Code:GRAMMAR |
http://startwiththispodcast.com |
Grammar Girl's AP style webinar:...