PodcastsEducationGrammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

QuickAndDirtyTips.com
Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.
Latest episode

1024 episodes

  • Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

    The hidden logic of English spelling, with Colin Gorrie

    14/05/2026 | 24 mins.
    1185. Today, we look at why English spelling is secretly optimized for readers. Colin Gorrie, linguist and creator of the Dead Language Society newsletter, shared the real history of silent letters, why medieval scribes weren't bothered by inconsistent spelling, and how the printing press and social ambition drove standardization. We also look at the surprisingly dramatic origin of "went" — a past tense stolen from an entirely different verb.

    Dead Language Society newsletter

    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
    🔗 Take our advertising survey.
    🔗 Get the edited transcript here.
    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty
    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
    Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
    Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

    How the Crusades gave us 'lingua franca.' 'That' or 'who' for animals? Doot doot doot

    12/05/2026 | 15 mins.
    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 today's global English. Plus, we look at whether it's wrong to use "who" for animals, "that" instead of "who" for people, and "whose" for inanimate objects.

    The lingua franca segment was written by Alexandra Aikhenvald, a Professor and Australian Laureate Fellow at Jawun Research Institute, CQ University in Australia. It originally ran on The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license.

    AI systems confusing dog faces with blueberry muffins.

    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
    🔗 Find an edited transcript.
    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
    Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
    Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

    Meeting the new editor, with AP Stylebook's Anna Jo Bratton

    07/05/2026 | 24 mins.
    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 "pressure-tests" new rules and why the process isn't a democracy. Then we look at major updates for 2026, including the new AI chapter and the decision to make "healthcare" one word.
    58th Edition of the Associated Press Stylebook, out May 27
    Join my AP Stylebook webinar, May 20, 2026.
    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
    🔗 Take our advertising survey.
    🔗 Get the edited transcript here.
    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty
    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
    Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
    Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

    Decoding the colon: AP vs. MLA style. Plus, words with no known origin.

    05/05/2026 | 17 mins.
    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 clear answer. Then, we look at common words with surprisingly "shadowy" histories — from the sudden appearance of the word "dog" to the apocryphal origin of "quiz."

    The words with no origins segment was written by Karen Lunde. Find her on igofirst.org.

    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
    🔗 Find an edited transcript.
    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
    Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
    Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.

    The hidden superpower of verbs, with Sarah L. Kaufman

    30/04/2026 | 27 mins.
    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 actions. Then, we look at how choosing strong, dynamic verbs can actually save lives during a disaster and how specific words like "smash" can physically alter a witness's memory.
    Find Sarah L. Kaufman at sarahlkaufman.com
    Get Sarah’s books, “Verb Your Enthusiasm” and “The Art of Grace”
    🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
    🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
    🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
    🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
    🔗 Take our advertising survey.
    🔗 Get the edited transcript here.
    🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty
    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
    Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
    Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
    Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
    Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
    Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
    | Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About Grammar Girl: For Writers and Language Lovers.
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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