Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Hosted ByMignon Fogarty

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.


All Episodes

From Metal Type to Metaphor: Printing Terms that Extended Their Reach. The Positive ‘Anymore.’ Gigglemare.

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 expressions. Plus, the story of positive “anymore.”

Why is Black Friday black? The NATO alphabet. Byeloveyou.

955. This week, we’re looking at the history behind “Black Friday” and other black idioms, plus what happens when the NATO alphabet goes rogue for comedy.

The Science of the Plot Twist. Irregardless. Spug.

954. “Irregardless” isn’t going away anytime soon. Take a deep breath while we dig into this hated word’s history. And then, do you love a good plot twist? In honor of National Novel Writing Month, we look at the psychology of surprises in fiction.

Operation Lexicon: Uncovering Military Slang Across the Pond (Interview with Ben Yagoda)

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,” “boffin” and more! We’ll dispel some posh myths, and you’ll be gobsmacked by the linguistic invasion.

Cliches. Organic. Bully Pulpit. Fimfy.

952. What is the boundary between idioms, slang, and clichés—and should we give “adulting” a break? We also trace the 700-year history of “organic,” from bodily organs to natural growth, and ask whether using a bully pulpit makes someone a bad person.

The Dark Histories Behind Your Favorite Scary Words, with Jess Zafarris

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 more in a scary, spooky etymology romp to help us get ready for Halloween.

Namesake. Commentate. Sprigly

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.”

How to write great topic sentences. Fanilects. Throwawayable.

949. Topic sentences aren’t just for students! We have real-life, grown-up examples to help you write better business proposals, blog posts, and more. Plus, we have fun looking at fanilects and weird words such as “unputdownable,” “throwawayable,” and “untalkaboutable.”

When ‘nice’ was bad and ‘bully’ was good. Is ‘preorder’ redundant? High-intensity transformer.

948. Would you believe “bully” once meant “lover” and “nice” meant “ignorant”? Join me as we explore the surprising twists in the histories of common words, including the words “amok” and “bimbo.” Plus, why you should preorder books to help authors succeed even though some people find it illogical.

Subscribe to Our Newsletter