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PODCAST

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

QuickAndDirtyTips.com

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.

education

All Episodes

00:19:35

The secret to writing a good memoir, with Wendy Dale

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2025/01/23

1050. This week, I talk with Wendy Dale, author of "The Memoir Engineering System," about how to write a compelling memoir. We look at the differences between memoir and autobiography, the importance of plot, and why outlining can save writers years of work. Wendy shares practical tips on crafting scenes, connecting events, and handling sensitive topics while maintaining relationships with the people in your story. It's not just for memoir writing either — I found the tips inspiring and helpful for

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00:17:26

Quotation marks in 1906. Starting stories in the...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2025/01/21

1049. I came across a hilarious entry about quotation marks in an old usage guide and had to share it. Then, we look at a technique that can work for both fiction and nonfiction writing — starting a story in the middle.The "in medias res" segment is by Karen Lunde, a former Quick & Dirty Tips editor and digital pioneer who's been spinning words into gold since before cat videos ruled the internet. She created one of the first online writing workshops, and she's published thousands of articles on

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00:24:51

'Rebel with a Clause,' the movie, with Ellen Jovin...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2025/01/16

1048. Ellen Jovin set up a folding table on the street in all 50 U.S. states to talk with people about grammar, which led to the book "Rebel with a Clause." Now, her story, and the story of people who talked with her, is a movie by the same name. Mignon talked with Ellen and her documentarian husband, Brandt Johnson, about what they learned about both filmmaking and humanity.Find them at RebelWithAClause.com.🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing

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00:15:50

From "august" to "August." Why the union is always...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2025/01/14

1047. This week, we look at word pairs like "august/August" that change their meaning when capitalized and how you can make your meaning clear. Then, we look at how we got to the point where U.S. presidents always seem to say, "The state of the union is STRONG," in their State of the Union addresses. 🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.🔗 Take our advertising survey. 🔗 Get the

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00:23:03

The psychology of fandom, with Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2025/01/09

1046. Jennifer Lynn Barnes, author of the "Inheritance Games" books, discusses how writing from different points of view can help readers connect with characters in different ways. We also talked about her book recommendations, and how the "Grey's Anatomy" pilot surprised her by having almost all the elements she had identified as important for the success of novels.🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.🔗

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00:14:41

Does 'Wicked' have a grammar error? What is the 'neck...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2025/01/07

1045. A listener asked if the song "The Wizard and I" should actually be "The Wizard and Me," so we look at how you can tell. And then we look at interesting idioms about familiar places: "neck of the woods," "stomping grounds," and "haunts."The "neck of the woods" segment was written by Karen Lunde, a former Quick and Dirty Tips editor who has crafted hundreds of articles on the art of writing well. She was an online education pioneer, founding one of the first online writing workshops. These days,

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00:20:00

The case of the mystery dialect, with Natalie Schilling

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2025/01/02

1044. Today, I'm talking about a strange disappearance that forensic linguist Natalie Schilling worked on that she calls "the case of the mystery dialect." This is the original bonus segment from our conversation back in October. Grammarpaloozians who support the show get these segments right when they come out, and maybe more importantly, give us the help we need to keep going and produce the bonus segments. So many thanks to all you wonderful Grammarpaloozians!Natalie Schilling is a professor

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00:44:08

2024 words of the year, with John Kelly

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/12/30

1043. "Skibidi," "polarization," "brat," "demure," "enshittification," and more. You might get whiplash from the vacillating vibes of all the words the dictionaries chose this year. I joined John Kelly, former vice president of editorial at Dictionary.com, to romp through all the choices and contenders.Find John at https://mashedradish.com🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.🔗 Take our advertising survey. 🔗

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00:14:40

Twee pop, bumbershoot, amongst, and more, with Ben...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/12/26

1042. Today, I have the bonus segment from my interview with Ben Yagoda back in September. Ben is the author of the book "Gobsmacked: The British Invasion of American English," and we talked about the words "twee," "vet," the two spellings of "gray," the surprising origins of "football" and "soccer," and more. Grammarpaloozians who support the show get these segments right when they come out, and in today's really tough podcasting environment, they help us keep going and produce these bonus

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00:14:17

'Home' for the holidays. False friends. Hello, Dentist.

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/12/23

1041. Today, we talk about the word "home" and its meaning beyond just a structure, and then we talk about false friends — words in different languages that don't mean what you think they mean.The "home" segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." You can find her at valeriefridland.com.The "false friends" segment was written by Karen Lunde, a former Quick and

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00:22:55

Struggling with AI: Job loss, energy use, and more,...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/12/19

1040. The downsides of AI bother me a lot — job loss, energy use, and the content tsunami. But I also think it's critically important to understand what this technology can do and how it's likely to change the way we work and live. In this Grammarpalooza bonus segment, I talked with Christopher Penn about how he thinks about these problems.🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the difference. 🔗 Share your familect recording in a

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00:16:34

Why people say 'I mean ...' Missing pronouns....

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/12/17

1039. People are saying "I mean" more lately, and we explain what it ... means! Plus, we look at why people leave out pronouns at the beginning of sentences such as "Ordering pizza!"The "I mean" segment was written by Valerie Fridland, a professor of linguistics at the University of Nevada in Reno and the author of "Like, Literally, Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English." You can find her at valeriefridland.com.The "pronoun deletion" segment was written by Karen Lunde, a former Quick and Dirty

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00:16:48

Why the new CMOS is yellow. Pandemic collectors...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/12/12

1038. Chicago Manual of Style editors Mary Laur and Russell Harper dish on the changes they wanted in CMOS that didn't make it in, why the stylebook is bright yellow, and how a printing problem during the pandemic led to some rare editions of the manual. Plus, Mary shares her book recommendations just in time for holiday book buying.Original full interview: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/chicago-18🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext

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00:13:27

Positive 'anymore.' 'Wreaked' or 'wrought'? Seat of...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/12/10

1037. This week, we answer a few questions that have popped up from previous episodes: What's up with the "positive anymore"? What is havoc? Is it wreaked or wrought? And more!🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.🔗 Take our advertising survey. 🔗 Get the edited transcript.🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or Subtext. Learn more about the

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00:25:04

Making your own dictionary, with Erin McKean

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/12/05

1036. Erin McKean runs an entire online dictionary with the goal of having ALL the English words. But Wordnik is not only huge, it's also filled with delightful quirks. Hear how Erin manages this one-woman show and how you can get in on the fun — by adopting a word, making your own lists, using the API for word games or a word of the day, adding words or definitions, and trawling the internet for interesting sentences.Erin McKean is a lexicographer and the driving force behind the online dictionary

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00:16:28

Good first sentences. The language of 'Gladiator II.'...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/12/03

1035. This week, we look at famous and amazing first sentences in novels to understand what makes them so compelling, and then we look at the interesting origin of "gladiator" and other words from Roman times.🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.🔗 Take our advertising survey. 🔗 Get the edited transcript.🔗 Get Grammar Girl books. 🔗 Join Grammarpalooza. Get ad-free and bonus episodes at Apple Podcasts or

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00:16:07

How to write about trademarks. Why we say 'thank you.'

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/11/26

1034. First, we look at how writers should use trademarked terms like "Kleenex" and "Google," including when to capitalize them and how to avoid legal pitfalls. Then, we look at the way the word "thank" evolved alongside changing social conventions — who got thanked and why, and how the word itself evolved. The trademark segment was written by Natalie Schilling, a professor emerita of linguistics at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, who runs a forensic linguistics consulting firm. You can

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00:35:59

Why one creative agency changed its stance on AI

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/11/21

1033. Last year, Dragonfly Editorial had a "no AI" policy, but since then, they've been experimenting with the technology, and the policy has become more nuanced. President Samantha Enslen joins us to talk about what changed, what's working and what isn't, concerns, and how her employees feel about it.Visit Dragonfly Editorial.🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.🔗 Take our advertising survey. 🔗 Get the

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00:19:01

Why children learn languages faster than adults. Are...

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/11/19

1032. First, we explore why children pick up languages faster than adults. You’ll learn about the critical period when young brains are best at learning, why kids often learn two languages at once, and what makes it harder for adults. Then, we tackle the grammar rules for using singular and plural verbs with band names and team names, comparing American and British usage.The "language learning" segment is by Syelle Graves, who has a PhD in linguistics and is the assistant director of ILETC (the

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00:28:28

'Beer' words in the OED, with Fiona McPherson

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing ·

2024/11/14

1031. This week, Fiona McPherson from the Oxford English Dictionary talks about the latest “beer” words added to the OED, from “boozeroo” to “beerage.” We discuss how these words are chosen, the fascinating history behind them, and why some have surprising origins. Fiona also explains how digital resources have transformed lexicography and shares why the OED preserves every word in the language, even obsolete ones.🔗 Share your familect recording in a WhatsApp chat.🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning

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