

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.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Oct 7, 2021 • 20min
The Hedonometer and Your Feelings. What Does 'Schnozz' Mean?
Researchers and companies are harnessing computers to identify the emotions behind our written words. While sentiment analysis is far from perfect, it manages to distill meaning from huge amounts of data — and could one day even monitor mental health. In the second segment of this episode, we answer a listener question about the word "schnozz": is it really from 1980s children's television?
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Peeve Wars card game.
Grammar Girl books.
HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk.
Links:
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Sep 30, 2021 • 12min
How Do You Pronounce 'Tomato'? Why Is 'Chiropractic' Singular. Fish.
In the world of great debates, there is one that has been long enduring and still keeps language prescriptivists awake at night: Is it "tom-ay-to" or "tom-ah-to"? Now, this may not seem as pressing as whether nuclear fusion is possible, but to people in the linguistic trenches, it is pretty darn close. After all, how many linguistic pronunciation ambiguities have been so long running and widely known that they have actually inspired a song? In the second segment of the show, we explore why "chiropractic" is such an outlier for "-ic" words.
Read the companion article on Quick and Dirty Tips.
Check out all the Quick and Dirty Tips shows.
Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.
Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.
Peeve Wars card game.
Grammar Girl books.
HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk.
Social Media Links:
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Sep 23, 2021 • 30min
The Power of Very Specific Words, with Joel Schwartzberg
The author of "The Language of Leadership," Joel Schwartzberg, explains how you can make small tweaks to your language to make a big difference in your influence.
Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.
Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Grammar Pop iOS game.
Peeve Wars card game.
Grammar Girl books.
HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe
https://www.tiktok.com/@therealgrammargirl
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Sep 16, 2021 • 12min
How to Really Talk Like a Pirate. When Do You Need a Comma Before 'Because'?
Based on the history of who was sailing the high seas, it's a good bet pirates sounded a lot more multicultural than Ol’ Long John Silver would have us believe. We also discuss when you need a comma before "because" to avoid confusion.
Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.
Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Grammar Pop iOS game.
Peeve Wars card game.
Grammar Girl books.
HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe
https://www.tiktok.com/@therealgrammargirl
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Sep 9, 2021 • 15min
Why and When 'Very Unique' Is Wrong. Capitalizing 'Delta Variant' (or Not). Happy to You.
Instead of grinding your teeth about "very unique," pat yourself on the back for recognizing a widespread case of lexical broadening. Plus, we talk about why some people capitalize "Delta variant" and some don't.
Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.
Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Grammar Pop iOS game.
Peeve Wars card game.
Grammar Girl books.
HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe
https://www.tiktok.com/@therealgrammargirl
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Sep 2, 2021 • 13min
Naked Idioms. Short-Lived. Capitalizing Earth. Hector Protector.
We naked apes have been making up sayings with the word "naked" for a long time. Plus, we talk about how to pronounce "short-lived" and when to capitalize "earth."
Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.
Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Grammar Pop iOS game.
Peeve Wars card game.
Grammar Girl books.
HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe
https://www.tiktok.com/@therealgrammargirl
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Aug 26, 2021 • 11min
The Origin of 'Honeymoon.' 'Where' Versus 'In Which.' Fevesteter.
What does getting married have to do with honey and the moon? What is tricky about the word "where"?
Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.
Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Grammar Pop iOS game.
Peeve Wars card game.
Grammar Girl books.
HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe
https://www.tiktok.com/@therealgrammargirl
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Aug 19, 2021 • 17min
Weird Words for Alcohol. Starting a Sentence with 'However.' Fam-ished.
What does "Dutch courage" mean? And 10 other weird words for alcohol. Plus, the special thing you have to pay attention to when you start a sentence with "however."
Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.
Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Grammar Pop iOS game.
Peeve Wars card game.
Grammar Girl books.
HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe
https://www.tiktok.com/@therealgrammargirl
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Aug 13, 2021 • 43min
How Storytelling Makes a Difference (and How to Do It Well)
As much as we'd like to believe that people are convinced by facts, years of cognitive research show that we are convinced by stories and emotions (and then we often find facts to support our decisions). Since storytelling matters, we talked about how to do it well.
To sign up for my Advanced AP Style webinar, go to http://bit.ly/apstyle21 and use the code MACMIL to save.
Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.
Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Grammar Pop iOS game.
Peeve Wars card game.
Grammar Girl books.
HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
Theme music by Catherine Rannus at beautifulmusic.co.uk.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe
https://www.tiktok.com/@therealgrammargirl
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Aug 5, 2021 • 15min
What's the Opposite of Deja Vu? Commas Between Adjectives
You know about deja vu, but do you know about jemais vu, presque vu, deja lu, deja entendu, and deja reve? Plus, we help you figure out when to put commas between adjectives. It's tricky, but we have a simple two-pronged test.
Answers to the quiz at the end of the show:
1) It's an easy five-mile hike.
2) That was a long, hard run.
3) They endured a tough marital situation.
To sign up for my Advanced AP Style webinar, go to http://bit.ly/apstyle21 and use the code MACMIL to save.
Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.
Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.
Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter.
Grammar Pop iOS game.
Peeve Wars card game.
Grammar Girl books.
HOST: Mignon Fogarty
VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
Links:
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts
https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe
https://www.tiktok.com/@therealgrammargirl
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl