
Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing
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.
Latest episodes

Nov 12, 2020 • 14min
797 - Why Dickens' Character Names Are So Revealing. 'Continual' or 'Continuous'?
What Dickens can teach you about choosing your characters' names. Plus, how to remember the frustratingly different meanings of "continuous" and "continual."
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Grammar Pop iOS game.
Peeve Wars card game.
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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
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Nov 6, 2020 • 13min
796 - What Is a 'Crony'? Why Doesn’t 'Veterans Day' Have an Apostrophe?
What Is a 'Crony'? Why Doesn’t 'Veterans Day' Have an Apostrophe?
Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast.
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
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Oct 29, 2020 • 11min
795 - Why People Use Scare Quotes. 'Dialog' or 'Dialogue'?
We have some theories on why people write things such as "'fresh' meat." Plus, we dig in to the two spellings of "dialog" (or is that "dialogue"?).
Read the transcript: Scare Quotes. 'Dialog' or 'Dialogue'?
Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast.
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
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Oct 22, 2020 • 15min
794 - Create Characters as Great as Hamlet. How to Format Internal Dialogue
6 steps to help you create gripping characters. Plus, we talk about how to format internal dialogue: italics, quotation marks, or nothing?
Read the transcript: Character Creation. Formatting Internal Dialogue.
Reedsy Character Profile Template
Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast.
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
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Oct 15, 2020 • 16min
793 - Why Journalists Use Misspellings Like 'Lede' and 'Spox'
Journalists "bury the lede," not the "lead." But why do they spell it that way? And what do HTK, TK, and CQ stand for? From "hed" to "spox," here's all the journo jargon that's fit to print.
Read the transcript: Lede
Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast.
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
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Oct 8, 2020 • 16min
792 - A Totally, Like, Bitchin' Podcast About 'Like'
It's not lazy and it's not just filler, but using "like" too much can still get you in trouble.
Read the transcript: Like
Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast.
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
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Oct 1, 2020 • 12min
791 - 'Although' Versus 'While.' Why We Write with Cliches (and How to Stop)
What happens when I discover that my pet peeve is wrong? Also, why do we write with cliches? Should we stop, and if so, how?
Read the transcript: Although. Cliches.
Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast.
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
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Sep 24, 2020 • 15min
790 - 'Laureate' Is Good. Why Is 'Resting on Your Laurels' Bad? 'Smarmy.'
If getting laurels is good, and being a Nobel laureate is good, how did we get to "resting on your laurels" being bad? Also, we learn that the word "smarmy" started as a joke (in fact, a kind of familect story).
Read the transcript: Laurels. Smarmy.
Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast.
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
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Sep 17, 2020 • 15min
789 - How to Make Your Readers Laugh. 'Whoa' or 'Woah'?
Believe it or not, there are actually rules to being funny. Also, do you think "woah" is a separate word from "whoa"? Some people do, and they think it has a separate meaning.
Read the transcript: Humor Writing. Whoa.
Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast.
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
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Sep 10, 2020 • 16min
788 - Why 'Out of Pocket' Means Both 'Inappropriate' and 'Unavailable'
People have been asking about the "unavailable" meaning of "out of pocket" for decades, but there's also an "inappropriate" meaning that is spreading.
Read the transcript: Out of Pocket
Use the hashtag #WhereIListen and tag me to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast.
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
http://twitter.com/grammargirl
http://facebook.com/grammargirl
http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl
http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl
https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl