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  • 1017. How did British words find their way into American English? Author Ben Yagoda shares insights with us from his new book "Gobsmacked!" We learn about words like "brilliant" and "ginger" that have crossed the pond, some words you might think came from Britain (but didn't), which politicians are prone to using Britishisms, and why some adopted terms might sound more pretentious than others to American ears.

    Find out more about Ben and his books at BenYagoda.com.

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    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

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    Audio Engineer: Dan FeierabendDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly HutchingsMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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  • 1016. This week, we look at why some verbs are so irregular that their forms don't even seem related, like "go" and "went." Then, we look at the surprising finding that corporate euphemisms are worse than annoying — they can also hurt a company's stock price.

    The "suppletion" 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 "corporate euphemisms" segment was was written by Kate Suslava, an associate professor of accounting at Bucknell University. It originally appeared on The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license, BY-ND 4.0.

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Da FeierabendDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly HutchingsMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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  • 1015. The Chicago Manual of Style is updated every seven years, and this year's update is a big one! I talked with two of the editors — Russell Harper and Mary Laur — about the major changes, how the decisions get made, and the history of the CMOS (pronounced "sea moss").

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Dan FeierabendDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly HutchingsMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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  • 1014. This week, we debunk misconceptions about gendered language, tracing the etymology of words like "cockamamie" and "gynecology." We also look at the flexibility of English grammar, examining how common words like "that" and "up" can function as different parts of speech in various contexts.

    The "gendered words" segment was written by Samantha Enslen, who runs Dragonfly Editorial. You can find her at dragonflyeditorial.com.

    The "grammar leaks" segment was written by Edwin Battistella, who taught linguistics and writing at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where he served as a dean and as interim provost. His books include Bad Language: Are Some Words Better than Others?, Sorry About That: The Language of Public Apology, and Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President, from Washington to Trump. It originally appeared on the OUP blog and is included here with permission.

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Da FeierabendDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly HutchingsMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

    References for the "gendered language" segment:

    Becker, Thomas. Autohyponymy: Implicature in Lexical Semantics, Word Formation, and Grammar. Journal of Germanic Linguistics 14(02):10 –136, June 2002.

    Forster, Tim. Are Gendered Words like “Mankind” Inherently Sexist? Babbel.com, March 1, 2021. Accessed August 7, 2024.

    Merriam-Webster Online. www.merriam-webster.com.

    Oxford English Dictionary. Oed.com. Available by subscription.

    Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/menagerie

    Shariatmadari, David. Eight words that reveal the sexism at the heart of the English language. The Guardian, January 27, 2016. Accessed August 7, 2024.

  • 1013. How can fiction writers create diverse, authentic characters without relying on stereotypes? Alex Temblador, author of "Writing An Identity Not Your Own," tackles this question and more. Learn about the importance of community engagement in research, the pitfalls of overemphasizing certain character traits, and techniques for editing with an eye toward inclusivity. Temblador also shares her own experience applying these principles to her novel "Half Outlaw," offering a practical look at writing across identities.


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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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly HutchingsMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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  • 1012. Most words are different in different languages, but water from steeped leaves has only two main names: tea and chai. We look at why! Also, if you've ever mixed up words, like calling a butterfly a "flutterby," you'll love learning about what these slips of the tongue tell us about how we form sentences.

    The "tea" 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 "slips of the tongue" segment was written by Cecile McKee, , a professor of linguistics at the University of Arizona. It originally appeared on The Conversation and appears here through a Creative Commons license.

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly HutchingsMarketing and Video: Nat Hoopes

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

    References for the "tea" segment:

    Ceresa, Marco. 2009. Tea: A very Short History. Daniel Leese, ed. Brill’s Encyclopedia of China. Leiden: Brill

    Jurafsky, Dan. 2017. Tea. In Sybesma, R. P. E., Wolfgang Behr, Yueguo Gu, Zev J. Handel, Cheng-Teh James Huang, and James Myers, eds. 2017. Encyclopedia of Chinese Language and Linguistics. Leiden: Brill.

    Tea Definition and Meaning. Merriam-Webster online.

    Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO. 2021. A cup of tea…or chai? Available at https://www.fao.org/family-farming/detail/en/c/1639559/

    Mair, Victor. 2019. Sinographs for “tea”. Language Log post. Available at https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=41281

    Östen Dahl. 2013. Tea. In: Dryer, Matthew S. & Haspelmath, Martin (eds.) WALS Online.

    Säily, Tanja, Mäkelä, Eetu and Samuli Kaislaniemi. 2019. Cha before tea: finding earlier mentions in a corpus of early English letters (part 1). Oxford English Dictionary Academic Case Studies. Available at

    https://www.oed.com/information/using-the-oed/academic-case-studies/the-oed-and-research/cha-before-tea-finding-earlier-mentions-in-a-corpus-of-early-english-letters-part-1/

  • 1011. This week, we look at language patterns that may indicate someone is lying, such as how often they say "um" and the diversity of the words they use. Then we tease out the difference between being legendary, famous, infamous, and notorious.

    The "language of lying" 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." A version of this story originally appeared on Psychology Today, and you can find her at valeriefridland.com.

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.


    References for the "Linguistics of Lying" segment

    Arciuli, J., Mallard, D., and Villar, G. (2010). “Um, I can tell you’re lying”: Linguistic markers of deception versus truth-telling in speech. Applied Psycholinguistics, 31(3), 397–411.

    Bond, C., & DePaulo, B. M. (2006). Accuracy of deception judgments. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 10, 214–234.

    Hauch, Valerie, Iris Blandón-Gitlin, Jaume Masip, and Siegfried L. Sporer. (2014) Are Computers Effective Lie Detectors? A Meta-Analysis of Linguistic Cues to Deception. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 19:4, 307-342.

    Fuller, Biros, D. P., & Wilson, R. L. (2009). Decision support for determining veracity via linguistic-based cues. Decision Support Systems, 46(3), 695–703.

    Verschuere, B., Bogaard, G., and Meijer, E. (2020). Discriminating deceptive from truthful statements using the verifiability approach: A meta-analysis. Appl. Cogn. Psychol. 35, 374–384.

  • 1010. We'd never be accused of belling the cat, but we did let our curiosity get the best of us when sniffing around common cat-related idioms. Plus, little did we know that we're already in Augtober and Summerween! Grab a pumpkin-spiced treat and come on an adventure through the looking glass to learn about portmanteau words.

    The "cat idoims" segment is written by Susan K. Herman, a former multidisciplined linguist, editor, and instructor for the U.S. government.

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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  • 1009. If you think apostrophes are confusing today, wait until you hear how people used them 100s of years ago! Ammon Shea has some wild stories. Plus, should you use "first," "second," and "third" or "firstly," "secondly," and "thirdly"?

    Ammon Shea is the author of "Bad English," "Reading the OED."

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

  • 1008. We look at why you have to use "the" before some nouns and not others, and then we dive into the science behind why rhymes stick in our memory and how they can even influence our beliefs.

    The "articles before nouns" segment was written by Neal Whitman, an independent writer and consultant specializing in language and grammar and a member of the Reynoldsburg, Ohio, school board. You can search for him by name on Facebook, or find him on his blog at literalminded.wordpress.com.

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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  • 1007. Why do Adele and Susan Boyle sound American when they sing? We have answers. Plus, with all the talk about "weird" lately, we think it's time to examine the old "I before E except after C" rule that has so many exceptions it's hardly a rule at all — until you add W for "weird."

    The singing segment is written by Susan K. Herman, a former multidisciplined linguist, editor, and instructor for the U.S. government.

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    | Edited transcript with links: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/i-before-e/transcript

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    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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  • 1006. We look at why the pronoun "I" seems to take plural verbs, and then we talk about a grammar topic that's in the news: how to make names that end in S (like Harris and Biles) possessive.

    | Share a recording of your familect story with me on WhatsApp, Threads, Instagram, or Mastodon.

    | Edited transcript with links: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/names-possessive/transcript

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    | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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  • 1005. You asked, so I have a brief history of English from invading Germanic tribes to the Modern English era. We talk about Vikings, the Norman Conquest, the Black Death, the Tyndale Bible, the printing press, and more.

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    | Edited transcript with links: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/history/transcript

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook.Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

  • 1004. This week, Karen Yin, author of "The Conscious Style Guide," discusses the concept of conscious language and its importance in promoting equity and respect. We explore the differences between conscious language and political correctness, the evolution of the singular "they," and how to navigate language change. Karen also shares insights on addressing language mishaps, the importance of context in language use, and how to approach controversial terms and phrases.

  • 1003. This week, we look at zero — what a weird number! It has two plurals, sometimes you use the word and sometimes you use the numeral, and it gave rise to a bunch of idioms in the World War II era. Then we turn our attention to email. Generational differences can lead to misunderstandings. We explain why and how to avoid them.


    | Edited transcript with links: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/zero-email/transcript

    | Grammarpalooza (Get texts from Mignon!): https://joinsubtext.com/grammar or text "hello" to (917) 540-0876.

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    | Please take our advertising survey. It helps! https://podsurvey.com/GRAMMAR

    | HOST: Mignon Fogarty

    | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475).

    | Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

  • 1002. This week, Mignon talks with author Martha Brockenbrough about the good and bad sides of using artificial intelligence for writing and education, including ethical concerns about using AI-generated content, strategies for teaching writing in the age of AI, and the potential effects on teachers' jobs.

    Martha's new book, "Future Tense": https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250765925/futuretense

    Martha's website: https://martha-brockenbrough.squarespace.com/

    Martha on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marthabee/

    | Edited transcript with links: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/martha/transcript

    | Please take our advertising survey. It helps! https://podsurvey.com/GRAMMAR

    | Grammarpalooza (Get texts from Mignon!): https://joinsubtext.com/grammar or text "hello" to (917) 540-0876.

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn. Threads. Bluesky. Mastodon.

  • 1001. This week, we explore the often-overlooked rules for ordering adjectives in English and when to use commas between them. Then, spurred by a recent shout-out at a Taylor Swift concert in Australia, we look at the rise of the phrase "yeah-nah" (and its American cousin "yeah-no").

    | Edited transcript with links: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/adjectives/transcript

    | Grammarpalooza (Get texts from Mignon!): https://joinsubtext.com/grammar or text "hello" to (917) 540-0876.

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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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon.

  • 1000. In this special 1000th episode, I take the hot seat to answer your questions. Hear what made the first year of the podcast so wild, what I wish I had done differently, what mistakes I still make, how I still find fresh topics after all these years, and the title of my secret dream show (hint: it involves penguins!).

    It's a celebration of language, learning, and the loyal listeners who made it all possible.

    | Edited transcript with links: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/episode-1000/transcript

    | Please take our advertising survey. It helps! https://podsurvey.com/GRAMMAR

    | Grammarpalooza (Get texts from Mignon!): https://joinsubtext.com/grammar or text "hello" to (917) 540-0876.

    | Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates.

    | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    | 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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn. Threads. Bluesky. Mastodon.

  • 999. This week, we look at what shaped early American English, from Native American words to Noah Webster's spelling reforms. Then, we explore phrasal verbs, looking at their grammatical peculiarities and some tips to distinguish them from other types of verbs.

    The "American English" 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 "phrasal verbs" segment was written by Edwin L. Battistella, who taught linguistics and writing at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, where he served as a dean and as interim provost. His books include Bad Language: Are Some Words Better than Others?, Sorry About That: The Language of Public Apology, and Dangerous Crooked Scoundrels: Insulting the President, from Washington to Trump. It originally appeared on the OUP blog and is included here with permission.

    | Edited transcript with links: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/early-american/transcript

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  • 998. This week, I talked with Samantha and Greg Enslen, who recently purchased their hometown newspaper, the "Tippecanoe Gazette" in Tipp City, Ohio. Sam and Greg shared how they are making it work, from updating antiquated systems to expanding news coverage and readership. We also discussed balancing print and digital content, the challenges of ad sales and subscriptions, their commitment to hyper-local reporting, their thoughts on AI in journalism, and the colorful stories that make small-town news so much fun. Whether you're an aspiring journalist or are simply curious about the future of local news, you'll be inspired by the Enslens' dedication to keeping community journalism alive.

    Visit the "Tippecanoe Gazette" online: https://www.tippgazette.com/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TippecanoeGazette

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tippcitygazette/

    | Edited transcript with links: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/enslen/transcript

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    | Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.

    | 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.

    Audio Engineer: Nathan SemesDirector of Podcast: Brannan GoetschiusAdvertising Operations Specialist: Morgan ChristiansonMarketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina TomlinDigital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

    | Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

    | Grammar Girl Social Media Links: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn. Threads. Bluesky. Mastodon.