'Bring,' 'Take,' and 'Carry.' 'The Queen's Gambit.' Sweepy Thing.
We go through the simple rules for "bring" and "take," but then talk about the fun exceptions and dialect forms. Plus, how "The Queen's Gambit" can help us remember the difference between "gambit" and...
20 Touko 202115min
Writing Dialogue. 'Associate Degree' or 'Associate's Degree'? Wiffy.
Is that dialogue feeling off? We're here to help! Plus, how to write about degrees this graduation season.Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.Joi...
13 Touko 202113min
'Ketchup' or 'Catsup'? How to Punctuate Questions. Gmoing Gmoing.
Have you seen the tomato sauce spelled two different ways? "Ketchup" is the better spelling, but the history of the word is pretty interesting. We also look at how to punctuate questions, especially t...
6 Touko 202113min
What Does ‘Op-Ed’ Really Mean? The Perfect Paragraph Length. Items.
"Op-ed" may not mean what you think it means. Then we discuss how long a paragraph should be.Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course.Join the convers...
29 Huhti 202111min
The Intrusive "Of." What Makes English Weird.
We talk about the difference between "a prince of a fellow" and "not too good of a time," and then we look at two things that make English especially weird.Subscribe to the newsletter for regular upda...
22 Huhti 202114min
How to Write Faster. The Origin of the Odd Letter W
12 practical tips and tools that will help you write faster in the time you already have. Also, we explore why we call a letter that looks like two V's a "double U."Subscribe to the newsletter for reg...
15 Huhti 202114min
'Borrow' and 'Lend.' When to Use 'Nor.' Boncho.
We use a children's book and a Shakespeare play to talk about "borrow" and "lend," and then we help with the complexities of using "neither" and "nor."Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. ...
8 Huhti 202111min
Squirrelly Animal Verbs. 'People,' 'Peoples,' and 'Persons': Why It Matters.
8.17 To hog, to ram, to bird dog. We run through a fun list of animal-inspired verbs. Plus, amazingly, it wasn't that long ago that usage experts recommended "persons" instead of "people." And what's ...
1 Huhti 202110min
