Is That a Tombstone, Gravestone, or Headstone? Why Is the Sound of a Human Scream So Terrifying?
The words tombstone and gravestone used to refer to large stone slabs that served as a lid for a tomb or covering for a grave. Also, the human scream has a very particular sound that makes it especial...
28 Okt 202112min
Using Present Tense in a Story About the Past. Beck and Call. Tie-Dye Trees.
Have you noticed people switching to the present tense when they're telling stories? It actually has a name: It's called the "historical present tense."This is the article we mentioned if you want to ...
21 Okt 202116min
Surprise! These Names Are Trademarks. How to Write 'Dos and Don'ts' (or Is That 'Do's and Don'ts'?). Wording Your Mixes.
Many words we use every day are actually trademarks. Did you know about all the words we talked about today? Plus, we talk about some really weird spellings and dunk on "Eats, Shoots & Leaves."Subscri...
14 Okt 202111min
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 d...
7 Okt 202120min
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 a...
30 Sep 202111min
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 regula...
23 Sep 202129min
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 b...
16 Sep 202111min
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...
9 Sep 202115min
