The wonders of the 'a-' prefix in English. 'Personal' versus 'personnel.'

The wonders of the 'a-' prefix in English. 'Personal' versus 'personnel.'

942. We’re diving deep into the chameleon-like nature of the "a-" prefix, tracing its journey from Latin, where it often started out as "ad-," to its function as a preposition in French, and its transformative role in Greek that gifts English words like "atypical" and "asymmetrical." You'll be wowed by the versatility of the seemingly humble "a-" prefix as we unveil its covert presence in words like "atom" and its power in creating modern English words like "asexual."

Then, we explore the difference between the words "personal" and "personnel" and give you a tip for getting the spelling right every time.

The "a-" prefix segment was by Kirk Hazen, a data scientist at CVS Health and a linguist at West Virginia University. He is the author of Introduction to Language (Wiley) and can be found on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirk-hazen-phd/

| Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/personnel/transcript

| Preorder "The Grammar Daily"

| 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) or https://sayhi.chat/grammargirl

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

  • Audio Engineer: Nathan Semes
  • Director of Podcasts: Adam Cecil
  • Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
  • Marketing Associate: Davina Tomlin
  • Digital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings

| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.

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


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Avsnitt(967)

113 Writing with Slang

113 Writing with Slang

Writing with Slang Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

27 Juni 20084min

110 When to Leave Out "That"

110 When to Leave Out "That"

When to Leave Out "That" Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

6 Juni 20086min

108 Whose for Inanimate Objects

108 Whose for Inanimate Objects

Whose for Inanimate Objects Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

23 Maj 20085min

107 Graduated versus Graduated From

107 Graduated versus Graduated From

Graduated versus Graduated From Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

15 Maj 20084min

100 How to Write Numbers

100 How to Write Numbers

How to Write Numbers Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

28 Mars 20084min

007 Which Versus That

007 Which Versus That

Which Versus That Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

21 Mars 20084min

098 Who Versus Whom--Advanced

098 Who Versus Whom--Advanced

Who Versus Whom--Advanced Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

7 Mars 20083min

096 May Versus Might

096 May Versus Might

May Versus Might Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

21 Feb 20083min

Populärt inom Utbildning

rss-bara-en-till-om-missbruk-medberoende-2
historiepodden-se
det-skaver
nu-blir-det-historia
sektledare
alska-oss
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
allt-du-velat-veta
johannes-hansen-podcast
not-fanny-anymore
roda-vita-rosen
rss-sjalsligt-avkladd
i-vantan-pa-katastrofen
rss-max-tant-med-max-villman
rikatillsammans-om-privatekonomi-rikedom-i-livet
sa-in-i-sjalen
handen-pa-hjartat
dumforklarat
nar-man-talar-om-trollen
rss-npf-podden