Darth Vader and the word 'father.' Comparatives and superlatives. Pritinear.
931. Darth Vader wasn't the best father (understatement!), but his name is a wonderful jumping off point to discuss the origin of the word "father." Plus, we explain why I said he wasn't the "best" fa...
6 Juni 202318min
TV changes how you use language. When to use (and not use) 'more' and 'most'
930. How YOU doin? Today we’re going to MacGyver up some fun memories and tips. And then we'll look at the rules about using "more" and "most" or "-er" and "-est." It'll be a yowlie howlie good time!|...
30 Maj 202315min
Why the heck does 'score' mean 20? How we subconsciously know how to pronounce different plurals.
929. While we were looking into why we use the word "score" to mean "twenty," our minds were blown by how many languages still have remnants of a base-20 counting system. And then we learned the secre...
23 Maj 202318min
Why English is the best language for Wordle, with Lynne Murphy
928. Listen to the interview that got me playing Wordle again. Lynne Murphy shared all sorts of things you probably didn't know about this game!Lynne Murphy is professor of linguistics at the Universi...
16 Maj 202324min
It's all uphill from here (or is that downhill?). Eating like a pig (animal idioms).
927. Whether you're a bird brain or a wise old owl, you'll love this week's episode as we fight an uphill battle to understand a language filled with metaphors.| Transcript: https://grammar-girl.simp...
9 Maj 202314min
What's wrong with 'there are' sentences? 5 fun facts about Spanish for Cinco de Mayo
926. You may remember being told not to start sentences with "there are," but do you know why? We have the answer! Plus, for Cinco de Mayo, we have five fun facts about Spanish.| Transcript: https://...
2 Maj 202318min
Have you begged the question lately? What kind of learning is best: online, remote, distance, or virtual?
925. The existence of the manchineel tree does NOT beg the question of how many different ways a tree can actually hurt you. But it does show that you can't always use taste to tell whether something ...
25 Apr 202319min
What we get wrong about 'um' and 'uh,' with Valerie Fridland
924. What if I told you that you actually should use "uh" and "um" when you're giving a talk? And what if I told you "dude" was originally an anti-masculine word? Those are just some of the surprising...
18 Apr 202332min
