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5 things every writer wants to learn, with Roy Peter Clark
Episode 923
923. America's writing coach, Roy Peter Clark, shares his wisdom about the five things every writer he's ever taught wants to learn.
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3 years, 2 months ago
Killer bunnies in medieval manuscripts. The strange rules of 'dozen.'
Episode 922
922. "A dozen of eggs" sounds weird, but why? Rabbits performing violent acts are a common scene in medieval marginalia. But why are they there? Turn…
3 years, 2 months ago
The Rosetta Stone and taxes. Is your sufficiency suffonsified?
Episode 921
921. Taxes, and the words for them, go back all the way to ancient Egypt. Plus, I have much more to tell you about the phrase "I am sufficiently suff…
3 years, 3 months ago
Why we have both 'a' and 'an.' What does it mean to be lonely? Sufficiency.
Episode 920
920. Once you start thinking about it, it's weird that we have both "a" and "an." It gets even weirder from there! Plus, modern loneliness, and its s…
3 years, 3 months ago
How 'napron' became 'apron' (and what that has to do with newts). 'Ahold' or 'a hold'?
Episode 919
919. Rebracketing is a fascinating process that gives us more words than you might imagine, even words from French and Spanish! Also, I find a surpri…
3 years, 3 months ago
Why do people 'drop' a new single? How to pronounce 'often.'
Episode 918
918. Since "drop" can mean both "to release" and "to cancel," it can get confusing. We look at how this confusion came to be (and how to avoid it).…
3 years, 3 months ago
How to actually improve your grammar. Why parallelism is important (and how to use it). Keycoos.
Episode 917
917. For National Grammar Day, we answer one of the most common questions I get: How can I improve my grammar? Plus, I explain why parallelism is im…
3 years, 4 months ago
How writing very short stories can improve all your writing (with Grant Faulkner)
Episode 916
916. Grant Faulkner, author of "The Art of Brevity" and executive director of NaNoWriMo talks with us about how writing very short stories can improv…
3 years, 4 months ago
Language reveals universal truths about love. 'Wool sweater' or 'woolen sweater'? Grandmother crackers.
Episode 915
913. Love is much more than romance, and different languages reveal universal truths about the different kinds of love. Plus, we look at whether you …
3 years, 4 months ago
Interview with a creator of 'Schoolhouse Rock'!
Episode 914
914. To mark the 50th anniversary of "Schoolhouse Rock," the Saturday morning cartoon that taught millions of children about grammar, math, and more,…
3 years, 4 months ago