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783 - How Hurricanes Get Their Names. When You Should Avoid Using Contractions.
Episode 783
Isaias. Mitch. Andrew. Jimena. How hurricanes get their names, and why you'll see some names twice and others never again. Also, have you ever heard …
5 years, 10 months ago
782 - What are those dots over letters? Why does 'money' have a plural, and how do you spell it?
Episode 782
What are those double dots over letters in English? Why does "money" have a plural, and how do you spell it?
Read the transcripts: Diaeresis. 'Monies'…
5 years, 11 months ago
781 - Blursday or Whensday? Middle Grade Versus Young Adult Fiction
Episode 781
Blursday is a popular word to use when you don't know what day of the week it is. It captures that disoriented feeling when everything is a blur. And…
5 years, 11 months ago
780 - Which Comes First? Who or Where?
Episode 780
We started to wonder about the question words in the phrase "Who does what and goes where when."
Read the transcript.
Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to …
5 years, 11 months ago
779 - How You Can Help the OED. Capitalizing 'Black.' How Playwriting Techniques Can Improve Your Writing.
Episode 779
Imagine the bragging rights: The OED needs your help antedating words. Why you should capitalize "Black." How playwriting techniques can improve your…
5 years, 11 months ago
778 - Do We Say 'Red Skies at Night, Sailor's Delight' Because of the Saharan Dust Plumes? Also, 'Yoiks!'
Episode 778
The Saharan dust plumes can make the sky red, but they aren't the source of the old saying "Red skies at night, sailor's delight. Red skies in the mo…
6 years ago
777 - How to Write Fight Scenes (and How to Get Started as a Fiction Editor)
Episode 777
Fiction editor Joshua Essoe gives his best tips for writing fight scenes (hint: it's not about the fighting). And he describes how he got his first e…
6 years ago
776 - Why a Detective Searched for 'Clews' in a 1929 Novel. ‘Systemic’ or ‘Systematic’?
Episode 776
Our writer was surprised when he came across "clew" instead of "clue" in a detective novel from 1929, and the explanation includes a great story abou…
6 years ago
775 - Why We Talk About 'Bad Apples.' 'A Few' Versus 'a Couple'
Episode 775
We started to wonder why people seem to forget the second half of the saying about bad apples. Plus, we settle a dispute about the difference between…
6 years ago
774 - Roy Peter Clark on Civic Clarity
Episode 774
Roy Peter Clark has been teaching writing at the Poynter Institute since 1977 and regularly offers up some of the best writing advice I see. Today, w…
6 years ago