Grammar Girl Quick And Dirty Tips For Better Writing

Bill Nye is on a mission to change the world—one phone call at a time. On his new podcast, Science Rules!, he tackles the curliest questions on just about anything in the universe. Perhaps you’ve wondered: Should I stop eating cheeseburgers to combat climate change? How often should I really be washing my pillowcase? Can I harvest energy from all those static-electricity shocks I get in the winter? Science Rules! is out NOW—find it in your favorite podcast app.

The author of "Beeline" reveals where those funny example sentences come from in the spelling bee and what the success of young spellers can tell us about Generation Z. LINKS AND SPONSORS | Grammar Girl Email Newsletter: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/newsletters | Graduation Sweepstakes: http://bit.ly/qdtlifeaftercollege | Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/GrammarWebinar2019 | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopMobile | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://bit.ly/GrammarPopBooks | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

How many do you need for a "majority." When "a couple" isn't two. And more.

What are participles and why do they dangle? LINKS AND SPONSORS | Graduation Sweepstakes: http://bit.ly/qdtlifeaftercollege | Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/GrammarWebinar2019 | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopMobile | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://bit.ly/GrammarPopBooks | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

Palgrave Macmillan executive editor Elisabeth Dyssegaard is from Denmark and also works as a translator. LINKS AND SPONSORS | http://bombas.com/grammar | Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/GrammarWebinar2019 | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopMobile | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://bit.ly/GrammarPopBooks | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

The 'Dilemma' Dilemma. 'Big Bang Theory" Words and Language. LINKS AND SPONSORS | http://stamps.com Code:GRAMMAR | http://startwiththispodcast.com | Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/GrammarWebinar2019 | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopMobile | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://bit.ly/GrammarPopBooks | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

Tips for new graduates or anyone who is trying to get started as a freelance writer. Plus, the adventurous origin of the word "adventure." FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: http://bit.ly/YoutubeGrammar | Twitter: http://bit.ly/TwitterGrammarGirl | Facebook: http://bit.ly/FacebookGrammarGirl | Pinterest: http://bit.ly/PinterestGrammarGirl | Instagram: http://bit.ly/InstagramGrammar | LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/LinkedInGrammar | LINKS AND SPONSORS | http://bit.ly/AspirationGrammar http://gs.columbia.edu/podcast Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/GrammarWebinar2019 | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopMobile | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://bit.ly/GrammarPopBooks | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

Today we have a couple of fun, timely segments (Cinco de Mayo! The Kentucky Derby!) and we answer a listener question about whether Grammar Girl is misspeaking. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: http://bit.ly/YoutubeGrammar | Twitter: http://bit.ly/TwitterGrammarGirl | Facebook: http://bit.ly/FacebookGrammarGirl | Pinterest: http://bit.ly/PinterestGrammarGirl | Instagram: http://bit.ly/InstagramGrammar | LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/LinkedInGrammar | LINKS AND SPONSORS | http://bit.ly/AspirationGrammar Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/GrammarWebinar2019 | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopMobile | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://bit.ly/GrammarPopBooks | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

‘So’ and ‘So That’: Coordinating or Subordinating Conjunction? FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: http://bit.ly/YoutubeGrammar | Twitter: http://bit.ly/TwitterGrammarGirl | Facebook: http://bit.ly/FacebookGrammarGirl | Pinterest: http://bit.ly/PinterestGrammarGirl | Instagram: http://bit.ly/InstagramGrammar | LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/LinkedInGrammar | LINKS AND SPONSORS | Before Breakfast podcast http://bit.ly/AspirationGrammar Door Dash App (use the code GRAMMAR for $5 off) Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/GrammarWebinar2019 | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopMobile | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://bit.ly/GrammarPopBooks | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

Young women are leading language change again! This time, it's dropping T's in words like "Vermont" and "important." Also, we look at how "snuck" is sneaking up on "sneaked." FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: http://bit.ly/YoutubeGrammar | Twitter: http://bit.ly/TwitterGrammarGirl | Facebook: http://bit.ly/FacebookGrammarGirl | Pinterest: http://bit.ly/PinterestGrammarGirl | Instagram: http://bit.ly/InstagramGrammar | LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/LinkedInGrammar | LINKS AND SPONSORS | Bona: http://bit.ly/BonaGrammar | Capterra: http://bit.ly/CapterraGrammar | Aspiration: http://bit.ly/AspirationGrammar | Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: http://bit.ly/GrammarWebinar2019 | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/iPadGrammarPop | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopMobile | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://bit.ly/GrammarPopBooks | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

Doppelganger, estival, and funambulist. Jane Solomon shares the story behind her new book, "The Dictionary of Difficult Words." FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl |Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl | LINKS AND SPONSORS | Song Salad Podcast | http://calm.com/grammar | Aspiration App | Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: https://www.ragan.com/rd/Z19TC02-MACMIL | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

Wakandan, Groot, and more. The movies in the Marvel universe are filled with interesting real and made-up languages. Plus, did you know Easter and Passover are linguistically related? FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl | LINKS AND SPONSORS | http://bona.com/grammar | http://stamps.com code:GRAMMAR | Aspiration App | Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: https://www.ragan.com/rd/Z19TC02-MACMIL | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

Some foods really do come from a certain city or region, others have names that are tied to the location but not in the way you think, and some are outright fakers. We get to the bottom of Brussels sprouts, Scotch eggs, Swedish meatballs, French dressing, and more. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl | LINKS AND SPONSORS | Before Breakfast Podcast | Aspiration App | Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: https://www.ragan.com/rd/Z19TC02-MACMIL | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

Paying our taxes made us think about slang words for money, and all the upcoming religious holidays made us wonder which "god" words to capitalize. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl | LINKS AND SPONSORS | Aspiration App DoorDash App. Code: GRAMMAR http://grammar.robinhood.com Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: https://www.ragan.com/rd/Z19TC02-MACMIL | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

There’s so much excitement about the 'Game of Thrones' finale that we just had to include a segment about on it this week’s show. Not just because we love dragons and swords—we do! — but because a core part of the series has been the languages the characters speak. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl | LINKS AND SPONSORS | Grammar Girl's AP style webinar: https://www.ragan.com/rd/Z19TC02-MACMIL | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK. | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

A listener asked why a sentence using the verb "witness" sounded weird, and we found a surprising answer. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl | LINKS AND SPONSORS | LaVar Burton Reads http://www.levarburtonpodcast.com/ | Calm http://calm.com/grammar | INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET | https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/sites/default/files/IPA_Kiel_2015.pdf | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK. | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

Grant Faulkner's organization has worked with hundreds of thousands of writers, and he has some advice for you. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl | LINKS AND SPONSORS | http://campnanowrimo.org | https://gastropod.com/ | INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET | https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/sites/default/files/IPA_Kiel_2015.pdf | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK. | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

A scene from "The Princess Bride" will help you understand the schwa. Plus, how one Scrabble tournament got out of hand. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl | LINKS AND SPONSORS http://capterra.com/grammar | INTERNATIONAL PHONETIC ALPHABET https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/sites/default/files/IPA_Kiel_2015.pdf | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK. | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

Jennifer Miller and Jason Feifer, authors of "Mr. Nice Guy," talk about how the semicolon brought them together, how they wrangle working as a writing team, and more. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl | LINKS AND SPONSORS http://stamps.com (click the microphone and type in GRAMMAR) | http:// bona.com/grammar | Peeve Wars: https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/grammar-girl-s-peeve-wars | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK. | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL

British versus American spelling. FOLLOW GRAMMAR GIRL | YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/grammargirl | Twitter: http://twitter.com/grammargirl | Facebook: http://facebook.com/grammargirl | Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl | Instagram: http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl | SPONSORS AND LINKS | http://bona.com/grammar | http://grammar.robinhood.com | GRAMMAR POP iOS GAME | Optimized for iPad: http://bit.ly/GrammarPopiPad | For iPad and iPhone: http://bit.ly/GrammarPop | GRAMMAR GIRL BOOKS | http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-book-page | GRAMMAR GIRL IS PART OF THE QUICK AND DIRTY TIPS PODCAST NETWORK. | VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL