Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

How to build a successful writers’ newsletter, with Jane Friedman

What is 'versing'? ‘Whatchamacallit' and other placeholder words. Chicken.

AI's impact on translators, untranslatable Dutch words, and more, with Heddwen Newton

Double possessives. Words that do double duty. The monkeys aren't working.

New words: 'beer muscles' & 'waka jumpers,' with Fiona McPherson.

How pronouns reveal our psychology. How'd we get our alphabet? Tabagogox.

‘Spark words’ and the hidden history of ‘panic’ and ‘Ritalin,’ with Martha Barnette

'Heat wave' vs. 'cold snap.' Why reading stories makes you smarter. Rogering.

Why plain English matters in science (and everywhere else), with Anne Greene

'Y' plurals. Bill Labov's linguistic legacy. Choo-choo

How 'algospeak' is changing language, with Adam Aleksic

Pop, soda, or coke? When Q stands alone. Pizza bones.

Metaphors and your brain. How figurative language works, with Dr. Vicky Lai

Can you have a million bacons? Martha's Vineyard's unique sound.

The surprising history (and politics) of emoji, with Keith Houston

Is ‘sick’...good? What we think of posh language and class. Misunderseed

The language of children’s storytelling, with Doug Fraser

Why we drop sounds. ChatGPT is changing how people talk. Kombi

What your accent says about you (and your identity), with Rob Drummond

Are em dashes really a sign of AI writing? 'Caretaker' vs. 'caregiver'

What your hands are saying (even when you’re not thinking about it), with Lauren Gawne

‘Further’ vs. ‘farther.’ Why designers use fake Latin. Blondie hot

What AI means for writers and editors, with Daniel Heuman

'The' rules you never learned. Why did Latin die?

​​The publishing world is changing. Jane Friedman tells us how.

Why 'plz' might be pushing people away. How to write better thank-you notes. Studaloo

Why simplified spelling nearly took over America (and why it didn't), with Gabe Henry

Why 'wake' is so confusing. The playful language of vacations.

Ambrose Bierce, from ‘The Devil’s Dictionary’ to disappearing in Mexico, with Jim Norrena

Why 'epitome' is confusing. Quirky stories behind baby animal names. Alice doors

How YouTubers' voices evolve, with Andrew Cheng

What dictionary labels tell us about words. Why we say 'mama'. DU, STU, and LO.

The secret to writing ‘the same but different,’ with Mary Robinette Kowal

'Lit' vs. 'lighted.' The mysteries of the dollar sign. Redd up.

Ghostwriters, book deals, and AI: What you didn’t know about publishing, with Dan Gerstein

'I.e.' versus 'e.g.' What Shakespeare actually added to English. Four schnitzels.

AI and the future of dictionaries, with Erin McKean

Better paragraph breaks. The story behind 'mad money' and 'pin money.' Bruce bad.

The future of editing jobs in the age of AI, with Samantha Enslen

How to write photo captions. The real difference between ‘immigrate’ and ‘emigrate.’ Ko Pha-ngan'd

The hidden techniques behind well-paced fiction, with Joshua Essoe

Why don't we say the L in 'walk'? Never use 'always.' PABST

Exploring slang, AI ghost words, and language change, with Heddwen Newton

What’s wrong with "'til"? Why tiny words control conversations. How many cookies?

The best punctuation book, period, with June Casagrande

Why we say ‘OK.’ How tea shaped English slang. Poetry winner

Behind the scenes of Wikipedia: editing, accuracy, and notability, with Jonathan Rick

How did our holidays become so 'corny'? Why do some words have accent marks in English? Cubby hole

Why kids can't read (and what we can do about it), with Kate Crist

The mystery of ‘it’ in English. The most dramatic moments in grammar history. Ghost Town Mad, the song