- 38 minutes 10 secondsBeowulf’s ‘you know,’ Shakespeare’s ‘prithee,’ and the myth of Valley Girl ‘like,’ with Dr. Laurel Brinton
1231. This week, Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and sits down with linguist Laurel Brinton to talk about little words like “well,” “you know,” and “like.” They look at why “well” signals bad news, how “Beowulf” may open with the Old English version of “you know,” and why “prithee” disappeared. Then they look at why most uses of “like” are older than Valley Girl speech.
Find Laurel Brinton at blogs.ubc.ca/laurelbrinton.
Find Valerie Fridland at ValerieFridland.com.
A hearty thank you to the Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 October 2026, 9:00 am - 20 minutes 29 secondsWhat's a familect? The words only your family uses
1230. This week, the whole show is about familects, the words and phrases you only use with your family. We look at where they come from and what they do, how the same thing happens among friends and fans, and why borrowing someone else's insider words can backfire.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
20 October 2026, 9:00 am - 30 minutes 14 secondsYour college essay doesn't need an extraordinary story, with Ethan Sawyer
1229. This week, we talk with Ethan Sawyer, the College Essay Guy, about AI and college admissions essays. We look at why admissions officers told him “don’t” when it comes to AI, what he calls the “disembodied voice” of AI writing, and why he rewrote the new editions of his books by hand. Then we look at two pieces of classic essay advice he says to skip, how “finish your ribs” became a standout essay, and how a 10-minute timer can get a stuck writer started.
Find Ethan at CollegeEssayGuy.com.
A hearty thank you to the Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
15 October 2026, 9:00 am - 10 minutes 31 secondsWhy does 'Here comes he' sound so wrong?
1228. This week, we look at why "Here comes the bride" sounds right but "Here comes he" sounds wrong. Then we have an update on Zipf's law: after whales and dolphins, researchers may have found it in birdsong too.
The "here comes he" segment was written by Ray Belli, a longtime podcaster, musician, and language writer. You can find him at WordsforGranted.libsyn.com
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
13 October 2026, 9:00 am - 45 minutes 8 secondsFamous quotes we've been getting wrong, from Robert Frost to 'Don't mess with Texas,' with Eli Burnstein
1227. This week, we talk to Eli Burnstein, author of "Phrased & Confused." We look at why Robert Frost's "road less traveled" wasn't really less traveled, and why the other half of Stewart Brand's "information wants to be free" will make you think about it differently. Then we look at why "Hell is other people" isn't about crowds and how "Don't mess with Texas" began as an anti-littering campaign.
A hearty thank you to the Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8 October 2026, 9:00 am - 10 minutes 16 secondsIs it 'try and' or 'try to'? What does an epilogue do?
1226. This week, we look at why so many people say "try and" instead of "try to," including why it may be the older form, why it turns up more in speech than in writing, and why it bothers Americans more than Brits. Then we look at what an epilogue actually does, whether one can belong to a single essay in a collection, and how it differs from an afterword, a postscript, and a coda.
The epilogue segment was written by Karen Lunde. Find her on igofirst.org.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
6 October 2026, 9:00 am - 20 minutes 44 seconds'Rizz,' 'lost in the sauce,' and Dictionary.com's newest words, with Steve Johnson
1225. This week, we talk to lexicographer Steve Johnson from Dictionary.com. We look at how slang like "no cap" and "throw hands" works its way up from a separate slang dictionary, why one lexicographer fought against adding "rizz," and where "lost in the sauce" comes from. Then we look at what "overprompting" says about how we talk to AI, why food words like "quesabirria" and "elote" can take years to reach the dictionary, and how the team is starting to size up contenders for word of the year.
Find Steve on LinkedIn.
A hearty thank you to the Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 October 2026, 9:00 am - 13 minutes 15 secondsWhy are ships called 'she'?
1224. This week, we look at why English speakers call ships "she," even when the ship is named Henry. Then we have a follow-up on "maxxing" from two listeners, including its roots in 1990s gaming and a cameo in the "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" theme song.
The ships segment was written by Karen Lunde. Find her on igofirst.org.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
29 September 2026, 9:00 am - 34 minutes 37 secondsWhat's in a word? Mapping America's regional vocabulary and the Linguistic Atlas Project, with Allison Burkette
1223. This week, Valerie Fridland steps in for Mignon and sits down with linguist Allison Burkette of the Linguistic Atlas Project at the University of Kentucky. They look at what "lightwood" and "chifforobe" reveal about landscape and colonial contact, how "kindling" gave us "Kindle" and "Tinder," and the 380-plus recorded terms for cornbread. Then they look at why words rarely truly "die," even when the practices behind them fade.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Marlen Ruiz
- Kate Wade
🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Creative Partnerships & Business Development: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 September 2026, 9:00 am - 9 minutes 45 secondsHow often do you use 'the'? Meet Zipf's law
1222. This week, we look at Zipf's law, a pattern that shapes how often you use your most common words, and why SETI researchers think it could help identify alien communication.
Save the date for Grammarpalooza — The Game Show: Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Kate Wade
- Marlen Ruiz
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Castria Communications
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22 September 2026, 9:00 am - 17 minutes 24 secondsMin-maxxing, looksmaxxing, and Nixon-maxxing, with Roger Kreuz
1221. This week, we talk to Roger Kreuz, associate dean at the University of Memphis, about the "maxxing" craze. We look at how it started with min-maxxing in 1990s gaming culture, how looksmaxxing spread from the manosphere, and why it isn't quite a suffix. Then we look at what that second X is doing, why "Nixon-maxxing" might be peak maxxing, and why a brand picking up your slang usually kills it.
Find Daniel and Chris on LinkedIn, and more about their projects at Perfectit.com.
Save the date for Grammarpalooza — The Game Show: Thursday, September 24 at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
A hearty thank-you to our Keepers of the Commas and one Immortal on Patreon. We appreciate your support!
- Larry Rosenblum
- Mahala Russell
- George Wilson
- Laurel Paul
- Linda Cox
- Birna Anna Björnsdóttir
- Marlen Ruiz
🔗 Join the Grammar Girl Patreon.
🔗 Share your familect recording in Speakpipe or by leaving a voicemail at 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475)
🔗 Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.
🔗 Subscribe to the newsletter.
🔗 Find an edited transcript.
🔗 Get Grammar Girl books.
| HOST: Mignon Fogarty
| Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.
- Audio Engineer: Dan Feierabend
- Director of Podcast: Holly Hutchings
- Creative Partnerships & Business Development: Morgan Christianson
- Marketing and Video: Nat Hoopes, Rebekah Sebastian
- Podcast Associate: Maram Elnagheeb
| Theme music by Catherine Rannus.
| Grammar Girl Social Media: YouTube. TikTok. Facebook. Threads. Instagram. LinkedIn. Mastodon. Bluesky.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
17 September 2026, 9:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App