A Riotous Good Time with Ellen Jovin of the G...

1164. This week, we look at the origin of the octothorpe — also known as the pound sign or hashtag — and why it has so many different names. Then, we look at sentence fragments and the secret of "Sir Fragalot" to help you avoid common writing mistakes. A video of the man who inve ...  Afficher plus

1163. This week, we look at what it’s like to be a "language detective" with Sali Tagliamonte and how she used her own teenagers as a research lab. We look at a 25-year study on how the phrase "be like" became a permanent fixture of English, why the word "very" is suddenly making ...  Afficher plus

We're joined this week by Mignon Fogarty, aka Grammar Girl, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of her show Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing.Hosted by Emily Brewster, Ammon Shea, and Peter Sokolowski.Produced in collaboration with New England Public Media.Transcript availabl ...  Afficher plus

Cleft Sentences are an area of English grammar that is used in daily conversation, but isn't often taught. I don't know many things, but what I am knowledgable about is English! (There's an example!)In this episode, I first explain two of these grammar patterns that you can follo ...  Afficher plus

Yesterday I go to the pizza place down the block and I find out they have new owners. And I look behind the counter and they have all of these weird kinds of pizza. They even have one with pineapple and tuna. I don’t think that’s really pizza. Hey, are you wondering why my story ...  Afficher plus

(VIDEO PODCAST AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE) This week, Alix sits down to do something she’s never done before — a full “What Would Alix Do?” episode. She answers your questions ranging from poons splitting open to obsessive calorie counting. She even shares the story of her boyfriend no ...  Afficher plus