810 - Words out of Time. Why 'OK' Is OK.

1217. This week, we talk to Florence Hazrat, author of "On the Mark," about how punctuation evolved over 2,000 years. We look at why ancient Greek and Roman writing had no spaces between words, how a librarian in Alexandria introduced the first marks to help readers, and why the ...  Show more

1216. In honor of Labor Day, we look at occupational surnames — why Baker, Cooper, and Fletcher sound like jobs, and why Wainwright, Chandler, and Fuller were jobs too, even though they don't sound like it anymore. We also look at how names like Webster and Baxter preserve an Old ...  Show more

Is OK the best word? It's certainly one of the most versatile. Check the interesting history of this weird contraction.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 

What do you know about the word okay? It seems very simple, but it is actually very complex! Liz Waid and Colin Lowther look at the uses and history of this common word.Join this channel to get access to exclusive videos and script PDFs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPeqE9km-s ...  Show more

Time's up! I gave you a weekend extension on the first-ever Young Heretics homework assignment, but now it's time to review some of the responses that came in. From a purely grammatical perspective, it turns out to be one of the most fascinating sentences in the English language, ...  Show more

Subscribe to the transcripts Native English speakers don't always use complete sentences or words! Today learn about some hip acronym slang as Lindsay and Michelle discuss "Fear of Missing Out." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices