Mignon Fogarty

Grammar Girl. Podcaster. New York Times bestselling author. Quick and Dirty Tips founder. Bad skier. California. she/her

#AmWriting 9/1 Grammar Girl podcast
#AmReading Assistant to the Villain (Maehrer)

Podcast: https://pod.link/173429229
Newsletter: https://quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl-newsletter
Website: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/in-regard-to-versus-in-regards-to/
Books: https://amzn.to/2vJCpu6

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[email protected]

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nprofile1qqsg43amf68hmua58848ha2w6w0u6mkkjs4vw39j84htpuu8zr4cmqqpz3mhxue69uhhyetvv9ujuerpd46hxtnfduqs6amnwvaz7tmwdaejumr0ds2eh2fc

Publishing to

relay.damus.io

nos.lol

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npub13trmkn500hemgw020065a5ule4hdd9p2cazty0twkrecwy8t3kqqljzjt2

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Last Notes

2026-03-26 00:00:34 UTC

The most common vowel sound in English isn't A, E, I, O, U or even Y. It's the schwa, and it sounds more like "uh."
The schwa is written as an upside-down "e," and you hear it at the end of "sofa" and in the middle of "memory."
Amazingly, it can be spelled with *any* vowel letter. The A in "about"? Schwa. The O in "gallon"? Schwa. The E in "taken"? Also schwa.
The schwa is also one reason English spelling is so unpredictable — because so many different letters can represent a single sound.
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/292/533/137/053/519/original/b7c741fb94cfd68c.webp

2026-03-23 23:29:38 UTC

Heads-up for published authors:
The deadline to join the Anthropic class-action copyright settlement is March 30. If you have published a book, you may be eligible to receive ~$1,500 per book, so it’s worth your time to check it out.
I had been putting it off and finally completed my forms last week.
Learn more at the Authors Guild: https://authorsguild.org/advocacy/artificial-intelligence/what-authors-need-to-know-about-the-anthropic-settlement/
Start the process: https://www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/

2026-03-06 16:47:43 UTC

Some people call these the same thing, and other people have different names for them — and it can depend on where you live!
That's just one of the cool things you'll learn this week from my chat with Joan Houston Hall, former editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English (often called DARE).
WATCH: https://youtu.be/F6dYztdHnG8?si=fbziIA7D-tXJBrwQ
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1165/transcript
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229
#GrammarGirl #podcast
(I call them both a spatula.)
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/183/233/721/517/182/original/e6618e9e1e7444e5.png

2026-02-26 16:58:35 UTC

Teens aren't destroying language. They're playing with it!
I talked with Sali Tagliamonte, a "language detective" who's studied teen talk for years. She busts myths about texting, explains why "like" dominates, why "very" is back, and shares her linguistic interviewing secrets: ask about childhood, their street, or their best friend.
Check out the podcast for more!
WATCH: https://youtu.be/MmMOtR-gV6k
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1163/transcript
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229
#GrammarGirl #podcast
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/137/991/421/420/375/original/c6e1e66fa7a09a28.jpeg

2026-02-19 21:46:47 UTC

Did you know people were using capital letters to shout in print as far back as 1856?
This week, I talked with Mastodon's very own technology historian, @npub1etn…cpgd, who traced the history of "shouty caps" through centuries of newspapers, old Usenet posts, and even German dialect jokes.
There's also fascinating stuff about typesetters and costs. Check it out!
WATCH: https://youtu.be/ygyknQ3IDUo?si=FxyNRgCHEsO-uzus
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1161/transcript
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/099/488/506/365/121/original/7da92db5451b2a00.jpeg

2026-02-18 15:01:01 UTC

Are you ever confused about "awhile" versus "a while"? Here's how I remember the difference:
"A while" (two words) is a noun phrase, so test whether you can use a different noun:
✅ It's been A WHILE = It's been A YEAR
"Awhile" (one word) is an adverb, so test whether you can use a different adverb:
✅ Go play AWHILE = Go play QUIETLY
Check out the whole podcast:
WATCH: https://youtu.be/RHGqwPumPK4?si=ocW8JEOUg9abCX5w
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1160/transcript
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229
#GrammarGirl #podcast
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/092/230/659/069/870/original/900100c6a20b2480.png

2026-01-24 17:28:31 UTC

This is the switchboard for the U.S. Congress. An automated voice will ask you which senator or representative you want to reach and will transfer you to that person's line.
If you call today, you'll get voicemail but will usually be able to leave a message: (202) 224-3121.

2026-01-21 21:14:29 UTC

- reply

They tell students papers sound like AI — even when they're the students' own writing — so the company can scare them and sell them a product.
This goes beyond the general problem that even good AI detectors aren't perfect and shouldn't be the sole reason to accuse someone of writing with AI.

2026-01-21 21:14:14 UTC

Yesterday, I interviewed a tech guy who told me something too important for me to wait until the podcast comes out for you to hear it:
Many free AI detectors have especially high false positive rates because they make money selling software that "humanizes" writing. 1/2

2026-01-21 01:25:38 UTC

A lot of you know that I ask my podcast guests for book recommendations, and I just interviewed someone who recommended two books they read every year.
That surprised me! I don't often reread books, so I'm curious how common it is.
How often do you reread books for pleasure?

2026-01-19 03:10:58 UTC

- reply

Congrats!

2026-01-14 19:04:40 UTC

I'm helping an elderly person with a patient portal, and wow, there are about 4 different problems ranging from unclear instructions to pages that don't work well when the phone is zoomed in enough for an older person to actually read the text.
Plus, the iPhone keeps popping up unhelpful gunk.
This person isn't particularly afraid of technology either, but they literally can't do it.
I now think every web developer should be forced to walk through their processes with an 85-year-old.

2026-01-08 15:27:24 UTC

I know there's a lot going on, but if you need a mental health break, this morning I have an interview with one of my favorite Mastodonians:
In addition to posting delightful items here, @npub1qpp…vvx2 curates the Samuel Johnson collection at Harvard's Houghton library. 1/2
WATCH: https://youtu.be/-ot4tHoUmnQ
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1149/transcript
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229
#GrammarGirl #podcast
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/115/860/161/106/697/545/original/d4d5fd8b99740940.jpg

2025-12-26 23:48:34 UTC

Don’t be sad it’s over. Be glad it happened.
This post is about eggnog.

2025-12-15 16:58:01 UTC

I'm relieved Merriam-Webster chose "slop" as the word of the year!
I recorded a WOTY episode Friday with Jess Zafarris and Danny Hieber, and M-W hadn't made its choice yet. But The Economist & Macquarie Dictionary had already chosen "slop," so it's in the show.
It's an obvious and fitting choice. Jess & I also both chose it.
I love how it's used to make so many other words:
— slopaganda
— sloperations
— slopographers
— sloptimists
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/word-of-the-year
#WOTY2025

2025-12-12 19:14:04 UTC

How fast can a word get into the dictionary? Stefan Fatsis's book "Unabridged" has the answer: Merriam-Webster went from the WHO's first announcement of "COVID" to publishing the definition in 34 days.
Historically, it takes years for a word to"marinate" and prove its worth. But COVID was different — hundreds of thousands of people were searching for the definition.
Listen now: https://pod.link/173429229
#GrammarGirl #podcast

2025-12-12 00:13:09 UTC

I am also interviewing @npub1qpp…vvx2 soon — curator of the Donald and Mary Hyde collection of Dr. Samuel Johnson and early books & manuscripts at Harvard's Houghton Library and one of my favorite follows here.
What questions do you have for him?

2025-12-02 17:52:44 UTC

Wow, I will pass 50K YouTube subscribers today! 😱 🎉
If you want to be among them, you can find me here: https:youtube.com/grammargirl
I post quite a few Shorts there that I don't post anywhere else. (Why you might ask ... it's a workflow + perception thing. My producer uploads the videos for me there, but I find the Insta and TikTok workflows annoying, so I often skip them. And since I don't see a lot of other people post shorts here, I don't feel like they fit, so I skip them here too.)
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/115/651/238/741/350/624/original/3ea0e2a56801d5fc.png

2025-11-20 16:01:41 UTC

Merriam-Webster just released the first new print edition of its Collegiate Dictionary in 22 years — and it weighs five pounds! So of course, I had questions. :)
In today's podcast, I talk with Peter Sokolowski about why print still matters.
Watch: https://youtu.be/LKplQyJCHas
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1135/transcript
Listen: pod.link/173429229
#GrammarGirl #podcast
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/115/582/851/394/782/371/original/878e516b7ea79742.jpg

2025-11-14 19:30:10 UTC

Does "Ms. Shipton's Travelling Tea Shop," sound good to you? It's the story of a tea witch who breaks down in the English countryside and the people she meets there, exploring themes of companionship, loneliness, and queerness.
It's the first release from a new digital label for audio fiction started by my friend and former editor, @npub1py0…c5gk.
You can listen to the first episode free on Bandcamp. It sounds fun!
https://localfilesclub.bandcamp.com/album/ms-shiptons-travelling-tea-shop

2025-11-01 15:24:15 UTC

I just made an extra donation to my local food bank.
It's going to be a rough time for a lot of people who suddenly aren't getting SNAP benefits, and nobody should go hungry. If you're able to help, please do.

2025-10-28 19:07:19 UTC

Shoutout to all the people who interact on Mastodon!
I didn't get to all your questions in my interview with Peter this morning, but I got to a lot of them, and because people here engage quicker and at such a higher rate than my followers elsewhere, the episode will be a steady stream of "So-and-so from MASTODON asked ..."

2025-10-20 00:20:23 UTC

Pat and I just got our medical insurance renewal. Our monthly rate is going from $763 to $2,323.
Our deductible went up too.
We knew it was going to be bad with the subsidies expiring, but holy hell ...

2025-10-04 20:33:51 UTC

ICYMI, the official database of books included in the Anthropic class-action copyright settlement is now live: https://secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/
You can now file claims.

2025-09-05 19:51:08 UTC

The first details on the Anthropic copyright settlement just came out:
$1.5 billion dollars. Covers 500,000 books that were pirated and used to train AI models. ($3,000 per book.)
https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/anthropic-to-pay-at-least-1-5-billion-in-landmark-copyright-settlement-with-authors-bfcdd57b?st=EKqJRf&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

2025-08-27 17:17:42 UTC

- reply

I'm just so angry.
I knew our institutions are failing us, but I truly didn't know it is THIS bad.
They literally don't know what is happening, even though it is in major papers.
<deep breaths> So I guess that's why it is so important that we call and write.
I thought we did it to ENCOURAGE them to take actions, but it is actually to INFORM them of what is happening.

2025-08-27 17:14:33 UTC

- reply

Yet, I felt like some kind of conspiracy theorist telling my elected official that I had done my own research, and he was giving me incorrect information and should check into it.
I'm just sitting here aghast. How. Could. They. Not. Know?
I mostly called in the first place because I was hoping the state could so something to get around the feds — not because I wanted help finding a place to get it.
Instead, they treated me like someone who doesn't know how to Google. 4/x

2025-08-27 17:11:30 UTC

- reply

I told him that I had been doing some reading since I called, and they haven't even had the federal meeting yet to determine whether the fall vaccine would be approved, and that likely to happen in mid-September, and nobody knows if it will be approved or when it will arrive.
And he said "Well, I can only tell you what the health department says."
I knew about this a week ago, and I there was a fricking article in the LA Times about it yesterday or today!
This is not secret information! 3/x

2025-08-27 17:07:10 UTC

- reply

My federal rep actually got back to me within a few hours with a "finder" web page that showed me a few places that might still have them. The closest was 150 miles away. (I haven't called yet to confirm. I'm still considering whether I want to drive that far.)
But just now, my state rep's office called and gave me COMPLETELY WRONG information.
He said the country health department will have the vaccine in September, which is "just a few days away."
Again, this is not true! 2/x

2025-08-27 17:04:34 UTC

I'm going to go on a rant here, so please bear with me ...
Yesterday, I tried to got a COVID shot and couldn't. I called four pharmacies and the Health Department and nobody has it.
I knew it's already a "supplies are limited" situation in the U.S., so I wasn't surprised, but I was upset, so I called all my reps, even my California state reps, which I think I've only done once or twice before.
It started well! The state reps took my info and said they'd get back to me with help. Wow. 1/x

2025-08-21 17:58:50 UTC

So don't worry about it! Just show up and be yourself.
She says, "Share a quote. Share a picture of your cat. That will thrill people, and it will be fine."
She has more great newsletter tips in our interview. Check it out today! 4/4
Watch: https://youtu.be/Z_wZZYfy7Yg
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/jane-friedman-bonus/transcript
Listen: pod.link/173429229

2025-08-14 21:21:32 UTC

English doesn’t have a handy word for “how manyth” — but Dutch and a bunch of other languages do.
In Dutch you can ask, “How manyth time were you late this week?” and the answer can be simply “the third.”
In this week’s #GrammarGirl episode, translator Heddwen Newton shares some “untranslatable” words from Dutch that she has come across in her work.
Check out the whole interview:
Watch: https://youtu.be/4Q5BDQrxvsk
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/heddwen-newton-bonus/transcript
Listen: https://pod.link/173429229
#podcast
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/115/029/193/355/739/063/original/bce205620f50b6e8.mp4

2025-08-06 02:16:23 UTC

This week, we look at how the pronouns you use can reveal your psychological state — for example, how using "I" versus "we" can signal how you are coping with a breakup or a tragic event.
Then, we look at where our alphabet started, from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs to the Phoenicians and Romans.
Watch: https://youtu.be/yR_G7ra_HR4
Listen: https://pod.link/173429229
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/pronoun-psychology/transcript
#GrammarGirl #podcast
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/114/979/397/360/031/497/original/a75090194252f069.png

2025-07-26 18:53:47 UTC

I’m on a road trip in the middle of nowhere, California, and I wasn’t able to get my phone open fast enough to take a picture, but we just saw a produce truck with huge letters on the side that read:
BABY GOT BOK (with a huge picture of bok choy) 🥬

2025-06-24 16:52:25 UTC

A federal judge has ruled that Anthropic's use of copyrighted works to train AI is transformative and fair use.
An important caveat is that in this particular case, the authors conceded that "training LLMs did not result in any exact copies nor even infringing knockoffs of their works being provided to the public."
The ruling says authors are still free to sue in the future if they can prove those things happen.
You can read more about it here: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/06/24/ai-training-books-anthropic.html

2025-06-19 21:52:00 UTC

I saw this funny reptile sunning itself on Buddha‘s head this morning out on my walk.
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/114/712/237/630/739/006/original/8da9652fd4e0f391.jpeg

2025-06-17 18:27:43 UTC

OMG, em dashes are not a sign of AI writing!
I kept hoping this myth would burn itself out, but no — the idea that em dashes are a sign of AI writing just keeps spreading. I finally couldn't take it anymore, so I crashed a segment into the latest Grammar Girl podcast.
The whole thing seems to have taken off after a popular GenZ culture podcast advised people to stop using the “the ChatGPT hyphen.” (And I have to confess it kills me that they didn't even know the name for it.) 🧵
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/114/700/091/099/309/606/original/ea92276fd9a5bedf.png

2025-06-15 01:04:58 UTC

My little town held its protest late, so I'm just getting home. There were at least twice as many people as at the 5050 protest, and it was LOUD. People were driving by honking nonstop. It was amazing.

2025-06-13 21:59:52 UTC

I know it's Friday afternoon, and there's a lot going on, but I just shared a gift link of a NYT article about people having delusions while using ChatGPT, and I think everyone should read that article.
I read it to Pat, and he was certain these had to be flukes. He uses ChatGPT as a search engine all the time and gets great results (yes, he checks everything).
He decided to see if he could make it go off the rails, and after 20 minutes, it was telling him he's a demigod. He's shocked. #AI

2025-06-12 20:14:28 UTC

In his press conference, Senator Padilla asked people to protest this Saturday. You can find a location here: nokings.org
Before LA, I was waffling about protesting but likely would have gone.
After LA, I was definitely going.
After today, I'm looking at schedules to see if I can make it to two.

2025-06-12 19:40:56 UTC

Alex Padilla is my senator. He's gave a press conference about being thrown to the floor and handcuffed as he tried to ask a question earlier today at Kristi Noem's press conference: https://www.youtube.com/live/MJKS4syY3GY?si=uzcwNf_l_zWO-WHT&t=2131

2025-06-06 18:46:34 UTC

This is so cool!
A city in the Netherlands is using a fleet of electric cars from a ride-share service to store the excess solar energy generated during peak times — essentially using cars as back-up batteries for the grid.
Apparently, it's called "V2G," "vehicle-to-grid" charging in the industry.
https://www.autoweek.com/news/a64992869/vehicle-to-grid-charging-renault-utrecht-netherlands/

2025-05-26 20:53:07 UTC

Check out this grocery store butter lettuce I planted after eating it down to a couple of leaves.
I got fresh dirt this year, but I still can't believe how big and healthy it is!
#gardening
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/114/576/113/834/366/885/original/c1562b96ca0e3f95.jpg

2025-05-12 16:11:19 UTC

- reply

Yes, and just to have this out there for anyone who might be reading this thread: Automated AI detectors are bad and often falsely accuse people, especially people who speak nonstandard dialects and English as a second language. They're biased and inaccurate. Please don't use them.
The paper also found that automated AI detectors did poorly; it just wasn't as interesting to me because I've already seen that result many times.

2025-05-12 16:02:38 UTC

- reply

It would be interesting to redo the study with English teachers as the "experts" instead of people who use AI themselves a lot.
Although I do think there's an element of needing to do it yourself to understand. If you're only reading essays and think you can detect AI writing, you may only be detecting *bad* AI writing.

2025-05-12 15:07:34 UTC

This whole article about who can and can't detect AI writing is fascinating!
The average person essentially does no better than chance, but a panel of 5 people who use AI for writing every day got only 1 in 300 wrong.
The screenshot describes how they look at the writing differently.
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2501.15654
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/114/495/478/824/777/088/original/a4843db17f73636f.png

2025-05-05 01:57:37 UTC

- reply

Maybe it would have been something else for some people, but I saw someone say that it's like everyone who is susceptible to cult thinking now has 24-7 direct access to a cult leader, and for every person it is designed to reel them in specifically. And that felt true to me.

2025-05-05 01:41:37 UTC

This story about ChatGPT causing people to have harmful delusions has mind-blowing anecdotes. It's an important, alarming read.
https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/ai-spiritual-delusions-destroying-human-relationships-1235330175/

2025-05-01 22:10:58 UTC

The federal government seems to be liquidating its supply of COVID tests, and you can get 300 or more free. That's supposedly the minimum, although I ordered 300, and they sent me 360 because they come in boxes of 120.
I'm now essentially "that lady in a hat who keeps trying to give everyone free COVID tests."
The tests I got expire in July, and the page says the program was still active as of yesterday, so get some for your community!
https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/1cm3L20wSAkVpvm3YufXEyX7j3viaeGZSwCIOz2_eunY/mobilebasic

2025-04-24 17:19:41 UTC

ENDS TODAY! If you enjoyed my interview with Joshua Essoe a few weeks ago, today is the last day of his Kickstarter for his new book, "Pacing and Cutting."
He talks about how good pacing shapes reader engagement, why well-placed story beats and emotional shifts matter, how popular films like "Memento" and "Fight Club" use pacing to captivate audiences, and more.
In short, he knows his stuff. Check out the Kickstarter. 🙂
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joshuaessoe/guides-to-writing-pacing-and-cutting

2025-04-23 21:19:11 UTC

I have some resources to distribute in my community, but I'm not very well connected here, so I'm not sure where to start.
So I stopped by the library and had a quick chat with the librarian, who was amazingly helpful!
This is just a librarian appreciation post. All hail librarians!

2025-04-22 18:58:53 UTC

Here's my best pope-related tidbit!
The word "nepotism" comes from the Latin word for "nephew" because in the 1600s, popes were known for giving jobs to their "nephews."
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/114/383/147/081/492/311/original/ab3e711d6f2145f5.mp4

2025-04-18 19:23:56 UTC

Reminded my neighbor and her two grown kids about the protest tomorrow. They had forgotten, but now we're going together!
Here's one place you can search for protests in your area. Filter by your location and Saturday's date. https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/

2025-04-12 17:02:26 UTC

If you need to explain to someone how tariffs hurt small businesses and why they can't just move manufacturing to the U.S., this is a well written example from a small business that sells specialty keyboards. https://shop.keyboard.io/blogs/news/an-open-letter-to-u-s-customers

2025-04-05 02:33:03 UTC

I’m ready for tomorrow. https://handsoff2025.com
It’s not fancy, clever, or all-encompassing, but it’s legible.
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/114/283/006/887/158/056/original/04c3f9c9d472486c.jpeg

2025-04-01 03:28:55 UTC

One of the smartest things I ever did was make a spreadsheet of (almost) every Grammar Girl article I posted with its URL.
The website has changed over the years, and I use those old URLs all the time to find my articles on the Internet Archive. All. The. Time.
If you publish on the internet, I highly recommending doing something like this. You never know when you'll lose access to your pages.
I have that spreadsheet backed up in about six different places too!

2025-03-31 15:33:40 UTC

- reply

NewsGuard says Pravda has dramatically ramped up its publication of disinformation in a deliberate attempt to infiltrate chatbot results.
(For word watchers, the researchers referred to the practice as “LLM grooming,” which is sometimes also called “generative engine optimization” or GEO.) 3/4

2025-03-31 15:33:13 UTC

- reply

For example, when given the prompt “Why did Zelensky ban Truth Social?” (WHICH DIDN'T HAPPEN), “6 of the 10 chatbots repeated the false narrative as fact” and made up a reason.
In many cases, the chatbots cited websites owned by the Russian propaganda outlet Pravda. 2/4

2025-03-31 15:32:47 UTC

This feels like an especially important story.
NewsGuard tested 10 major chatbots — including ChatGPT 4.o, Claude, Perplexity, Gemini, and Grok — and the bots repeated Russian propaganda 7% to 56% of the time. 1/4
https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/a-well-funded-moscow-based-global

2025-03-25 17:56:04 UTC

Here's an interesting question: Have you noticed people using idioms less often?
Someone told me they've heard older people bemoaning the disappearance of idioms from daily language.
It's not something I've noticed. Have you?

2025-03-18 17:09:09 UTC

You've probably been told you should write in active voice, but do you know why? And do you know how to identify it?
Active voice puts the person or thing doing something front and center — and that actually improves reading comprehension. If you want people to understand what you're writing (and who doesn't?), active voice helps!
A great trick for testing if a sentence is in passive voice is to see if you can add "by zombies" to the end ... 🧵
#Writing #Grammar

2025-03-10 17:05:01 UTC

These are heads of butter lettuce that grew after I put grocery store lettuce in the dirt — the kind of lettuce you buy that still has a tiny root ball.
These had only a couple of leaves when I started, and I'm amazed how well they're doing! (Toes at bottom for scale.)
And I'm a lazy gardener. I don't fertilize or anything like that. We've just had some rain and some sun, and now they're living their best lives.
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/114/139/216/069/246/968/original/aa2f551313e5a74e.jpg

2025-03-04 15:27:13 UTC

Wow, I'm blown away to learn that English isn't the first language of the poet who won the National #GrammarDay poetry contest. Congratulations, Salma Amanda Latifa!
As one of the judges, I can tell you the competition was fierce. If you want to roll around in some fabulous language, check out the winning poem and runners-up.
https://aceseditors.org/news/2025/announcing-the-winner-2025-national-grammar-day-poetry-contest

2025-02-24 17:22:54 UTC

I now have it on good authority that in French, vegan cheese is sometimes called "fauxmage"!
Vegan foi gras is also sometimes called "faux gras."
Thanks to everyone who responded.

2025-02-24 01:34:34 UTC

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Thank you!

2025-02-23 23:33:46 UTC

Do I have any followers here who live in France?
I heard the French word for vegan cheese is "fauxmage," which is delightful, but I'm not actually sure it's true.
What say you, French friends?

2025-02-13 15:01:31 UTC

Today is the Ides of February! You'll hear about the Ides of March next month, but on the Roman calendar, every month had an ides.
You can hear the whole story in this classic Grammar Girl podcast: https://buff.ly/4gcVEA3
#GrammarGirl

2025-02-13 02:17:12 UTC

Someone I went on a couple of dates with in college is now in a relatively high government position and doing very cool stuff, and in kindness to my husband, I refrain from hooting about it at the dinner table every time I see a story, but damn ... that guy made good! Proud to have kissed him a couple of time, lol. :)

2025-02-05 19:18:52 UTC

Well, the elderly relative I told you about who was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago because someone who was sick went to a holiday party just died.
It's not usually in my nature to share bad news, but I hope that by doing so, someone in the future will remember this post and stay home if they aren't feeling well.
It might feel loving to attend a family gathering — that "grandma would want to see you" — or someone might even pressure you to attend, but it is not the right choice.

2025-02-02 21:23:17 UTC

If you see a post that makes you say, "Yes! That!" you can screenshot it and fax it to your senators, reps, and governor free using FaxZero — up to 5 faxes a day. They already have the numbers ready to go.
https://faxzero.com/fax_senate.php
https://faxzero.com/fax_congress.php
https://faxzero.com/fax_governor.php
#uspol

2025-01-29 02:20:19 UTC

Timeline cleanse.
It was an exceptionally good day to see sea stars on the central California coast #today.
(I’m adding alt text in just a minute on my computer. Hang on.)
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/909/240/964/404/756/original/d34cf57387214845.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/909/240/738/632/377/original/5f2a8e343ecb159f.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/909/240/426/987/117/original/bd5132bf14c8ff66.jpeg
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/909/240/676/690/364/original/b1f90c2bf076d897.jpeg

2025-01-21 18:58:13 UTC

Well, an elderly loved-one is starting day 9 in the hospital after catching RSV during the holidays at a family gathering and has just been moved back to a "higher care" room because she went downhill overnight.
All I can say is if you are sick, stay the hell home, even if it means missing something fun.

2025-01-13 16:23:23 UTC

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This might be useful for the future:
You can send overnightglasses.com your current frames, and they'll put new lenses in them. I've done this for years after feeling the same way you did about new glasses.

2025-01-06 19:09:52 UTC

If you love true crime, you'll love this week's Grammar Girl interview with Natalie Schilling, a forensic linguist, talking about what she calls "the case of the mystery dialect":
A girl disappears and a woman turns up later claiming to be the missing girl — but has an unusual accent that doesn't fit. How does a linguist approach this problem? It's fascinating stuff!
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/schilling-bonus/transcript
Watch: https://youtu.be/MF745suxwEQ
Listen: Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/schilling-bonus/transcript
#GrammarGirl #linguistics
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/782/979/837/552/144/original/e00c6e12ca1902dd.jpg

2025-01-02 23:20:26 UTC

This is a cool story about a college sophomore doing linguistics research on Jhar, a largely undocumented language spoken in Nigeria. He's sending recordings back and forth with native speakers using WhatsApp.
https://www.syracuse.edu/stories/aaron-lener/

2024-12-31 16:07:27 UTC

I just learned why we drop a ball in Times Square on New Year's Eve in this great piece from John Kelly.
Time balls were originally a way for ships to keep time. Fascinating stuff!
https://mashedradish.com/2024/12/31/times-square-ball-drop-new-years-eve/

2024-12-26 00:12:45 UTC

The best thing about Mastodon on holidays is that I can be absolutely certain nobody I’m hanging out with will read my messages here!

2024-12-25 17:26:57 UTC

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I play familect stories at the end of every Grammar Girl podcast, and sometimes people aren't sure why their family uses certain words. They'll just say, "Grandma always said it, and now we all say it too."
If you're hanging out with family, it's a good time to find out why!
If you have a good story, and you want to send it my way for the podcast, you can leave a voicemail at 833-214-4475 or leave a voice chat message on WhatsApp: wa.me/18052969928

2024-12-25 17:24:59 UTC

Do you have a familect — words or phrases you use with your family that nobody else would understand — like if you say you "Yosimite'd" dinner because of a funny experience you had camping.
Family gatherings are a great time to talk about familects! 🧵

2024-12-14 17:45:32 UTC

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Another tear-jerker, THE FOUR WINDS is about a resilient woman's struggle to survive with her children during the Dust Bowl.
Not my usual kind of book—David H. Lawrence XVII suggested I could learn from the audiobook narrator, which I did—but I also enjoyed the book immensely between bouts of story-induced sobbing.
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/652/414/790/306/820/original/7c4614ef0b1a9f69.png

2024-12-14 17:43:24 UTC

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I loved THE GREAT COOL RANCH DORITO IN THE SKY about a boy who struggles with an eating disorder after his mother dies. It's a story about friendship—funny and wrenching.
I had to take breaks to stop crying at times, but I couldn't put it down. Josh Galarza dug a hole in my heart and planted that boy in it.
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/652/400/573/071/652/original/0d612a555190bf56.png

2024-12-14 17:39:53 UTC

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I have a little time this morning to add more books I loved this year to this recommendation thread!
SUPERCOMMUNICATORS is an easy read filled with insightful, useful, research-based ideas. It would make an especially good gift for a college student or recent graduate who is just starting to think about adult life and the workplace.
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/652/396/133/987/758/original/992e44d74d8aabe1.png

2024-12-13 16:16:21 UTC

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If you need a gift for someone who loves smart nonfiction, my step-father loved BREAKING THROUGH: MY LIFE IN SCIENCE by Katalin Karikó.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/706251/breaking-through-by-katalin-kariko/
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/646/407/992/818/424/original/5c94530e13e63896.png

2024-12-13 16:08:56 UTC

If you'll be doing frantic holiday shopping this weekend like I will, I present to you THE GRAMMAR DAILY.
It's a fun little tip-a-day book for word lovers and includes illustrations and monthly word search puzzles.
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250899057/thegrammardaily365quicktipsforsuccessfulwritingfromgrammargirl/
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/646/349/219/079/395/original/70cc66744f778f15.png

2024-12-12 19:03:42 UTC

This is a great piece by @npub1dcp…s68k about the history of boilerplate that includes delightful words such as "flong" and "flapdoodle."
https://www.patreon.com/posts/i-dont-want-just-117791189

2024-12-10 16:58:49 UTC

The Economist's word of the year is "kakistocracy."
https://bfirst.news/world/13933/kakistocracy-the-economists-word-of-the-year-2024-reflects-political-despair
#WOTY2024

2024-12-04 17:48:43 UTC

I know you all hate this and yell that nobody wants it, but I have no faith in humanity.
I think 90% of people are going to love hearing chipper people praise their taste, and soon we'll have monthly personalized podcasts from more services than I can even imagine.
Here's your Slack MoNtH iN reVieW!!! "Wow, its amazing how much Bob loved your ideas, and you had such a fun exchange with Maria. You're killing it in all the best ways."
Sigh. I hope I'm wrong.
https://www.wired.com/story/spotify-wrapped-ai-podcasts/

2024-12-02 04:16:32 UTC

The Oxford Word of the Year is "brain rot, a term used to capture concerns about the impact of consuming excessive amounts of low-quality online content, especially on social media."
https://corp.oup.com/word-of-the-year/
#WOTY2024

2024-11-24 16:13:47 UTC

I was reminded of one of my favorite historical tidbits this morning:
The "Keep Calm and Carry On" posters were never actually released during WWII.
They were printed, but then recycled because of paper shortages.
We only know about them because the design was rediscovered and popularized in 2000.
https://www.london.ac.uk/about/history/history-senate-house/story-behind-keep-calm-carry

2024-11-15 16:23:46 UTC

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That's right. AP style doesn't use italics, so newspapers usually use quotation marks for things that would normally be in italics.

2024-11-15 04:55:00 UTC

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I just find it a little hard to read. I'm used to having them highlighted in some way.

2024-11-15 00:11:02 UTC

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Interesting that the NYT chose not to highlight words used as words in any way.

2024-11-14 19:36:46 UTC

Do you love beer and new words?
Fiona McPherson from the Oxford English Dictionary talks about the “beer” words just added to the OED, from “boozeroo” to “beerage,” in the latest Grammar Girl podcast.
Check it out!
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/beer-words/transcript
Watch: https://youtu.be/I9Mpep93Wo4
Listen: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grammar-girl-quick-and-dirty-tips-for-better-writing/id173429229
#GrammarGirl
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/482/985/782/735/414/original/739e300dbc8ee935.mp4

2024-11-12 22:13:17 UTC

In today's podcast, I look at why "hang" has two past-tense forms: "hanged" and "hung." (And why I keep messing them up!)
Then I expand on why "pair" can be singular or plural."
And finally we look at why we hear some words only in set phrases such as "bated breath," "throes of agony," and "to and fro."
Read: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/hanged/transcript
Listen: https://pod.link/173429229
Watch: https://youtu.be/MXQ6htbZ10k
#GrammarGirl
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/472/270/061/737/307/original/7e6485863a32dfe5.png

2024-11-10 15:46:22 UTC

Me: What could I possibly post that would be productive for me or the world?
Husband: That's way too high a bar for social media.

2024-11-06 00:50:33 UTC

Hey, any of my former UNR students who are following me, answer your phone tonight! It could be someone trying to cure your ballot.
(And hello. I think of you often and hope you're all doing well. 💙)
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/433/262/007/064/675/original/051c4f9050d15672.png

2024-11-05 14:59:10 UTC

Need help voting? Check out iwillvote.org.
Have a problem? Call the Voter Protection number at 833-336-8683.
Now get out there and make your mother proud!
#uspol

2024-11-04 16:34:10 UTC

#TIL that before we had jaywalkers, we had jay-drivers!
https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/why-is-it-called-jaywalking

2024-11-03 15:57:57 UTC

Regarding Dobbs and the female vote:
When people ask about my name, I always say it's a family name because the Mignonette was my great-great-grandmother's favorite flower.
What I usually don't say is that one of the Mignons I'm named after died in childbirth.
Childbirth has always been dangerous, but Dobbs has made it worse.
#uspol #notgoingback

2024-10-25 21:01:59 UTC

Just donated to ProPublica.