I don’t know about you, but I don’t think I paid good enough attention in grammar class. I remember thinking grammar was horribly boring.
The Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing podcast is not boring at all! Mignon Fogarty, the creator and host of Grammar Girl, manages to make grammar very interesting in her quick two to seven minute shows. Fogarty has a B.A. in English and a M.S. in biology. She’s also a writer and an editor. According to her website, she strives to a friendly guide in the writing world. The Grammar Girl podcast won three awards in 2007, including the Best Education Program and Favorite Audio Program.
Grammar isn’t stuffy old sentences at all. Grammar and our language are constantly evolving. On the January 11, 2008 episode, Fogarty talked with researchers from John Hopkins University who had discovered children in Baltimore using the word “yo” as a gender neutral pronoun. She also says that academics have been trying to introduce a gender-neutral singular prounon into the English language for about 200 years, with very little success.
I like that Fogarty takes on some of the old school rules. Remember we were told to never, never use a preposition to end a sentence? Grammar Girl says that sometimes it is okay. One of her examples is “What did you step on?” She says that no one would actually say, “On what did you step?”
Fogarty covers general grammar, word choice and usage, style questions, and even answers questions sent in by her listeners. Episodes include when to use “might” vs. “may”, hyphens, apostrophes, “sit” vs. “set”, and “good vs. well”, when to use “your” and when to use “you’re”.
Fogarty’s webcasts are friendly and easy to understand. She really does make grammar fun. I feel that listening to her has improved my writing and given me a greater appreciation for grammar.
Also See:
Just One More Book – Podcast Review
Coffee Break Spanish – Podcast Review
The Writer’s Almanac – Podcast Review