An upstate New York woman says her British husband makes fun of her for saying lookit! This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Lookit!” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hi, Grant. I’m Susan Moody, and I’m from the...
Some teachers are using a controversial tactic to get young students reading: They let their pupils choose which books to read for class. Does it work? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Students Choosing Books”...
If you need proof that language is powerful, here’s some. Researchers at Cornell recently reported that kids are more likely to eat their veggies if they’re told the food has enticing names like “X-ray Vision Carrots” and...
Why is it that what you say to your family and what they hear are different? If you say “no,” your child hears “maybe,” and if you say “maybe,” she hears “ask again and again,” and “yes” is...
Are fairy tales too scary for children? A survey of parents in Britain found that more than half wouldn’t read them to their children before age five. Martha and Grant discuss the grisly imagery in fairy tales, and whether they’re too...
The word borborygmic means “pertaining to rumblings in one’s tummy or intestines.” It derives from borborygmus (“bor-buh-RIG-muss”), a term for intestinal rumbling and a vivid example of onomatopoeia. Its bubbly B sounds make borborygmic especially...