A Denton, Texas, caller wonders: Are politicians increasingly starting sentences with the phrase “Now, look…”? This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Now, Look…” Hi, you have A Way with Words. Good...
Margarita from the Dallas area uses anyhow and anyways when she has finished saying something personal and wants to move on. These informal words can function as discourse markers, signaling a transition or wrapping up a thought, though anyways in...
Why are the names of cars so unimaginative? Grant argues that auto manufacturers might take inspiration from ornithology to build a better car name. (Then again, would you be any less aggravated if you were rear-ended by a lazuli bunting?) Also this...
Is there a way to get youngsters to stop overusing the word “like”? The mother of a middle-schooler who’s picked up the habit wonders where it came from and how she can stop it. Grant and Martha have suggestions, and Martha...
Yeah, no isn’t an oxymoron in miniature. Jade from San Diego notices friends using it before answers such as “we are not spending $50,” and linguists treat it as a discourse marker, a little conversational tool rather than ordinary yes plus ordinary...