The words we choose can change attitudes — and change lives. A swing-dance instructor has switched to gender-neutral language when teaching couples. He says that using words like “leader” and “follower” actually works better than using gendered...
A 1957 story by James Thurber includes a sentence with oddly stranded prepositions. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “Stranded Prepositions” Earlier, we were talking about prepositional pileups, like it’s really coming down up here...
A pint-sized mad scientist, a green-haired girl with a contagious sense of wonder, and a 10-year-old detective. They’re all characters in the books on Grant’s latest list of recommended books for children. Also, what’s the word for a female octopus...
It’s largely because of the way we feel while riding in a car or on a train that we use the prepositions in a car and on a train. This is part of a complete episode. Transcript of “In a Car vs. On a Train” Hello, you have A Way with Words. Hello...
Jeff from Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, wants to know if he’s wrong to say, I’m going over Martha’s house, meaning “I’m going over to Martha’s house.” He’s always left out the word to from that phrase. His wife argues that he’s implying that he’s...
A high-school English teacher asks which is correct: It happened on accident, or It happened by accident? A survey by linguist Leslie Barratt at Indiana State University indicates that most people born after 1990 use on accident, and weren’t even...