Words You Should Know

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #45 – A Grammar Mayday Over “Mayday” Approximate transcript: Welcome to episode number 45, where we're talking […] The post #45 – A Grammar Mayday Over “Mayday” & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #44 – Pleased as Punchy Punch with a Drink & the Latest in Words You Should Know […] The post #44 – Pleased as Punchy Punch with a Drink & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. “The Plural form of ‘You' Already Exists” – encore episode Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Spotify  |  Amazon Music  […] The post “The Plural form of ‘You' Already Exists” – encore episode appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. “Story Stop: Enter the Toastmasters” (encore episode) Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Spotify  |  Amazon Music  |  YouTube […] The post Story Stop: Enter the Toastmasters (encore episode) appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. “Prouder” or “More Proud” than a Peacock? (Plus a Spelling Meme Debunked) – encore episode Apple Podcasts  |  […] The post “Prouder” or “More Proud” than a Peacock? (Plus a Spelling Meme Debunked) – encore episode appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. “Story Stop: Writing, Editing & Personal Perspectives” (encore episode) Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Spotify  |  Amazon Music  […] The post Story Stop: Writing, Editing & Personal Perspectives (encore episode) appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. “Should You Trust Judas Priest on Language Use?” (encore episode) Welcome to the summer series of the Words […] The post Should You Trust Judas Priest on Language Use? (encore episode) appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. “Story Stop: Bookish Road Trip” (encore episode) Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Spotify  |  Amazon Music  |  YouTube […] The post Story Stop: Bookish Road Trip (encore episode) appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. “Franklin, Roosevelt & Getting a Grip on the English Language” (encore episode) Welcome to the summer series of […] The post “Franklin, Roosevelt & Getting a Grip on the English Language” (encore episode) appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #43 – Why do we call them the “Dog Days of Summer”? & the Latest in Words You […] The post #43 – Why do we call them the “Dog Days of Summer”? & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #42 – Crime & Virtue in “Strolls” & “Saunters” – Plus the Latest in Words You Should Know […] The post #42 – Crime & Virtue in “Strolls” & “Saunters” – Plus the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #41 – Singular “Octopus,” Plural “Octo-what?” & the Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate transcript: Welcome […] The post #41 – Singular “Octopus,” Plural “Octo-what?” & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #40 – “Running Amok” Phrase Origin Stories & the Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate transcript: […] The post #40 – “Running Amok” Phrase Origin Stories & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #39 – “Gargoyle” Origin Stories & the Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate transcript: Welcome to […] The post #39 – “Gargoyle” Origin Stories & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #38 – Thesaurus. Thesauri? What’s the Word? & the Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate transcript: […] The post #38 – Thesaurus. Thesauri? What’s the Word? & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #37 – “Rule of Thumb” Origin Outrage & the Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate transcript: […] The post #37 – “Rule of Thumb” Origin Outrage & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #35 – Are You With’t? Contractions & the Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate transcript: Welcome […] The post #36 – Are You With’t? Contractions & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #35 – AI Innovation, Unprecedented Presidents & the Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate transcript: Welcome […] The post #35 – AI Innovation, Unprecedented Presidents & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #34 – The Origin of Those -Isms & the Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate transcript: […] The post #34 – The Origin of Those -Isms & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #33 – The Glamour of Grammar (Yes, Seriously!) & The Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate […] The post #33 – The Glamour of Grammar (Yes, Seriously!) & The Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #32 – Threatened Languages, How Come We Say “How Come” & the Latest in Words You Should […] The post #32 – Threatened Languages, How Come We Say “How Come” & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #31 – Poets, Manifestos, Trying Harder & the Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate transcript: Welcome […] The post #31 – Poets, Manifestos, Trying Harder & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution and influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more to this conversation. Episode #30 – Shakespeare’s English, Space Travel & the Latest in Words You Should Know Approximate transcript: Hi, […] The post #30 – Shakespeare’s English, Space Travel & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because Ben Franklin and Kurt Cobain both influenced our modern English language, spelling memes deserve to be debunked, and our daily lives are surrounded by the evolution of and the influence of words. Forget the grammar police. There is so much more […] The post #29 – AI, Suffragettes, Bloomers & the Latest in Words You Should Know appeared first on Kris Spisak.

The Words You Should Know podcast is back! (mini-episode) Approximate transcript: Hi there. It’s Kris. How’s everyone doing? I hope you and your words are well, and I do say that to every single one of you, no matter whether you consider yourself a “writer” quote, unquote, or not. We all connect with each other […] The post The Words You Should Know podcast is back! (mini-episode) appeared first on Kris Spisak.

Why do I call this the “Words You Should Know” podcast? It’s not a lecture. The whole idea of grammar police annoys me. This is the podcast that reminds you that Ben Franklin and Kurt Cobain both influenced our modern English language, and that spelling memes deserve to be debunked. See past episodes for those […] The post S3: E6 – Why “Soccer” instead of “Football,” Americans? Seriously, why? appeared first on Kris Spisak.

People surround us. Words surround us. The words we use for people surround us. And things can get tricky. We might fall into traps of not knowing better with some words, like “gypsy,” which is often considered a racial slur to people of the Roma population—along with the word “gyped,” as in “I was gyped,” […] The post S3: E5 – Where Do We Get the Word “Hipster”? appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication, because Ben Franklin and Kurt Cobain both influenced our modern English language and spelling memes deserve to be debunked. Words. Language. Human communication. Everything begins there. Norrie Epstein once said, “The best writing advice I ever received: facts are eloquent.” Oh how […] The post S3: E4 – The Origin of “Silhouette” & How Do You Spell “Piecemeal” (“Peacemeal”? “Piecemail”?) Anyway? appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication. Let’s talk language tips for the curious or confused. Welcome to episode three of season three. The Irish author Samuel Beckett once wrote, “Ever tried? Ever failed? No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” I love this idea, in talking about […] The post S3: E3 – The origin of “compete” and “boycott” & is “lineup” / “line up” one or two words anyway? appeared first on Kris Spisak.

No matter how you’re using your words, in emails or essays, poetry or presentations, you’ve got to start somewhere. Maxwell Perkins, the book editor best known for the writers he discovered including Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, once said, “Just get it down on paper, and then we’ll see what to do […] The post S3: E2 – “Bragging rights” (or “rites”)? “Rites (or “rights”) of passage”? And what’s the story about “braggadocio”? appeared first on Kris Spisak.

A few stolen minutes out of your day to talk words and communication. Let’s talk language tips for the curious or confused. Welcome to season 3. In our first two seasons, we talked about the language choices of Kurt Cobain, Judas Priest, and Destiny’s Child. We’ve talked about spelling hijacking and spelling revolutions of early […] The post S3: E1 – The History of “Mesmerize” & Looking for the “Mother Lode” (or “Mother Load”?) of English Language Tips appeared first on Kris Spisak.

So you’re telling me you think grammar is gross. You’re allergic to the idea of sentence diagramming. Actually paying attention to the English Language sounds kind of icky. Okay, sure, that’s not my opinion, but you knew that. And if it’s yours, that’s okay. I get it. But you know what is icky to me? […] The post S2: E10 – Nervous “Tics” & Nervous “Ticks” Plus Other Things That Make You Squirm (Besides Grammar) appeared first on Kris Spisak.

I don’t know if birth order has anything to do with grammar persnicketiness. Do eldest children have a tendency of dotting their i’s and crossing their t’s? Are youngest children inclined toward utter grammar rebellion? Was that first known person to drop an “OMG” in 1917—yep, I said that date correctly, 1917—was he a youngest […] The post S2: E9 – Whippersnappers & the Birth Order of Grammar Rebels appeared first on Kris Spisak.

Today, let’s fight fire with grammatical fire. Or, let’s at least get your spelling right when you’re talking about fire. Think fast: if you have a “flaring” temper, how is that spelled? Is it the same as having a “flair” for fashion? And what is the past tense of the verb, “to light”? Lit? Lighted? […] The post S2: E8 – Fighting Fire with Grammatical Fire appeared first on Kris Spisak.

Getting my fingers covered in dirt is as satisfying as having them covered in ink. Weeding is a bit like editing, after all, cleaning up what’s there to turn it into its best. And then there’s the wonderful language of the garden. “Zucchini” comes from the Italian word for “sweetest.” The head of an asparagus […] The post S2: E7 – Splatter or Spatter from your Spigot or Spicket? appeared first on Kris Spisak.