Topic: Grammar

A listener complained about being blocked after repeatedly correcting a host's grammar regarding the use of "wasn't" versus "weren't" in a script. The host defended the block, stating that the dialogue had become a repetitive nuisance. The discussion explores the social dynamics of blocking listeners in the digital age and the introduction of a "black hole" mechanism for managing persistent critics.

NPR featured a segment on the filler word "um," describing it as a "mighty building block of conversation" used for turn-holding and tone-softening. The report traces the word's history back to 1604 and notes its increasing use in informal social media captions. The hosts mock the academic seriousness applied to a common speech habit.

The origin of the sock hop is explained as a dance held in high school and grammar school gyms where students were required to remove their shoes to avoid scratching the floor. Participants wore white fluffy gym socks or bobby socks, a style popular in the 1950s. The term eventually evolved into the "gig" in later decades.

Dilbert creator Scott Adams proposed a linguistic defense of Joe Biden, suggesting the President used a possessive apostrophe ("supporter's") rather than a plural noun. This interpretation would mean Biden was calling the comedian's "garbage" rhetoric the issue, rather than the supporters themselves. However, critics argue the White House's shifting explanations and the audio evidence make this grammatical defense unlikely to persuade the public.

NPR provides a summary of campaign promises regarding abortion rights and IRS funding. The hosts mock the reporter's use of the word "clenched" instead of "clinched" when describing the status of Congressional control. They discuss the likelihood of a divided government as results continue to trickle in.

The hosts discuss the increasing social pressure to use "they/them" pronouns for individuals. They argue that using "they" as a singular pronoun is linguistically confusing in written scenarios and serves as a form of virtue signaling. One host states a personal policy of refusing to converse with individuals who include pronouns in their email signatures.

A donor complains about the discontinuation of the "69-69" promotion, leading to a debate about who was actually at fault for its retirement. The hosts also address a listener's correction regarding the usage of the word "amount" versus "number." A dedication is made to a father "brainwashed by CNN" who would likely be enraged by the show's content.

The hosts analyze the specific phrasing used by the Biden-Harris campaign, such as the term "good paying jobs" versus "well-paying jobs." They argue that this linguistic choice is a deliberate attempt to sound populist while remaining grammatically incorrect. The segment also touches on Harris's habit of referring to Biden simply as "Joe," which they find demeaning to the office of the Vice President.

A critique of modern communication focuses on the increasing trend of placing the dollar sign after the numerical amount rather than before it. This shift is attributed to a lack of education or a literal interpretation of how the phrase is spoken.

The linguistic phenomenon of "T-glottalization," or dropping the "T" sound in words like "mountain" or "Vermont," is explored. Citing "Grammar Girl" and the journal "American Speech," the discussion notes that young women are often at the cutting edge of these pronunciation changes. The hosts debate whether these shifts are permanent linguistic evolutions or temporary fads influenced by Hollywood media.

A debate is emerging between traditional prescriptive linguistics and modern descriptive approaches that view language as a constantly evolving entity. Some professors argue that criticizing speech patterns like vocal fry is rooted in misogyny or racism. Traditionalists maintain that the older generation has a civic duty to push back against linguistic shifts to maintain clarity.

A donor from the Willamette Valley, Sir 10CFR50 Appendix B, shares a personal story of remarriage and relocation to Oregon. He provides an observation on the decline of English grammar, specifically the modern tendency to say "me and Bill" instead of "Bill and I." The segment concludes with banter about a host's makeshift drum kit and the use of a Yeti Blue microphone.

A brief linguistic detour occurs regarding the word "askance," which one host was previously unfamiliar with. They discuss its use as an adverb and reference Stephen King's advice that "adverbs are not your friend" in writing. The segment transitions back to Horowitz's boat insurance and the relative safety of his house in Florida.

A producer's critique argues that the word "conflate" is often used pompously to hide a lack of specific meaning. The critique suggests that unless referring to the literal combining of two identical texts, words like "confuse," "incorporate," or "pack" are more accurate. The overuse of "conflate" in modern discourse is seen as a distraction that fails to explain how different concepts are actually being related.

Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak open the Easter Sunday episode from Austin and Silicon Valley. They discuss the linguistic curiosity of the phrase "He is risen" appearing on social media statuses. The conversation touches on the branding of Jesus Christ and the timing of military actions during a religious holiday.

Mona Chalabi of The Guardian argues that "grammar snobs" are patronizing and use outdated rules to silence marginalized groups. The discussion explores the evolution of language, the interchangeable use of "less" and "fewer," and the Oxford Dictionary's updated definition of the word "literally."

CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin is criticized for his assessment that Trump's immigration proposal is unconstitutional. The critique focuses on Toobin's professional background and his inclusion of his grammar school in his official biography. The argument is made that Toobin is ignoring historical precedents where Congress and the President have enacted similar bans.

A specific bug in the iPhone's iOS 8 autocorrect system is identified, where the software fails to correct common single-letter typos like "s" instead of "a" in a sentence. Despite the integration of cloud-based "big data" and advanced grammar checking, these simple errant keystrokes often remain uncorrected. The failure is contrasted with the aggressive correction of other, more complex words.

The hosts mock Megyn Kelly for using the non-standard word "irregardless" during her coverage of Rand Paul. They observe that Paul appeared to lose his patience during the interview due to Kelly's aggressive questioning style. The segment focuses on the optics of the Fox News exchange and the perceived sexism in the subsequent media analysis.

President Barack Obama's Rose Garden speech regarding the Iranian nuclear framework serves as a catalyst for a debate on linguistic shifts. The use of "a historic" versus "an historic" is analyzed, with modern grammarians reportedly favoring the former. Other evolving terms mentioned include "whom" versus "who" and the use of "whilst."