A Way with Words is a lively hour-long public radio show about language, on the air since 1999. Co-hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett delve into word histories, solve grammar disputes, give and answer quizzes, and take calls from listeners around the world who vent their peeves. And, of course, they answer linguistic and lexical questions language-lovers have long wondered about.
The show's format is similar to Car Talk, only the subject is...
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A Way with Words is a lively hour-long public radio show about language, on the air since 1999. Co-hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett delve into word histories, solve grammar disputes, give and answer quizzes, and take calls from listeners around the world who vent their peeves. And, of course, they answer linguistic and lexical questions language-lovers have long wondered about.
The show's format is similar to Car Talk, only the subject is language, the callers are more passionate, and the conversation, trivia, and wordplay wander into such diverse subjects as current events, pop culture, history, science, literature, sports, politics, music, and foreign languages.
Like the hosts of Car Talk, author Martha Barnette and lexicographer Grant Barrett are experts in their fields who also happen to have an infectious sense of fun. Each episode is a wide-ranging hour of conversation about words, what they mean, and how we use them, plus the occasional how-to information about writing and speaking, all presented in a way that's both entertaining and educational.
Among its listeners and correspondents are office workers and degreed professionals; experienced and aspiring writers and editors; learners of English as a first or supplementary language; linguistic dilettantes; word history buffs; puzzle-solvers and puzzle-makers; dictionary browsers; students of all ages; teachers at the elementary, secondary, post-secondary/college, and graduate school levels; lovers of wordplay; Scrabble players and crossword puzzlers; and late-blooming or late-life learners trying to catch up on what they missed or have forgotten of their formal education. Let's also not forget that large, special class of American worker whose members somehow found themselves crowned "office grammar guru" and are struggling to live up to the title.
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