I found this astonishing podcast the other day, and I have to tell you, it's may be the best podcast I've heard in a long time. Right, you say….a podcast on English grammar?
I run three miles every morning. Because I am not a natural athlete and at 6am my body is…shall we say…reluctant, my iPod is my motivator to do something I really don't like. I need the aural stimulation. Most days, it's Led Zeppelin or equivalent that does the trick.
So, how could a podcast about English grammar be a must-listen at dawn? Simple: it's fascinating. I write (a lot) and Grammar Girl gives me what I want to know about doing it better. She sounds young, but reminds me of Mrs. Kendall, my 5th grade English teacher (would you believe I was in 5th grade in 1965? Some readers of this blog believe that's too old to be useful).
That old lady (she was ancient in 1965) drilled us hard. And I know I wasn't the only kid to come out of that class in Jacksonville, Fla. able to make a subject and verb agree in number.
And, OK, I'll admit it: I find the odd rules and irregularities of English grammar as intricate and pleasurable as fans do who live in online virtual environments and who spend years in role-playing games. I love knowing what's correct, what isn't and how to string a sentence together. And Grammar Girl is helping me do it better.
There are very, very few podcasts like that. (My other must-listen is, of course, Security Now!.)
So, even though the guys in the office (that would be you, Sterling and Dave) were merciless and full of ridicule, I'm a big fan of Grammar Girl. You should be, too.
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