Today, Kathy and Ross teach Fletcher about "flat adverbs," which look just like their adjective counterparts, but are still... adverbs. Think fast! Drive safe! Who needs that pesky -ly ending? Not these words.

You're Saying It Wrong

We're Flat Fine With These Adverbs | YSIW

Today we take a big step back and answer a common listener question about exactly why we don't talk that much about "The Rules" of English. Spoiler: THERE AREN'T ANY! (Ok, we're kidding, there are some.) Also, we jump back into the alphabet of commonly confused words, with a word that somehow leads us to... explosive dogs?

It's The Wild West Out Here! | YSIW

We dip into some listener questions, including one about our recent "reflexive pronouns" discussion and one that has us revisit a topic from an earlier episode and that whole lie/lay/laid/lain confusion. Spoiler: Bob Dylan and Eric Clapton are both wrong!

Mailbag Day! Or, We Lay Waste (to) The English Language | YSIW

We're returning to one of our favorite topics: words we sometimes use without really knowing what they mean, or words we see that we just kind of skim past because we aren't totally sure what they mean-- "Blipover words" as Ross calls them. You know, words you see and just sort of "blip" over. And boy oh boy, some of these even we have a hard time getting a handle on. Plus: guest appearances by Bob Dylan, Alanis Morissette, and Yoda.

A Return To Blipover Words | YSIW

Cue up De La Soul, today we're talking "Me, Myself, and I!" Fletcher tries to wrap his head around reflexive pronouns and gets a remedial grammar lesson, and we all try not to have an identity crisis. Who am I, anyway?

Taking Selfies | YSIW

After Fletcher vents his rage about a word he's starting to hear being misused more and more often, and then Kathy and Ross answer a listener question about the phrase "out of sorts" (what the heck are sorts?), we jump back into our trip through the commonly confused alphabet with the letters L and M. Things get pretty dark.

We Are Loath (Loathe?) To Confuse These Words | YSIW

We return to our trip through the alphabet of commonly confused words, picking up with the letter "F", maybe skipping a few that are boring, and heading on through the letter "J". We'd say we avoid tangents this time, but we all know that's not true. Also, Kathy and Ross take on a listener question that Fletcher just can't wrap his head around.

We're Incredulous That These Words Are Confused | YSIW

Grab your two favorite words, smoosh 'em up together, and you got yourself a portmanteau! After Fletcher gets over some initial confusion, Kathy and Ross challenge him to figure out which words make up their favorite portmanteaus. Humpty Dumpty would be so proud...

A Word Or Two About Portmanteaus | YSIW

We continue our trip through the alphabet of commonly confused words as we tackle the letters D, E, and F... or that's the plan anyway, sometimes we get a little sidetracked... You're Saying It Wrong was recorded and produced at KMUW studios. Thanks to our language experts, Kathy Petras and Ross Petras. You can follow them at their website: kandrpetras.com The show was produced by Fletcher Powell, with help from Beth Golay and Lu Anne Stephens. Art was produced by Jordan Kirtley. KMUW engineers are Mark Statzer and Torin Andersen. You're Saying It Wrong the book was published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House, as was their new book, That Doesn't Mean What You Think It Means . You can find the books at your local independent bookstore. - Follow You're Saying It Wrong on Twitter @YSIWpod .

Words We D-E-F-initely Confuse | YSIW

This episode we'll dig into some words (and one punctuation mark!) that we toss around willy-nilly that maybe we don't totally, completely understand, and that we sometimes count on other people not understanding, either. Plus, a listener email makes Fletcher want to revisit "begs the question" to learn where such a strange phrase came from in the first place.

Tossing Words Around Willy-Nilly | YSIW

Today, we're digging up some fossil words! To wit: We'll wade through the flotsam and jetsam of words that have lost all their meaning to us except in very specific circumstances. So batten down the hatches! We wouldn't want to give this topic short shrift.

More Fun With Fossils! | YSIW

We start with a quick lightning round of the most mispronounced names of 2020, followed by a TRIPLE redundancy from a listener, and then we'll tackle some of the most commonly confused word pairs in English... but only the ones that start with A, B, or C. Otherwise we'd be here forever.

The ABCs Of Confused Words | YSIW

Prompted by a listener email about pet peeves, we'll look at redundant phrases people use every day, and talk about how sometimes redundancy... can be good?

Redundant Language Redundancies | YSIW

It's time for the airing of grievances! We'll toss around our least favorite examples of business jargon and PR puffery—it's a good, old-fashioned gripe session for Christmas.

Innovate Your Way Into Some Jargon Solutions | YSIW

We dig into the second half of our holiday feast with some pasta, hot and cold soups, ancient grains, and even a little digestif. Plus, we'll take another dip into jus... or au jus, as the case may be. Bon appetit!

Food! Glorious Food! (Part 2) | YSIW

From KMUW Studios, You're Saying It Wrong is a podcast that looks at what we get wrong--and what we sometimes get right--when it comes to this English language. Hosted by KMUW's Fletcher Powell, each episode features a conversation with the sister and brother who wrote the book on it. Literally. You're Saying It Wrong: A Pronunciation Guide to the 150 Most Commonly Mispronounced Words and Their Tangled Histories of Misuse is by Kathryn Petras and Ross Petras. Each week Kathy and Ross send a word to Fletcher, and then they convene over the airwaves to hear him pronounce it. Sometimes he gets it right. And sometimes they get to say, "You're Saying It Wrong."

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You're Saying It Wrong

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