That's What They Say is a weekly segment on Michigan Public that explores our changing language. Each week University of Michigan English Professor Anne Curzan will discuss why we say what we say with Michigan Public Weekend Edition host Rebecca Kruth.
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It's all so grammatically straight forward in the present tense if you plead innocent. Later on though, should you tell people you "pleaded" innocent or "pled" innocent?By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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TWTS: Goods in the can may not always be "canned"
5:20
5:20
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The sign at the grocery store said “can goods,” not “canned goods.”By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Kruth
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We keep track of things, we lose track of things, we run track, and listen to tracks. Sometimes though, we confuse “track” with “tract.”By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Kruth
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TWTS: The “all” in “alls” is just another tough one to call
5:06
5:06
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5:06
Alls our listener wanted to know is what's going on with the “alls” in “alls I know.”By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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Technically, not everyone you buy real estate from is a realtor.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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The summer sped by and the car sped off, but perhaps we speeded up the process.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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A bare-faced lie may also be bald. Sometimes, it may even be bold.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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It doesn't seem like coming up with a response to "thank you" should be that complicated. When you think about it though, there are a lot of options.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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TWTS: When it comes to "lie" and "lay," even English professors get confused
5:17
5:17
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Even for speakers who feel solid about the distinction between "lie" and "lay," they may lose that distinction when "low" is added to the mix.By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Kruth
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TWTS: We're not done talking about "alright," all right?
5:20
5:20
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5:20
All right, last week, we got distracted by the versatility of "all right." This week, we look at why spelling it as one word, "alright," makes some people really mad.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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TWTS: "Alright" is not just all right with everyone
4:43
4:43
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4:43
All right, all right. It's time for us to start talking about whether "alright" is all right.By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Kruth
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Wait, wait, don't tell me I can't wait on things.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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TWTS: How worms of destruction begat worms of wisdom
4:50
4:50
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4:50
While now we may think of being a bookworm as a positive trait, that hasn't always been the case.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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TWTS: It "ghosts" without saying ... well, anything
4:54
4:54
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4:54
Social media has made a couple of longstanding English verbs work or mean differently.By Anne Curzan, Rebecca Kruth
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TWTS: You can pay homage with or without the "h"
4:57
4:57
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4:57
If you want to pronounce "homage" to a tee, it may depend what you mean.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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TWTS: Learning new slang is good "for the plot"
5:10
5:10
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5:10
As we live our lives, there's some new slang words that can help us narrate it as we go. That is, if we're in a demographic that allows us to use slang credibly.By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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TWTS: Whether "or not" belongs in "whether or not" or not
5:07
5:07
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5:07
We don’t all agree on whether or not we should correct the phrasing "whether or not."By Rebecca Kruth, Anne Curzan
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