Members-Only Articles

Why we love 19th-century writing

And why we don’t write like that anymore

14 hrs ago • Colin Gorrie

There’s no such thing as g-droppin’

That apostrophe is a lie

Jun 3 • Colin Gorrie

English has no future

Will, shall, and other mysteries

May 20 • Colin Gorrie

Why you’re not supposed to end a sentence with a preposition

And why you do it anyway

May 6 • Colin Gorrie

How to pronounce Middle English

A complete guide + audio

Apr 22 • Colin Gorrie

A bluffer’s guide to etymology

How to guess the age and origin of any English word

Apr 8 • Colin Gorrie

The age when English could do anything

And why we wouldn't have Shakespeare without it

Mar 25 • Colin Gorrie

Why English spelling actually does make sense

English spelling is optimal, from a certain point of view

Mar 11 • Colin Gorrie

Why the worst idea in linguistics won’t die

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis is mostly wrong

Feb 25 • Colin Gorrie

1066 didn't change English (but 1250 did)

How all those French words actually got into English

Feb 11 • Colin Gorrie

What if Beowulf had been written by Shakespeare?

The Tragedie of Beowulf, Prince of Wethermark

Jan 31 • Colin Gorrie

Were Old Norse and Old English a single language?

I say hām, you say heimr, let's call the whole thing off.

Jan 17 • Colin Gorrie

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