Language Pet Peeves
Richard Lederer Fights to Protect the English Language

June 1, 2002: This time on Language Pet Peeves, we learn the nautical origin of the expression "by and large." Plus, host Jacki Lyden and language guru Richard Lederer tackle the difference between the words "founder" and "flounder" and a rather singular abuse of the phrase "there are."

Listen to past shows in this series

Are you feeling "bad" or "badly" today? Don't know when to use "I" or "me" in a sentence? Vent your language pet peeves with Weekend All Things Considered language expert Richard Lederer.

Richard Lederer Photo: KPBS.org

Lederer is co-host of A Way With Words, broadcast on NPR member station KPBS in San Diego. He's also an author, speaker and journalist who specializes in grammar and the English language.

Lederer has written more than 12 best-selling books, including Crazy English, Anguished English and More Anguished English. His weekly column, "Looking at Language," reaches more than one million readers through U.S. newspapers and magazines.

Lederer has also appeared on "Larry King" radio, NBC's Today Show and CNN Prime Time. He's a grammar writer for Writer's Digest, is frequently published in The New York Times, National Review and Reader's Digest, and has been profiled in The New Yorker and People magazines.

Shows in this series:

May 11, 2002: Saturday on Language Pet Peeves, learn to differentiate between "lie" and "lay." Plus, if you're not careful, someone may literally harm you physically for misusing "literally" when you mean to say "figuratively."

April 21, 2002: Sunday on Language Pet Peeves, we lament the death of the adverb and the excessive use of apostrophes "at this point in time."

March 17, 2002: Sunday on Language Pet Peeves, listeners "bring" or "take" their language gripes to verbivore Richard Lederer, who "begs the question": What's wrong with the double "is"?

Feb. 24, 2002: This week on Language Pet Peeves, the expressions "my bad" and "my bag." Richard Lederer also discusses the difference between a lectern and a podium.

Feb. 9, 2002: The plural follow-up -- Richard Lederer talks about the misuse of "hopefully," subject-verb agreement, and "one of the only" versus "one of the few."

Jan. 12, 2002: This week on Language Pet Peeves, Lederer gets "proactive" about the use and misuse of the words anxious and eager.

Dec. 16, 2001: This week on Language Pet Peeves, we "home in" on some "nauseating" ways in which people "decimate" the language.

Nov. 24, 2001: This week on Language Pet Peeves, "absolutely" and "badly" in the crossfire.

Aug. 19, 2001: When is a report "verbal" or "oral?" When should you say "that" instead of "who?"

May 26, 2001: Listeners tell us what galls them: "I" when it should be "me," "less when it should be "fewer," "different than" when it should be "different from."

March 31, 2001: Debut of the Language Pet Peeves series. Dissecting the origin and use of "like" -- you know, like this?

Got a peeve to share? E-mail your comments to watc@npr.org


Other Resources

• KPBS.org in San Diego, Calif.

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