Some, um, surprising advice for public speakers

The Podcast

Research shows that people don't say "um" and "uh" because they're nervous.

Instead, one reason people use these filler words is to tell listeners they want to keep talking. It's the spoken equivalent of imperiously raising a finger. ??

The amazing thing is that we don't use "um" and "uh" nearly as much when we're talking to a computer, like Siri, or when we're giving a formal talk—because we don't expect to be interrupted!

That's just one of many surprising insights from Valerie Fridland 's new book, "Like, Literally, Dude ." (For example, there's also a reason we have both "um" and "uh.") Check out the whole interview. Read , watch , or listen .

From the Archives: 'Etcetera'

The word “etcetera” comes from Latin and was originally written as two words: “et” and "cetera,” which translates to “and the others.” It’s pronounced “et-cetera,” (with a T sound) not “ex-cetera” (with an X sound).?

These days, it’s abbreviated “etc.”— but in the old days, it was abbreviated with an ampersand followed by a “c,” with the ampersand representing the “and” part, and the “c” representing “cetera,” which meant “the others.” Therefore, when you see it written as “&c,” you know you are looking at a document that is probably at least 100 years old or is trying to use old-fashioned language.

Write Better Email

I am thrilled to see my new “Writing Email” course on LinkedIn Learning is being viewed enough to get the “popular” label. Is that like being the prom queen of online education? Do I need to buy a tiara? I’m not sure, but if you’d like to be part of my imaginary court, watch the course today !

A Favorite Social Media Post: Bōc-rēad

I love that there used to be a specific shade of red that got its name—bōc-rēad—from its frequent appearance in books.

The Old English Wordhord is one of my favorite accounts on Mastodon.

“Minium” is another word for a fiery-red color. It comes from the Latin name of the mineral originally used to make the dye.?

Thanks for reading (and listening!),

Mignon Fogarty, Grammar Girl

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