776 - Why a Detective Searched for 'Clews' in a 1929 Novel. ‘Systemic’ or ‘Systematic’?

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

Mignon Fogarty, Inc.

Society & Culture, Education

4.5 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 18 June 2020

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Our writer was surprised when he came across "clew" instead of "clue" in a detective novel from 1929, and the explanation includes a great story about the origin of the word "clue." Also, people have been wondering about the difference between "systematic" and "systemic." They come from the same root, but have subtle differences in meaning. Don't get it wrong! Read the transcripts: ‘Clue’ or ‘Clew’? ‘Systemic’ or ‘Systematic’? Use the hashtag #WhereIListen to show me where you listen to the Grammar Girl podcast. Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates. Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing course. Join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter. Grammar Pop iOS game. Peeve Wars card game. Grammar Girl books. HOST: Mignon Fogarty VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) Grammar Girl is part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. Links: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/ https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe http://twitter.com/grammargirl http://facebook.com/grammargirl http://pinterest.com/realgrammargirl http://instagram.com/thegrammargirl https://www.linkedin.com/company/grammar-girl

Transcript

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0:00.0	[♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪
0:04.8	Grandma Girl here. I'm Mignon Focardy, your friendly guide to the English language.
0:09.4	We talk about writing, history, rules, and cool stuff.
0:13.1	Today, we'll talk about the word clue and the surprising finding that it used to be spelled differently.
0:19.1	We'll talk about the difference between the words systemic and systematic
0:23.3	and we'll end with a family dialect story.
0:26.3	[♪ INTRO MUSIC PLAYING [♪
0:28.7	This first segment is by the writer and humor columnist, Eric Deckers.
0:32.9	So when I say I, that's actually him.
0:35.6	I've been doing a lot of reading lately, as you can imagine.
0:39.6	And decided I would start reading one of my favorite detective series from the very start.
0:44.8	The incomparable Ellery Queen.
0:47.5	Ellery Queen was the author as well as the main character of more than 30 mystery novels.
0:53.9	Said in New York City in the late 1920s and 1930s,
0:57.7	Ellery helps his police inspector father, Richard Queen,
1:01.7	solve difficult and complex murders.
1:04.7	I've been reading Ellery Queen since my own father introduced me when I was 10 years old,
1:09.4	although I haven't read them all, and I've certainly never read them all in order.
1:14.1	So I started with the first novel, The Roman Hat Mystery,
1:18.6	which was published in 1929.
1:22.2	Ellery Queen was actually a pseudonym created by Frederick De Nay and Manfred B. Lee,
1:28.5	two cousins who created the amateur detective.
	...

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