CIRCLE WITH A DOT

@quimnuss You should check, but I do know you have to have filed the copyright, and that might be a U.S. copyright. I'm not sure.

@beckermatic It worked for me just now. Maybe try it again?

@0f4d0335 Hey, thanks!

I believe you're eligible if you're named on the copyright filing, but you should read the Authors Guild post to be sure.

Also, I think you can search your name at the settlement site to see if you come up.

Heads-up for published authors:

The deadline to join the Anthropic class-action copyright settlement is March 30. If you have published a book, you may be eligible to receive ~$1,500 per book, so it’s worth your time to check it out.

I had been putting it off and finally completed my forms last week.

Learn more at the Authors Guild: https://authorsguild.org/advocacy/artificial-intelligence/what-authors-need-to-know-about-the-anthropic-settlement/

Start the process: https://www.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/

Should you write "don't" or "do not"?

It depends.

Contractions are the default in everyday writing such as emails, dialogue, and conversational prose. But they're almost always absent in scholarly papers, legal writing, formal business documents, and (surprisingly) newspaper journalism.

Match your tone to your audience. Casual and approachable? Contract away. Formal and authoritative? Spell it out.

Read more: https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/articles/when-you-should-use-and-avoid-contractions/

The word “tattoo” has two distinct meanings, with two distinct etymologies. The first, meaning skin art, comes from Polynesian. The second, meaning a military drumbeat, comes from the Dutch.

I'm behind on this, but the winners of the National Grammar Day Poetry Contest last week were all great. If you're looking for a quick, delightful diversion, check them out!

https://aceseditors.org/news/2026/2026-grammar-day-poetry-contest-winner-

@categulario Oh, wow! That's a surprise.

@mariyadelano Sorry, I just fixed it!

Some people call these the same thing, and other people have different names for them — and it can depend on where you live!

That's just one of the cool things you'll learn this week from my chat with Joan Houston Hall, former editor of the Dictionary of American Regional English (often called DARE).

WATCH: https://youtu.be/F6dYztdHnG8?si=fbziIA7D-tXJBrwQ

READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/XXXX/transcript

LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229

#GrammarGirl #podcast

(I call them both a spatula.)

Teens aren't destroying language. They're playing with it!

I talked with Sali Tagliamonte, a "language detective" who's studied teen talk for years. She busts myths about texting, explains why "like" dominates, why "very" is back, and shares her linguistic interviewing secrets: ask about childhood, their street, or their best friend.

Check out the podcast for more!

WATCH: https://youtu.be/MmMOtR-gV6k
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1163/transcript
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229

#GrammarGirl #podcast

Understanding clauses will make you a better writer because the end of a sentence is the most powerful part, but readers understand sentences better when the main clause comes first.

So if your priority is clarity, put main clauses at the beginning. But if you want drama or emphasis, there may be times to put them at the end.

WATCH: https://youtu.be/8TlPTP0ad7g
READ: https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/1162/transcript
LISTEN: https://pod.link/173429229

#GrammarGirl #podcast