Darth Vader and the Word 'Father.' Comparatives and Superlatives

<p>931. Darth Vader wasn't the best father (understatement!), but his name is a wonderful jumping off point to discuss the origin of the word "father." Plus, we explain why I said he wasn't the "best" father and not that he wasn't the "better" father. </p><p>| <strong>Transcript:</strong>  https://grammar-girl.simplecast.com/episodes/darth-vader-and-the-word-father/transcript</p><p>| The "father" segment was written by Valerie Fridland. It is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com/">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-dada-to-darth-vader-why-the-way-we-name-fathers-reminds-us-we-spring-from-the-same-well-184370">original article</a>. Valerie is the author of the book “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671558/like-literally-dude-by-valerie-fridland/">Like, Literally, Dude</a>,” and you can find her at <a href="http://valeriefridland.com/">ValerieFridland.com</a>.</p><p>| The "comparisons" segment was written by Bonnie Mills who has been a copy editor since 1996.</p><p>| <a href="https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/subscribe">Subscribe to the newsletter for regular updates</a>.</p><p>| <a href="https://j.mp/3oooKmK">Watch my LinkedIn Learning writing courses.</a></p><p>| <a href="https://www.thegamecrafter.com/games/grammar-girl-s-peeve-wars">Peeve Wars card game</a>. </p><p>| <a href="https://bit.ly/GrammarPopBooks">Grammar Girl books</a>. </p><p>| HOST: Mignon Fogarty</p><p>| VOICEMAIL: 833-214-GIRL (833-214-4475) or <a href="https://sayhi.chat/grammargirl">https://sayhi.chat/grammargirl</a></p><p>| Grammar Girl is part of <a href="https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/podcasts">the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network</a>.</p><ul><li>Audio engineer: Nathan Semes</li><li>Editor: Adam Cecil</li><li>Advertising Operations Specialist: Morgan Christianson</li><li>Marketing and Publicity Assistant: Davina Tomlin</li><li>Digital Operations Specialist: Holly Hutchings</li></ul><p>| Theme music by <a href="https://dashboard.sim