Why can't all news reports be like this? John Oliver and Cookie Monster have co-anchored an educational segment on Sesame Street in order to teach children about words – especially how to correctly use the word 'literally'.

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Oliver, who hosts Last Week Tonight, joined the blue biscuit-lover to present W-ORD Channel 7 News, which featured stories on why the 'B' is silent in 'Crumb' and that the letter 'C' has run away from 'chair', leaving only 'hair.

The big story of the day, however, is when it's right to use the word 'literally' – something Cookie Monster struggles with when it comes to Oliver's cookie-like tie.

Along the way, there are also special appearances from Saturday Night Live's Kate McKinnon, The TODAY Show's Al Roker and Nick Offerman, AKA Ron Swanson from Parks & Recreation, who is having trouble finding a word that right's beneath his nose.

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The video is in support of Sesame Street's Words Are Here, There and Everywhere, a digital resource that encourages families to explore the world of words all around them.

Authors

Stephen Kelly

Stephen Kelly is a freelance culture and science journalist. He oversees BBC Science Focus's Popcorn Science feature, where every month we get an expert to weigh in on the plausibility of a newly released TV show or film. Beyond BBC Science Focus, he has written for such publications as The Guardian, The Telegraph, The I, BBC Culture, Wired, Total Film, Radio Times and Entertainment Weekly. He is a big fan of Studio Ghibli movies, the apparent football team Tottenham Hotspur and writing short biographies in the third person.

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