Author Archive

Articles by Merrill Perlman | Email the Author

 

1. Language Corner

   Whine lovers

   November 27, 2012 03:13 PM

   People do a lot of whining. Lately, though, many publications seem to be spelling the complainers (or their complaints) differently. One editorial said of New York’s subway system: “But quick as a wink, the system was back, with... Continue reading

2. Language Corner

   Popularity contest

   November 21, 2012 11:00 AM

   The article was discussing a survey on the popular view of marketers and politicians. “Both have a higher perception of their overall effectiveness than the general populace does,” the article said, and “both are disliked by the majority of said... Continue reading

3. Language Corner

   Of storms and ships at sea

   November 13, 2012 06:50 AM

   We have names. Our pets have names. And so do hurricanes and ships. But, unlike us and our pets, hurricanes and ships do not have sex. Or gender. So, please, shouldn’t we stop calling them “him” or “her”? It personalizes... Continue reading

4. Language Corner

   What are the odds?

   November 5, 2012 01:00 PM

   Take this quiz: If one candidate has 46 percent of the likely voters, and the other has 48 percent, what’s the gap between them? If you said 2 percent, go to the back of the line. The gap between them... Continue reading

5. Currents

   Language Corner

   November 1, 2012 12:00 AM

   There are many ways to start articles and sentences. There is often a way to avoid beginning with the phrases that begin these two sentences. It can save words, but—more important—it can get readers into the meat of the matter... Continue reading

6. Language Corner

   However you want

   October 22, 2012 03:16 PM

   A Florida correspondent writes: My boss is obsessed with Strunk & White, and so tells me that I can never start a sentence with “however” when using it to mean “nevertheless.” I disagree with him and say that I... Continue reading

7. Language Corner

   Career advice

   October 16, 2012 06:50 AM

   Two accidents, two verbs: In New Jersey, “The car careened down the street and smashed into several parked cars before coming to a stop.” In Florida, “A Ford Explorer careered out of control, hitting the pedestrian on the sidewalk before... Continue reading

8. Language Corner

   Forward-looking

   October 9, 2012 06:50 AM

   We have weather “forecasts,” budget “projections,” attempts at earthquake “predictions.” Most dictionaries say those are all synonyms for one another. So why doesn’t the nightly weather report call them “predictions” or “projections”? Because the weather people know just how fickle... Continue reading

9. Language Corner

   ‘They’ said so

   October 1, 2012 03:02 PM

   Whenever anyone who loves language wants to start a robust discussion, they have only to mention “gender-neutral pronouns,” such as “they” in this sentence. The problem is that “anyone,” an indefinite pronoun, is singular, so it needs that singular verb... Continue reading

10. Language Corner

    Apparently not

    September 25, 2012 10:49 AM

    The American Heart Association says that heart attacks kill about 1,200 people in the United States every day. In many of those people’s obituaries or death notices, the cause of death will be given as “an apparent heart attack.” Except,... Continue reading

11. Language Corner

    Prepositions: the last word

    September 24, 2012 03:00 PM

    The purpose of last week’s posting was to warn against accepting supposedly famous quotations just because they’re repeated frequently. But the biggest reaction came over the supposed quotation from Winston Churchill, all versions of which end with “up with... Continue reading

12. Language Corner

    Put up or shut up

    September 17, 2012 03:00 PM

    Your child’s grade school teacher has asked her to come up with some “famous quotations,” so, naturally, she goes right to her computer and types in “famous quotations.” The paper she turns in has some really famous ones, including... Continue reading

13. Language Corner

    Swap mete

    September 12, 2012 06:50 AM

    Today, we’re going to list some words and phrases that are often used when another is meant. These are not words that have come to mean something else, the way “bemused” has morphed from meaning only “puzzled” to also... Continue reading

14. Currents

    Language Corner

    September 4, 2012 12:24 AM

    “Grudge,” from an old German word meaning “lament,” is a lot of fun to say. The noun “grudge” means “hostility or ill will against someone over a real or fancied grievance,” or the cause of that resentment, says Webster’s New... Continue reading

15. Language Corner

    Multiples choice

    August 27, 2012 03:00 PM

    Last week we dealt with some possessive questions when there were plural possessors. Now we’ll deal with other possessives, which are more complex than they appear, and plural possessives. Because we’re trying to keep it simple, we’ll ignore... Continue reading

16. Language Corner

    Pluralistic

    August 20, 2012 03:00 PM

    Two of the longest sections in most grammar and style guides concern how to form plurals and how to form possessives. Some guidelines are identical—almost no plurals are formed with apostrophes, no matter how many “All Drink’s Half Price” signs... Continue reading

17. Language Corner

    Lucky strike

    August 13, 2012 03:03 PM

    As Evan Jenkins wrote here in 1997, “fortuitous,” strictly speaking, does not mean “lucky”; it means “by chance.” So when a snake bites a mouse that just happened to be in its path, it is “fortuitous”—lucky for the snake,... Continue reading

18. Currents

    Language Corner

    August 9, 2012 11:18 AM

    People who write are “writers,” though many call themselves “authors,” especially if their products are books, or legislation. More and more, they say that they “authored” what they wrote. “Author” as a verb is what is politely called “disputed usage.”... Continue reading

19. Language Corner

    Shhh! It doesn’t matter

    August 6, 2012 04:28 PM

    The silence is deafening. All over the Internet and printed publications, people are making “mute points”: • A press release promises small businesses that “one of the benefits of online marketing is that your geography becomes a mute... Continue reading

20. Language Corner

    Bell curves

    July 30, 2012 03:00 PM

    “You must be a ringer,” the journalism instructor told the student, who insisted that, though he had many years of experience in other jobs, he had never been a journalist. “I admit I had to look that term up,” the... Continue reading

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