Author Archive
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Language Corner
Memorializing
July 23, 2012 03:00 PMBob Kamman, a regular correspondent, writes: When unexpected deaths occur that are newsworthy, what often happens is that people leave flowers, cards and other tangibles near the location of the event. So it’s not surprising that within 24 hours of... Continue reading
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Language Corner
En-gendered
July 17, 2012 03:00 PMDealing with gender identity these days is a tricky business. And while we prefer to use “sex” to describe biological and procreative characteristics, “gender” has become the more common term to describe identity. A photo caption in The... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Sentimental journey
July 9, 2012 03:00 PMThe article’s headline promised a story “on the life of a journeyman musician.” It discussed a man who has been around a while and plays many instruments, saying he “makes great music, skillfully rendered pop-rock.” Another <a href=http://www.mercurynews.com/mosaic/ci_21029493/chris-wondolowski-future-american-soccer... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Your choice
July 3, 2012 06:50 AMCities that have hard winters have no “alternative” and must repair roads in the summer. And when they do, they need to provide motorists with “alternate” routes. That sentence illustrates the difference between “alternative” and “alternate.” The two words can... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Par for the course
June 25, 2012 03:00 PMLet’s say you’ve just arrived from another planet, with a mastery of English, but little exposure to the popular sport known as golf. So you don’t understand why one golfer would hit a “banana ball” and end up with a... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Digging in
June 19, 2012 06:50 AM“Jamie Dimon: JPMorgan Will Likely Claw Back Pay From Responsible Executives,” the headline said. Dimon, JPMorgan’s chief executive, was telling the Senate Banking Committee that the firm would probably seek to reclaim some pay and bonuses from those involved in... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Out of range
June 11, 2012 03:02 PMWe love to “range.” When describing a new shopping mall, for example, an article might say: “It has everything from a roller coaster for the kiddies to high-end boutiques for fashionistas.” The “from” and “to” implies a “range,” and a... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Empty pockets
June 5, 2012 06:50 AMMax Crittenden posted on Language Corner’s Facebook page: I’m seeing some peculiar usage (misuse, to my mind) of the phrase “out of pocket”. “My housekeeper has injured her leg and will be out of pocket for a while.”... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Language Corner
May 31, 2012 06:50 AM“On a case-by-case basis.” “On a regular basis.” “On an urgent basis.” Each of those base expressions, from The Associated Press Stylebook, no less, can be said differently, more fluidly: “Case by case.” “Regularly.” “Daily.” There’s nothing grammatically wrong with... Continue reading
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Language Corner
That’s that, part two
May 30, 2012 11:00 AMLast week we talked about the use of “that” after a verb of speech, like “said,” “acknowledged,” etc. This week, we’ll explain how “that” can signal where a sentence is heading. Let’s start with this sentence: “You'll be... Continue reading
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Language Corner
That’s that, part one
May 22, 2012 06:50 AM“President Obama said Wednesday he would go to Europe.” Is Wednesday the day he is going to Europe? Or the day he announced his travel plans? A little word can make that sentence clearer: “that.” But its placement can make... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Logue jam
May 16, 2012 06:50 AM“Catalogue” can also be spelled “catalog.” “Dialogue” can also be spelled “dialog.” But “monologue” is rarely spelled “monolog.” The Americans are at it again. The combining form “logue” is French, descended from Latin, and it indicates an engagement of some... Continue reading
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Language Corner
No fun
May 9, 2012 12:00 PMThe journalism professor was not having much “fun” explaining things to her feature-writing students: “I know so fun is wrong but I can’t tell them why,” she wrote. “So happy is right, but so fun should have ‘much’ as the... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Organically Grown
May 1, 2012 10:49 AMLanguage evolves. New words and concepts show up and catch on—“app,” “smartphone,” “podcast”—or die from disuse or dysfunction—“Y2K,” “newsreel,” “rad.” And there’s even a word for how these concepts make their way from person to person: “meme.” Rhyming with “cream,”... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Climate Change
April 23, 2012 12:57 PMAn extension of a federal highway program passed the House recently, over the objections of some Democrats. “Even as they were approving the measure in an anti-climatic voice vote, Democrats sharply criticized Republicans for not accepting a two-year, $109 billion... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Viva La Difference
April 17, 2012 04:27 PMAm I “different than” you? Or “different from ” you? And does it matter? “Different than is often considered inferior to different from,” Garner’s Modern American Usage says. We certainly don’t want to be inferior. It’s because the word “different”... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Locution, Locution, Locution
April 9, 2012 03:54 PMThe Internet offers writers unlimited space and so, for many, their writing expands expansively. Readers, however, have limited attention spans. So here are a few circumlocutions, or wordy phrases, that seem particularly ascendant. (Consider this a supplement to our... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Flat Out
April 4, 2012 06:00 AMThe gunman was “lying prone on his stomach.” He could have just been “prone,” and the writer could have saved four words for more drama. “Prone” means lying flat, with your face toward the ground. If you’re face up, you’re... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Not Just Desserts
April 2, 2012 01:29 PMThe good times were back on Wall Street, the news report said. Executives of a banking firm were staying at “some luxury digs in New Delhi.” But, the report added, “This is not a pure junket, to be sure.” The... Continue reading
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Language Corner
Madison Square Gardening
March 26, 2012 01:13 PMIt’s spring, and a young man’s fancy turns to … seeds. “Seeding” is a way of creating a tournament “draw” that is not random. A random draw might pit the best players or teams too early, so that many... Continue reading
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