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Author Archive

Articles by Merrill Perlman | Email the Author

 

  1. Language Corner

    Memorializing

    July 23, 2012 03:00 PM

    Bob 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

  2. Language Corner

    En-gendered

    July 17, 2012 03:00 PM

    Dealing 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

  3. Language Corner

    Sentimental journey

    July 9, 2012 03:00 PM

    The 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

  4. Language Corner

    Your choice

    July 3, 2012 06:50 AM

    Cities 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

  5. Language Corner

    Par for the course

    June 25, 2012 03:00 PM

    Let’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

  6. 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

  7. Language Corner

    Out of range

    June 11, 2012 03:02 PM

    We 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

  8. Language Corner

    Empty pockets

    June 5, 2012 06:50 AM

    Max 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

  9. 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

  10. Language Corner

    That’s that, part two

    May 30, 2012 11:00 AM

    Last 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

  11. 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

  12. 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

  13. Language Corner

    No fun

    May 9, 2012 12:00 PM

    The 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

  14. Language Corner

    Organically Grown

    May 1, 2012 10:49 AM

    Language 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

  15. Language Corner

    Climate Change

    April 23, 2012 12:57 PM

    An 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

  16. Language Corner

    Viva La Difference

    April 17, 2012 04:27 PM

    Am 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

  17. Language Corner

    Locution, Locution, Locution

    April 9, 2012 03:54 PM

    The 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

  18. Language Corner

    Flat Out

    April 4, 2012 06:00 AM

    The 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

  19. Language Corner

    Not Just Desserts

    April 2, 2012 01:29 PM

    The 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

  20. Language Corner

    Madison Square Gardening

    March 26, 2012 01:13 PM

    It’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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