Author Archive
Articles by Merrill Perlman | Email the Author
Prepositions: the last word
Something to not put up with?
By Merrill Perlman Sep 24, 2012 at 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... More
Put up or shut up
‘Famous’ quotes that aren’t
By Merrill Perlman Sep 17, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Your child’s grade school teacher has asked her to come up with some “famous quotations,” so, naturally, she goes right... More
Swap mete
One word confused with another
By Merrill Perlman Sep 12, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Today, we’re going to list some words and phrases that are often used when another is meant. These are not... More
Language Corner
Few grudges
By Merrill Perlman Sep 4, 2012 at 12:24 AM
“Grudge,” from an old German word meaning “lament,” is a lot of fun to say. The noun “grudge” means “hostility... More
Multiples choice
Some singular help with plural possessives
By Merrill Perlman Aug 27, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Last week we dealt with some possessive questions when there were plural possessors. Now we’ll deal with other possessives, which... More
Pluralistic
Those pesky possessives
By Merrill Perlman Aug 20, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Two of the longest sections in most grammar and style guides concern how to form plurals and how to form... More
Lucky strike
Not all fortunes are good
By Merrill Perlman Aug 13, 2012 at 03:03 PM
As Evan Jenkins wrote here in 1997, “fortuitous,” strictly speaking, does not mean “lucky”; it means “by chance.” So when... More
Language Corner
Author! Author!
By Merrill Perlman Aug 9, 2012 at 11:18 AM
People who write are “writers,” though many call themselves “authors,” especially if their products are books, or legislation. More and... More
Shhh! It doesn’t matter
A “moot” discussion
By Merrill Perlman Aug 6, 2012 at 04:28 PM
The silence is deafening. All over the Internet and printed publications, people are making “mute points”: • A press release... More
Bell curves
Lots of “ring” words
By Merrill Perlman Jul 30, 2012 at 03:00 PM
“You must be a ringer,” the journalism instructor told the student, who insisted that, though he had many years of... More
Memorializing
What to call those piles of flowers
By Merrill Perlman Jul 23, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Bob Kamman, a regular correspondent, writes: When unexpected deaths occur that are newsworthy, what often happens is that people leave... More
En-gendered
Terms for sexual identity
By Merrill Perlman Jul 17, 2012 at 03:00 PM
Dealing with gender identity these days is a tricky business. And while we prefer to use “sex” to describe biological... More
Sentimental journey
Evaluating a ‘journeyman’
By Merrill Perlman Jul 9, 2012 at 03:00 PM
The article’s headline promised a story “on the life of a journeyman musician.” It discussed a man who has been... More
Your choice
Alternating between alternatives
By Merrill Perlman Jul 3, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Cities that have hard winters have no “alternative” and must repair roads in the summer. And when they do, they... More
Par for the course
Putting golf terms in context
By Merrill Perlman Jun 25, 2012 at 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... More
Digging in
The etymology of a “clawback”
By Merrill Perlman Jun 19, 2012 at 06:50 AM
“Jamie Dimon: JPMorgan Will Likely Claw Back Pay From Responsible Executives,” the headline said. Dimon, JPMorgan’s chief executive, was telling... More
Out of range
Everything from 1 to z
By Merrill Perlman Jun 11, 2012 at 03:02 PM
We love to “range.” When describing a new shopping mall, for example, an article might say: “It has everything from... More
Empty pockets
A phrase with several meanings
By Merrill Perlman Jun 5, 2012 at 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... More
Language Corner
Basis Points
By Merrill Perlman May 31, 2012 at 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... More
That’s that, part two
Keeping a reader on the right path
By Merrill Perlman May 30, 2012 at 11:00 AM
Last week we talked about the use of “that” after a verb of speech, like “said,” “acknowledged,” etc. This week,... More
#Realtalk: This isn’t another ‘golden age’ for print - But it is one for media
Social media in smaller markets - How three social media managers deal with smaller markets and more local coverage.
A rally for laid-off Sun-Times photogs - A protest Thursday morning drew about 150 picketers to the newspaper’s headquarters
Reporting, or illegal hacking - Scripps reporters are accused of violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act
Exchange Watch: California Dreaming - Low healthcare premiums on the West Coast were trumpeted as a big, good-news Obamacare story. But: “Compared to what?”
Things have always been getting worse
Yes, women’s magazines can do serious journalism
In fact, we’ve been doing it for a while
The people who run the American security apparatus are in the overwhelming majority diligent people with a deep concern for civil liberties. But their job is to find creative ways to collect information. And they work within an institution that, because of its secrecy, is fundamentally inimical to democracy and to a free society
Fast Company is hacking the newsroom
Here’s why
Rachel Maddow’s tribute to Michael Hastings
“Michael was angry … he was angry about things that weren’t right in the world. He was angry with war and with loss, and that drove his reporting.”
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
Uptown Messenger – Hyperlocal news for a neighborhood in New Orleans
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
