Language Corner
Pleas-ing words
Prepositions and crime
By Merrill Perlman May 20, 2013 at 03:00 PM
One man "pleaded guilty to DWI." Another "pled guilty of DWI." A third "entered a plea of guilty to DWI... More
Grammar police
Zealousness over correctness
By Merrill Perlman May 13, 2013 at 03:00 PM
The New York Times recently posted an opinion piece and a short film about a "vigilante copy editor" who was... More
Letter perfect
Why English is so hard
By Merrill Perlman May 6, 2013 at 03:00 PM
The cashier at the fancy foods store was from Bosnia. "I have so much hard time with English," she said.... More
Language Corner
Plum loco
By Merrill Perlman May 1, 2013 at 12:00 AM
The witness, according to the news story, said the robbers were "plum crazy." Not unless they were robbing a green... More
Participial con-fusion
When possession is the law
By Merrill Perlman Apr 30, 2013 at 06:50 AM
WARNING: Grammar lesson ahead. If you ever knew what a "participle" was, you may have forgotten. Same with the word... More
Natal gazing
Of birth, and being borne
By Merrill Perlman Apr 22, 2013 at 03:00 PM
"I don't know nothing about birthing babies!" Butterfly McQueen told Vivien Leigh in Gone With the Wind. Those who believe... More
Writing tics
The optics of metrics
By Merrill Perlman Apr 15, 2013 at 02:51 PM
The mayor's op-ed piece urged action on a regional 911 system, which, among other things, would "provide consistent and transparent... More
Blame excuses
Where to point the finger
By Merrill Perlman Apr 8, 2013 at 03:43 PM
"Deer Creek blames fire on science experiment," read one headline. "Arsonist blames fire on living conditions," said another. Some people... More
Season openers
Baseball terms and myths
By Merrill Perlman Apr 1, 2013 at 03:00 PM
Major league baseball season gets under way this week, so let's throw out the first ball, left-handed. That's called "southpaw."... More
Unpalatable
A plateful of similar words
By Merrill Perlman Mar 25, 2013 at 03:00 PM
The artists were being praised for their technique in which, the article said, they "use only pallet knives, not brushes."... More
Worldly goods
Badly needed reminders
By Merrill Perlman Mar 18, 2013 at 03:00 PM
English teachers used to drill into students that they did not "feel good." They "felt well." It was the corollary... More
Covetous
The difference between ‘jealousy’ and ‘envy’
By Merrill Perlman Mar 11, 2013 at 05:42 PM
The pope gets to wear nice red shoes, and a friend said, "I'm really jealous of those!" But, technically, she... More
Cardinal rules
A real ‘conclave’ is at hand
By Merrill Perlman Mar 4, 2013 at 04:24 PM
Betsy Wade was ecstatic. "At last!" she exclaimed. "For the next few weeks people will be using the word conclave... More
Language Corner
Wether or not
By Merrill Perlman Mar 1, 2013 at 12:00 AM
A "bellwether" is an indication of what is to come ("Are rising home prices a bellwether for the economy?") or... More
Its time
That ol’ apostrophe again
By Merrill Perlman Feb 25, 2013 at 03:00 PM
Of the many small errors that bedevil many writers--and enrage their teachers and editors--there is perhaps none so simple to... More
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Dowd and Fournier and countless others who have launched similar complaints are asking, “Why aren’t we getting what we were promised?”
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
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Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
