Language Corner
Compound Interest
When you’re not quite a suspect
By Merrill Perlman Jan 11, 2010 at 01:33 PM
In the wake of the attempted Christmas Day bombing of a commercial jet, we were introduced to a new term.... More
Word
When auld acquaintance be forgot
By Merrill Perlman Jan 4, 2010 at 11:49 AM
As the new year begins, we’re reeling from an overload of retrospective lists: top news stories; persons of the year;... More
Seizin’ Greetings
Tis the season for misplaced apostrophes
By Merrill Perlman Dec 21, 2009 at 03:20 PM
Pity the poor apostrophe. Even in this, the jolliest of seasons, its traditional role is misused, abused, and forgotten. As... More
Singulars Bar
Pronouns and nouns need to be monogamous—and non-sexist
By Merrill Perlman Dec 14, 2009 at 01:47 PM
Grammar is a strict matchmaker: singular subjects must be paired with singular verbs, and plural subjects can associate only with... More
Just Because
Let us count the reasons why
By Merrill Perlman Dec 7, 2009 at 01:35 PM
One reason why columns like this are written is because so many writers don’t realize when a tautology has them... More
Before the Beginning
Doing away with some pre-fixes
By Merrill Perlman Nov 30, 2009 at 11:01 AM
One of English’s favorite prefixes is “pre,” three little letters that mean “before.” It helps modify words like “nuptial,” “conception,”... More
Your Move
Chess terminology, imprecisely played
By Merrill Perlman Nov 23, 2009 at 02:08 PM
To practice politics, one must know something about strategy. Like a poker player, a politician needs to know when to... More
Foundering Flounders
When a fish is not a failure
By Merrill Perlman Nov 16, 2009 at 04:41 PM
Whenever the government announces the failure of another bank, a news outlet somewhere reports that the bank has “floundered.” Well... More
Playing Tricks
The expression ‘tricked out’ isn’t new
By Merrill Perlman Nov 9, 2009 at 01:53 PM
A review of the new “Lego Rock Band” video game mentioned one cool feature: “You can also trick out your... More
Early Bird Special
On turning the clocks back
By Merrill Perlman Nov 2, 2009 at 12:34 PM
Unless you live in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, most of Arizona, or off the grid with sundials, you turned your clocks... More
Plethora Galore
When does ‘many’ become ‘too many’?
By Merrill Perlman Oct 26, 2009 at 11:31 AM
The English language has many words for “many”: “abundance,” “multitude,” “profusion,” “a lot,” and so forth. With such a “myriad”... More
Assurance Policy
The lives of ‘insure,’ ‘ensure,’ and ‘assure’
By Merrill Perlman Oct 19, 2009 at 04:33 PM
In Washington, legislators are trying to “assure” their constituents that they are working to “ensure” that any new health-care bill... More
Walk It Off
A negative baseball term becomes positive
By Merrill Perlman Oct 12, 2009 at 01:21 PM
The World Series is fast approaching, and many of the teams in the playoffs are hoping for at least one... More
Doctored Language
When medical jargon hurts
By Merrill Perlman Oct 5, 2009 at 12:19 PM
A sheriff said a suspect in the killing of a family may have some injuries, including “include cuts, lacerations, ... More
Bodies in Motion
How many objects are moving in a “collision”?
By Merrill Perlman Sep 28, 2009 at 02:30 PM
News stories frequently cover accidents where a car hits a bus, a train hits a car, a bicycle hits a... More
Woman’s work - The twisted reality of an Italian freelancer in Syria
Sourcing Trayvon Martin ‘photos’ from stormfront - Not a good idea, Business Insider
Elizabeth Warren, the antidote to CNBC - The senator schools the talking heads on bank regulation
Art Laffer + PR blitz = press failure - The media types up the retail lobby’s propaganda
Reuters’s global warming about-face - A survey shows the newswire ran 50 percent fewer stories on climate change after hiring a “skeptic”
In one tweet
Luke Russert is the Golden Boy of DC
And it drives young journalists crazy
It’s official: We never need to worry about the future of journalism again!
The NYT shows us why
Why does Florida produce so much weird news? Experts explain
CJR's Guide to Online News Startups
ACEsTooHigh.com – Reporting on the science, education, and policy surrounding childhood trauma
Who Owns What
The Business of Digital Journalism
A report from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Questions and exercises for journalism students.
