Language Corner
Language Corner
There, there
By Merrill Perlman Nov 1, 2012 at 12:00 AM
There are many ways to start articles and sentences. There is often a way to avoid beginning with the phrases... More
However you want
Who’s on first?
By Merrill Perlman Oct 22, 2012 at 03:16 PM
A Florida correspondent writes: My boss is obsessed with Strunk & White, and so tells me that I can never... More
Career advice
On the fast track to ‘careen’
By Merrill Perlman Oct 16, 2012 at 06:50 AM
Two accidents, two verbs: In New Jersey, “The car careened down the street and smashed into several parked cars before... More
Forward-looking
Ways of telling the future
By Merrill Perlman Oct 9, 2012 at 06:50 AM
We have weather “forecasts,” budget “projections,” attempts at earthquake “predictions.” Most dictionaries say those are all synonyms for one another.... More
‘They’ said so
Pronouns without sex
By Merrill Perlman Oct 1, 2012 at 03:02 PM
Whenever anyone who loves language wants to start a robust discussion, they have only to mention “gender-neutral pronouns,” such as... More
Apparently not
The trouble with the apparent heart attack
By Merrill Perlman Sep 25, 2012 at 10:49 AM
The American Heart Association says that heart attacks kill about 1,200 people in the United States every day. In many... More
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
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
‘See you on the other side’ - Meet Jessica Lum, a terminally ill 25-year-old who chose to spend what little time she had practicing journalism
#Realtalk: This is the best moment to be in journalism - The old stuff isn’t coming back, but that’s okay
Streams of consciousness - Millennials expect a steady diet of quick-hit, social-media-mediated bits and bytes. What does that mean for journalism?
Sticking with the truth - How ‘balanced’ coverage helped sustain the bogus claim that childhood vaccines can cause autism
An ink-stained stretch - Can Aaron Kushner save the Orange County Register—and the newspaper industry?
This is the best moment to be in journalism (25)
The WSJ editorial page hits rock bottom (19)
What was James Rosen thinking?
How much of Rosen’s trouble is of his own making?
Cat Fall: A modern tragedy
Max Fisher and the problem with foreign-affairs blogging
“I hope my nudity doesn’t bother you. We’re completely committed to openness here”
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.
