Language Corner
And the Word of the Year Is…
Words that topped the lists
By Merrill Perlman Jan 9, 2012 at 04:49 PM
Lots of people and organizations have issued their “words of the year” lists. Whether some of the words they chose... More
Language, Free
Blogs for grammar geeks
By Merrill Perlman Dec 19, 2011 at 12:22 PM
In Miracle on 34th Street, Kris Kringle makes lots of friends—and money for Macy’s—by sending customers elsewhere when Macy’s did... More
Yule Love This
Making a list of holiday expressions
By Merrill Perlman Dec 12, 2011 at 02:40 PM
A couple of years ago we discussed some of abuse that poor, misused apostrophes suffer this time of year, in... More
Homegrown
The living language
By Merrill Perlman Dec 7, 2011 at 10:00 AM
To look back at the early years of the Columbia Journalism Review is to look at how we used... More
On, Dasher!
A punctuation mark loved too much—or not enough
By Merrill Perlman Dec 5, 2011 at 01:05 PM
Many punctuation marks have different uses—think of the comma—but only a few leap off the page to a reader’s eye—as... More
Friendly Fire
Insulting without meaning to
By Merrill Perlman Nov 28, 2011 at 02:12 PM
As language and society evolve, words that were once considered merely slang sometimes take on an offensive odor. In the... More
Separation Anxiety
Smoothing comparative phrases
By Merrill Perlman Nov 21, 2011 at 03:44 PM
Black Friday is coming! And this one will be as big as, if not more hyped and crowded than, Cyber... More
Taking the Fifth
A dictionary, updated, adds and subtracts
By Merrill Perlman Nov 14, 2011 at 01:52 PM
The Fifth Edition of The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is out, cause for celebration for some and... More
Conjunction-itis
What about ifs, ands, or buts?
By Merrill Perlman Nov 7, 2011 at 03:45 PM
Many generations of students have had certain grammar “truths” drilled into their little heads. One is the “myth” that infinitives... More
Taking Names in Vain
Why we care, for Pete’s sake
By Merrill Perlman Oct 31, 2011 at 01:08 PM
You’re with your five-year-old at the ice cream shop, and she can’t decide which of the dozens of flavors to... More
Fermenting Revolution
Some terms associated with beer
By Merrill Perlman Oct 26, 2011 at 02:27 PM
With “Oktoberfests” popping up all over, it seems a good time to grab a “growler” and get “krausened.” The first... More
Making Introductions
Putting the cart before the tumbrel
By Merrill Perlman Oct 17, 2011 at 02:14 PM
Writers frequently introduce a topic or unfamiliar phrase, then define it, as in “The condemned rode to the gallows in... More
No Use
The “d” is (usually) not optional
By Merrill Perlman Oct 10, 2011 at 03:02 PM
The Northeast has been experiencing a bit of a resurgent summer*, so cool refreshments have been called for. You have... More
Only You Know
Once in a while, placement matters
By Merrill Perlman Oct 3, 2011 at 01:30 PM
OK, we’ll admit it: Most of the time you can put “only” anywhere in a sentence and no one will... More
Unequal Rights
All synonyms are not the same
By Merrill Perlman Sep 26, 2011 at 12:03 PM
Strunk and White’s Elements of Style counsels to avoid euphemism, and, as we wrote on the book’s fiftieth anniversary,... 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)
The completist guide to Star Trek
Matt Yglesias watched every Star Trek movie and every episode of every TV show in the franchise
The uncomfortable questions not raised by Benghazi
The press and Congress are asking the wrong questions
Rob Ford in ‘crack cocaine’ video scandal
A video that appears to show Toronto’s mayor smoking crack is being shopped around by a group of Somali men involved in the drug trade
Why the underwear-bomber leak infuriated the Obama administration
The threat of even grander leaks
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.
