Language Corner
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
None of the Above
Plural or singular? Yes.
By Merrill Perlman Sep 19, 2011 at 02:12 PM
How many of you were taught that “none” stands for “no one,” and must always take a singular verb? Bet... More
Bodily Functions
The scent of a language
By Merrill Perlman Sep 12, 2011 at 01:00 PM
The scene may have been a long coach ride or a London park bench on a hot day, but the... More
Talking Back
‘Revert’ gains a new meaning
By Merrill Perlman Sep 6, 2011 at 03:56 PM
The recruiter was pleased that the law firm was interested in one of his clients. “I will revert with candidate... More
Against Semantic Satiation
Some new words to learn after a wild week
By Merrill Perlman Aug 29, 2011 at 02:06 PM
After a week in which the East suffered through earthquakes and a hurricane, we could all use a little entertainment.... More
Going Strait
Narrowing down the difference between “strait” and “straight”
By Merrill Perlman Aug 28, 2011 at 01:54 PM
When two words sound the same and have similar meanings, you know they’re going to merge eventually. But until they... More
Oral History
Of spoken and written words
By Merrill Perlman Aug 22, 2011 at 01:15 PM
It’s a crazy market, the investors were told by the columnist, and they had to protect themselves. So they shouldn’t... More
One Word or Two?
An altogether random list to use every day
By Merrill Perlman Aug 15, 2011 at 04:59 PM
English insists on having variations of words, like “every day/everyday” or “any time/any time,” where two words are scrunched together... More
Really?
Literally speaking
By Merrill Perlman Aug 8, 2011 at 01:35 PM
Here’s a cover letter cited in a column about what not to write when applying for a job: “I am... More
The Personals
When to use ‘who’ and ‘that’
By Merrill Perlman Aug 1, 2011 at 12:11 PM
“We’re the people that are going to say, ‘No,’ to Washington, D.C., taxing and spending,” U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX),... More
Lone Modifications
Adjectives may agitate
By Merrill Perlman Jul 25, 2011 at 02:09 PM
Adjectives play many roles. They can tell us which box on the gift table is being discussed—the “blue” box—so we... More
Irony Patch
It’s not a coincidence
By Merrill Perlman Jul 18, 2011 at 01:47 PM
It’s “ironic” that many journalists don’t understand when to correctly use “irony.” Here’s an example of how “irony” frequently appears... More
Quotus Interruptus
‘What … did (he) say?’
By Merrill Perlman Jul 12, 2011 at 12:51 PM
For weeks before Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees reached 3,000 career hits, he had been saying he didn’t... More
Almost Famous
Confusion over “infamy” and “notoriety” abounds
By Merrill Perlman Jul 5, 2011 at 05:05 PM
ou probably don’t want to become “infamous.” but you may want to be “notorious.” The adjective “infamous” has traditionally meant... More
Gonna Wanna
When dialects collide
By Merrill Perlman Jul 5, 2011 at 03:40 PM
Writing the way people speak is one way to make sure your copy doesn’t become bloviated or stodgy. But journalists... 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?
What to do if you find a baby bird
Expert advice
Inside Google’s secret lab
We might deplore the practice, but posting pictures of our food online is a way to bring everyone to the table
How the ‘World’s 50 Best’ list changed the way elite restaurants do business
“Every time the restaurant switched up its format, it got plenty of accompanying media coverage that let judges know they needed to return to see what was going on”
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.
