We had a vivid discussion around this topic on Monday, on the post Avoiding Stereotypes. Maeve’s view adds some light to the subject. Once my son, still in high school, asked me to check a standardized exam he’d worked through at home in preparation for a test at school. One of the questions went something … Read more
Resilience (rĭ-zĭl’yəns) is the ability to recover quickly from changes or misfortunes. It can also be used as a synonym for flexibility, referring both to people and objects. If a company has resilience, for instance, it is able to handle crises effectively. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora on Tuesday … Read more
These two forms of punctuation are often used incorrectly for one another. Colons can be used to direct a reader to examples or significant words: His main flaw is his downfall: egotism. Also, they direct a reader to a list of things: A lot of vegetables are the same color: lettuce, peppers, snow peas, and … Read more
The first article I submitted to DWT was on the error of writing it’s for its. I was too late. Michael (It’s or Its?) had beaten me to it. No doubt about it — the error of writing it’s for its is on everybody’s list of top ten errors that damage a writer’s credibility. So … Read more
It is easy to fall into the trap of using language that can be construed as racist or sexist. Here are a few tips to stay away from this type of writing. Avoid sexist language. When you know your audience varies, stay away from words that are gender specific. Use “their” instead of “his” or … Read more
When you recoil (rĭ-koil’) from something you move away from it because it gives you an unpleasant feeling, disgust or pain. It can also refer to an object that bounces back or to an action that backfires. Yet Bear Stearns, like many other firms on Wall Street, jumped into the market for bonds that backed … Read more
Ricardo, a reader, wonders why the second person singular pronoun dropped out of English. In the earliest form of English, the difference between the pronouns thou and ye was one of number. Thou (object form: thee) was singular and ye (object form: you) was plural. In the 11th century (1066) the French-speaking Normans invaded and … Read more
The rule of putting a period at the end of every thought would be simpler, except that in English, we’re allowed to include more than one thought in the same sentence. These thoughts are expressed in clauses, and clauses can be independent or subordinate. For example, that last sentence has two independent clauses, separated by … Read more
Pyrrhic (p1r’1k), the noun, is a metrical unit. It is used more widely as an adjective, however, as in “pyrrhic victory,” which means a victory with huge costs. It makes reference to Pyrrhus from Epirus, who sustained great losses in order to defeat the Roman army. Mr Murdoch has, however, paid a high price for … Read more
A reader recently wanted to know if I could corroborate my reflections on certain idioms (Lying in State: Changing Perceptions Change Language). Considering the half-digested information and deliberate hoaxes that abound on the web, the question was a valid one. I know just what kind of thing has made that reader suspicious. A year or … Read more
Last month, Daniel covered some of the basic rules for using quotation marks. I’d like to point out one of the most common misuses of this piece of punctuation: the quotation mark for emphasis. As Daniel’s post pointed out, quotation marks can be used to express irony, as in the sentence: Uncle Joe was really … Read more
Five Frequently Misused Verbs: Go, Come, Write, Give, and Eat. Among the most frequently used words in English, these five verbs are also the most frequently misused. The error occurs when the simple past forms are used to form the present or past perfect Dialogue Dos and Don’ts: In the post Show, Don’t Tell, I … Read more