A reader has asked for a discussion of the adjectives moral and ethical: I have been writing professionally for 40 years and I still cannot get these straight. There seems to be more than a casual or preferential distinction. One difference between the adjectives moral and ethical is that moral has been in the language … Read more
Three times during a radio interview, a White House spokesman stated that something was “making good progress.” It occurred to me how often I hear the expression “good progress” uttered by politicians and administrators of various stripes. We are making good progress towards introducing a bill that will advance that goal.—A US senator. U.S. Department … Read more
A reader has observed confusion between the words silicon and silicone and has asked for a post to illustrate the difference. Silicon (chemical symbol Si) is a non-metallic element that ranks next to oxygen in respect of abundance in the ground. Silicone is a chemical compound that contains silicon. The teeny plates that contain a … Read more
A reader is puzzled by an expression: This is regarding the proverb “The *Something* is Dead. Long Live *Something*.” I’ve seen it being used in various contexts where *Something* is replaced by words…such as Internet, Article etc. Could you please elaborate on it, as I have been unable to find any reference to it. The … Read more