Fisking the Obama “apology”
I don’t have to spend a lot of time at it, since John at Powerline has already done a fine job. But I would like to add just a little tidbit concerning the following sentence of Obama’s: And I could … Continue reading →
Category Archives: Language and grammar
Change: the short and the long of the “e” in “the”—and the Great Vowel Shift
The Anchoress wants to know the answer to a burning question of great import: Growing up, I was taught that when you are following the word T-H-E with a word that begins with a vowel, then the correct (and, to … Continue reading →
Obama as Humpty Dumpty (redux)
We all know Humpty Dumpty as the unfortunate protagonist of the ancient nursery rhyme: Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses, And all the king’s men, Couldn’t put Humpty together again. … Continue reading →
What a difference a hyphen makes
For example, take this headline from the WSJ: Treasury Unveils Toxic-Asset Plan, Citing ‘Acute Pressure’ on Banks It would take on a whole different flavor if there were no hyphen between “toxic” and “asset,” wouldn’t it?
Continue reading →Now ‘”Socialist” is just a code word for Black, even if the Black person happens to be a Socialist
The mind reels. I’m beginning to wonder if there is any effort to find truth any more. I’m beginning to wonder if there are any standards involved in being on the editorial board of a major newspaper any more. I’m … Continue reading →
The liberal Obama and Humpty Dumpty: belief in the power of words
I’ve written previously about Barack Obama’s masterful use of words as a smokescreen. His lawyerly skills serve him well in this regard. But Peter Wehner has been on his case lately as opposing counsel. Obama has been spending time distancing … Continue reading →
Confessions of a semicolon lover
The NY Times salutes a subway notice demonstrating the proper use of the semicolon. Apparently it’s all too rare a sight nowadays; this bit of punctuation is generally considered an archaic has-been. Well, I protest; I must confess right here … Continue reading →
Spammer styles: feel the love
I’ve got various kinds of spam blockers on this blog. They don’t work perfectly. but if they didn’t work at all, I’d have hundreds of spam comments here a day. As it is, there are probably fifteen or so, which … Continue reading →
This is what it sounds like when narcissists apologize
They say things like this: I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted… A general rule of thumb is that narcissists talk a lot about themselves; “I” this and “I” that–but rarely as the subject of the action verb in … Continue reading →
The passive voice in the news: anything but passive
Commenter Tatterdemalian calls my attention to this AP news item. Take a look. Take a good look. It’s a well-known fact that many newspaper readers only peruse the headlines, and this one–“Rockets hit Lebanon despite cease fire”–would lead one to … Continue reading →
Reuters and CYA journalism: the mystery of the disappearing terrorists
Now that Reutergate has caught our attention, it’s informative to look at certain other questionable aspects of Reuters policy. For example, Reuters is famous for refusing to use the word “terrorist” in its copy or headlines. Two years ago, Reuters … Continue reading →
A daughter reminisces: the making of a writer
Here’s a beautiful piece by the Anchoress, an honest and complex tribute to the mother who gave her her love of words. It would be interesting to uncover the heredity/genetics of what makes up a writer and reader. And by … Continue reading →