This singer didn’t die. He just capitulated. (0)
4/20/12 •
To the bulging files of unnecessary haste winning out over thoughtful editing, I add this.
Recent Posts
A 50-year tug of war over ‘hopefully’ ends with a shrug (0)
4/18/12 •
“Hopefully” entered the realm of acceptability last week, receiving the blessing of The Associated Press Stylebook. The stylebook’s editors announced at the national convention of the American Copy Editors Society that they were changing their entry on “hopefully.” They sent out an email announcement today. Here’s the new entry: hopefully The traditional meaning is in [...]
Where the classifieds leave off, the aliens take over (0)
3/30/12 •
You just never know what you are going to find in the classified ads. This week, it was a company looking for drivers, especially “women/others.” My mind started conjuring images of who those “others” might be. It had to be aliens, I thought. And if the company hires all the world’s women and aliens to [...]
How to gain followers and influence zombies (it’s all in the headline) (0)
2/17/12 •
Visitors to this site know that I’m prone to irreverence. That’s my approach to teaching, as well. As a teacher, a writer and an editor, I’ve found that irreverence can keep people listening and reading. Until today, though, I didn’t realize that irreverence could also influence the walking dead. I’m talking about zombies. You see, [...]
How bad phrasing creates a perpetual student (0)
2/08/12 •
This morning’s paper brought news of a new scholarship at my university. It’s a “four-year renewable scholarship.” Yep. That’s what it said: a “four-year renewable scholarship.” After pondering that possibility, I’ve decided that such a scholarship would no doubt attract many students but probably wouldn’t help graduation rates. This monologue keeps running through my head: [...]
Older Posts
- Headline turns an Etta James song into a kick in the teeth
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- A barrel of what?
- Usage that makes you want to flee
- But was it charged?
- Apostrophes of stone
- Lead Head
- An intents lesson
- No, it isn’t fair
- Your home it is?
- This headline is not all right either
- Finger me not
- How juxtaposition stole the Halloween spirit
- Confronting the zombies of troublesome usage
- If Russell rustles, does that make him a verb?
- Steering into confusion
- Unruly hair, heal thyself
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- It’s time to close the door on ‘going green’
- A reign at Notre Dame comes mainly with the reins
- Watch your neck, Mrs. Malaprop
- Look! Up in the sky! It’s … a bleeding face
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- Why headline writers should keep their mouths shut
- I open the bottle electric
- Crowing with quotation marks
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- Seeing a sign amid the ‘Idol’ sloppiness
- To the bathroom and beyond, one abbreviation at at a time
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- How fast can you see? and other p. 1 questions
- Asking questions we never answer
- Punning your way into confusion
- A headline that deserves a AAA rating
- Poetry in motion (with a message)
- An anagram waiting to happen?
- Use vs. utilize, headlines and the art of third thoughts
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- Its, It’s and Its’?
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- Going north for the winter
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- Pre-Madonna confusion
- That sneaky ‘aide’ is at it again
- Stepping in a royal headline error
- 136 ears and still publishing
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- With egg on my irrational face
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- Throwing a flag on first and sloppy
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- How advertising turned armpits into vacation destinations
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- Q&A: Why you shouldn’t put acronyms in parentheses
- Dear self-appointed gods: Please lowercase thyself
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- It’s summer, and the iron is rotting again
- Chop this “word” into oblivion, please
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- Look, Ma! I swallowed the cocaine!
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- Death, life and the Oxford comma (or not)
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Featured Categories
Classifieds»
5/15/11 •
Accept vs. except and the addling of fast-talking ads5/07/11 •
Lode vs. load, and why you and your mother should care1/10/11 •
Creative spelling: ‘Vacume’7/10/10 •
It’s summer, and the iron is rotting again6/13/10 •
Stationery vs. stationary and the meaning of mobility
Life»
1/03/12 •
Read before discarding: A new motto for politics?10/03/11 •
In memory of Drew Anderson, 1989-20115/26/11 •
How the Borg took over my yard, and why I refuse to be assimilated1/11/11 •
A logo for the dawn of a new … something6/18/10 •
How advertising turned armpits into vacation destinations
Say what?»
4/20/12 •
This singer didn’t die. He just capitulated.3/30/12 •
Where the classifieds leave off, the aliens take over2/17/12 •
How to gain followers and influence zombies (it’s all in the headline)2/08/12 •
How bad phrasing creates a perpetual student1/21/12 •
Headline turns an Etta James song into a kick in the teeth
