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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: grammar

grammar stories: 10 news summaries
obituary

Times Columnist William Safire Dead at 79

Ex-Nixon speechwriter, Pulitzer winner was forceful voice on right

Sep 27, 09 1:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist William Safire died today outside Washington, the paper reports. He was 79 and suffered from cancer. A onetime speechwriter for Richard Nixon, Safire, a self-described "libertarian conservative," used his background as a reporter and love for English usage to punch up his... More »

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cancer • New York Times • obituary • Pulitzer Prize • Richard Nixon • journalism • death • grammar • political coverage • word usage • William Safire • New York Times Magazine • wordplay

OPINION

You're 'Me,' Not 'Myself,' and Other Grammar Peeves

Sad kids do not 'literally tear' the heart out of a mall Santa, and other mistakes

Sep 10, 09 4:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - Some common grammar mistakes are also inexcusable, Johnny Truant writes for Copyblogger. Too many of the following, and your readers may decide "that you’re actually a chimpanzee—and not one of the smart ones, either."
  • It's "me," not "myself:" People often "
... More »

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writing • list • language • English • mistake • grammar • proper usage • word choice

(Newser) - Word processors, dot-matrix printers, rotary phones, and other formerly state-of-the-art technologies are just about gone and nearly forgotten. Carrying the torch for the likes of holding up a cigarette lighter at a concert is JR Raphael of PC World, who lists 40 leading lights of abandoned technology:
  • Looking up
... More »

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music • technology • punctuation • typewriter • printers • pay phones • phone booth • grammar • word processor • boombox • phone book • phone directory • rotary phone • cigarette lighter • mix tape

(Newser) - Strunk and White’s classic writing guide, The Elements of Style, has some “harmless” things to say about style, Geoffrey Pullum writes in the Chronicle of Higher Education, but its assault on grammar is unforgivable. The “toxic mix of purism, atavism, and personal eccentricity is not underpinned by... More »

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writing • college • grammar • syntax • Strunk and White • The Elements of Style • guide

(Newser) - America’s self-proclaimed language cops are turning up the heat on spelling and grammar offenders, MSNBC reports, hitting the streets with Sharpies and venting their frustrations online. One psychologist says the flare-up could represent a need for control during hard times. “When people are under stress, they have less... More »

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stress • spelling • grammar • economic downturn • English language • proper usage • control

 Us Can't Wait for World Series 

Fan unintentionally coins rallying cry for first Series berth since '93

Oct 17, 08 11:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - When a delirious Phillies fan called in to a radio show after Philadelphia's NLCS win, he inadvertently coined the team's new rallying cry. "Boston did it. The White Sox did it. Why can't us?," he asked. While waiting to see which AL team they'll face, Phillies fans have... More »

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MLB • Philadelphia Phillies • Boston Red Sox • World Series • baseball playoffs • fans • baseball • Tampa Bay Rays • grammar

OPINION

Gosh Darn if Her Jargon Isn't as Empty as Folksy

Palin's 'pompom patois' obscures a big lack of substance

Oct 5, 08 12:31 PM CDT
(Newser) - From the party whose leader infamously asked "Is our children learning?," we now have the baffling homespun language of Sarah Palin, for whom Maureen Dowd isn't thrilled to have to translate. The vice presidential candidate's "sing-songy jingoism" conceals a mass of contradictions and often a lack of... More »

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English • Maureen Dowd • Election 2008 • Sarah Palin • grammar • vice presidential debate

300M 'Chinglish' Speakers Can't Be Wrong

English as spoken in China may soon become a dialect

Jun 29, 08 5:52 AM CDT
(Newser) - Some 300 million English speakers in China are altering the language in small but important ways—and may be creating their own dialect, Michael Erard writes in Wired. So-called "Chinglish"—which stresses unique syllables, drops dos and dids, and adds sounds for questions—has already been studied in... More »

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Singapore • language • English • Chinese • grammar

 Phonetics Reformers
 Buzzing at Spelling Bee 

Revitalized movement wants to simplify the language

May 30, 08 11:15 AM CDT
(Newser) - Every year, the National Spelling Bee sparks a protest from an 800-year-old movement that aims to simplify spelling by using phonetics, the Wall Street Journal reports. (Think thru vs. through.) “We have 42 different sounds in English, and we spell them 400 different ways,” says the 102-year-old... More »

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English • spelling • spelling bee • grammar

Grammatical Dynamic Duo
Wages War
on Typos

Two men travel the
country on a mission

May 21, 08 8:50 PM CDT
(Newser) - Jeff Deck and Benjamin Herson are out-of-work Ivy Leaguers on a mission. They just wrapped up a three-month cross-country drive to eradicate typos and grammar gaffes in public spaces. Sharpies in hand, the pair confronted store owners about typos on their signs and windows and did their best to correct... More »

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education • English • dictionary • grammar

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