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• The Chitchat Patrol

  1456 readerss I've discussed often, we try to avoid colloquial or slang expressions in straight news stories. Even in features we should use them judiciously, for special effect. Chatty or colloquial language, in news stories in particular, can undercut the ser...

• The Slang Patrol

  2612 readersEnlivening otherwise dry or somber topics, from Wall Street to Pakistan, is an admirable goal. But tossing in slang or colloquial expressions, a faddish buzzword or some hip lingo from a bygone era is seldom the best solution. Many colloquialisms are almost by definition clichés as well, so they can lower the tone without necessarily

• The ‘Tweet’ Debate

  1000 readersAfter I distributed the in-house version of After Deadline to my colleagues last week, word leaked out that I had supposedly "banned" use of the word "tweet" to refer to messages posted on Twitter. I had suggested that outside of ornithological contexts, "tweet" should still be treated as colloquial rather than as standard English. It can

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  6 Ways to Make Your Writing Upbeat and Fun

  803 readersphoto by Ernst Moeksis by Todd Rutherford You've probably read enough articles, news stories, press releases and books to distinguish different tones and moods in the writing style used by the author. Simply, by changing a few words, adding pun...

• News, Not Chatter

  1037 readersHere's the latest of my increasingly desperate pleas to stem the flood of colloquialisms in news stories. Stodginess is not the goal. But we take the news seriously, and our news report should sound serious - not like teenage slang, TV happy-talk or Twitter chatter.

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  Washington DC Named America’s Most Literate City

  4079 readersFor the second year in a row, Washington DC has been named America’s most literate city. New York City has moved up to the 22nd place on Central Conneticut State University’s annual list. Here’s more about the study that began in 2003: “Drawing from a variety of available data resources, the America’s Most Literate Cities

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  It’s, like, totally bitchin’!

  1283 readersTeen slang: What’s, like, so wrong with like? By Denise Winterman - BBC News Magazine Actress Emma Thompson says young people make themselves sound stupid by speaking slang outside of school. But while the use of the word “like” might annoy [...]

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  How to Increase Your Vernacular Vocabulary

  2065 readersIf you would like to receive props for your language prowess and you don't want to sound hinky when talking with others, a good way to start increasing your vocabulary is by watching television.I just heard the word props for the first time while watch...

• In Writing, Tone Is the Author’s Attitude

  11133 readersIn written composition, tone is often defined as what the author (rather than the reader) feels about the subject. (What the reader feels about it, by contrast, is referred to as the mood.) Tone is also sometimes confused with voice, which can be explained as the author’s personality expressed in writing. Tone is established when

• 25 Adverbs That Get an “A”

  3904 readersYou already know many adverbs that start with a-, a prefix that can mean, among other things, “on” (aboard) “in a state” (asleep), or “in a manner” (aloud). Here’s a roster of some of the lesser-known words in this class, many of which inspire vivid imagery, evoke an archaic or rustic tone, or conjure an