This weekend marks the one hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, so let's commemorate the occasion by looking back on some words and phrases that were particularly associated with the maritime disaster.  Continue reading...

When I was a callow teenager and completed my honors political science thesis in June 1979, I finished it only because my professor declined to give me another extension.

Although this made me furious, I'm now very grateful. If he hadn't refused to molly-coddle my deadline-averse ways, it would have taken me the entire summer to write it. If then.  Continue reading...

When I was struggling with a cold that left me empty of writing ideas, I asked the Twitterverse for help. One follower suggested that I stick with my cold and look into the phrase "God bless you." It proved to be a more daunting task than I anticipated, even once my head cleared.  Continue reading...

Every so often it's important to revisit an issue, to clarify or modify it, depending on the circumstances. It "begs the question" whether revisiting something is needed. After all, revisiting is important, because it allows revisiting, which is important. And if it's not important, it "begs the question," why ask about revisiting at all?  Continue reading...

How can categorizing words from Suzanne Collins's The Hunger Games help introduce students to the major themes of the novel?  Continue reading...

Michele Dunaway, who teaches English and journalism at Francis Howell High School in St. Charles, Missouri, argues that journalism is more important than ever for students. "While newspapers may be evolving and some folding," Michele writes, "the skill set journalism teaches students and the thought processes required of students should be embraced and infused into every English classroom."  Continue reading...

I've been in the technical-writing world long enough to remember when graphical user interfaces — that is, the Macintosh and Windows — arrived, and when we had to learn how to describe this interesting new way of interacting with computers. We don't think about it much now, but there was a time when terms like point, drag, click and double-click, and maximizing a window were all new terms and concepts.  Continue reading...