Friday May 16, 2008
Latest Columns 
Jesus wept over the past participle
6
Online Edition: Thursday, May 15, 2008 03:51 AM
Jesus wept over the past participle
Published: Thursday, May 15, 2008 12:00 AM Page R1
Some feathers were fluttered last week when a front-page headline in The Globe included a subtle and common error. ''How a woman's death and sick passengers lead to fears,'' read the line, prompting at least one reader to write and point out that the past of lead is led. It's common to think that lead might be pronounced led, probably because the past of read is read, pronounced red. More confusion is added by the pronunciation of the word for the dull metal, lead.
Toss those rock 'n' roll skeletons out of your closet
Published: Saturday, May 10, 2008 12:00 AM Page L12
Dear Mr. Smith,I'm moving to a smaller place and I'm clearing out my closets. I've come across my collection of old, oversized Ministry and Cure shirts and am suddenly struck with waves of nostalgia. I have no desire to actually wear them again but feel pangs of sentimentality when I try to throw them in the charity box. What would you advise I do with them?
Violence, carjacking, blood ... and not a tut-tut to be heard
1
Online Edition: Thursday, May 8, 2008 03:50 AM
Violence, carjacking, blood ... and not a tut-tut to be heard
Published: Thursday, May 8, 2008 12:00 AM Page R1
You've probably read some outrage recently over sex in music videos. The hip-hop ones in particular have frequently come under attack for all their gold-lame-bikini-clad booty shaking, and there have been a number of artsy indie-rock ones that incorporate grainy imagery from real pornography as some kind of social commentary. It used to be the case that television networks - MTV and MuchMusic in particular - could discourage the creation of risque videos by refusing to air them.
If she's moving overseas, I propose not proposing
Published: Saturday, May 3, 2008 12:00 AM Page L4
Dear Mr. Smith,I've been with a great girl for about six years now and I made the decision to pop the question. I did all my ring research, allocated my budget accordingly and was waiting for my tax return to buy it. Four days before I walk into the diamond wholesaler, she tells me she applied for a job overseas and, of course, she got the job.
Creeping use of emoticons has me feeling :-(
4
Online Edition: Thursday, May 1, 2008 04:04 AM
Creeping use of emoticons has me feeling :-(
Published: Thursday, May 1, 2008 12:00 AM Page R1
A recent study by an American research foundation (the Pew Internet and American Life Project) found that about a third of U.S. high-school students use ''text speak'' such as LOL in their written school work, and a quarter admit to using emoticons (those faces you make with punctuation marks).
Silk scarf etiquette, in black and white
Published: Saturday, April 26, 2008 12:00 AM Page L5
On the weekend, in the food court of a mall, I observed a young man wearing a white silk scarf with a black wool jacket. After overhearing snippets of his conversation, it became clear to me that this gentleman was not arriving from or heading to a matinee at the opera or some kind of fundraising gala, but more than likely just out with his female companion for the afternoon. Am I mistaken in thinking that white scarves should be reserved for formal evening wear only?
The best verse is worth a wade through the dross
Online Edition: Thursday, April 24, 2008 03:01 AM
