Times Not Faring Well in Spelling Department

29 May 2007

•

1 Min

Table of Content

I wonder how long before the Times catches the error in the first paragraph of its current story "Andy Roddick Crashes Out of French Open":

To figure out how Andy Roddick was fairing in his first-round match of the French Open tennis tournament today, spectators did not have to see the score.

I'm hoping it's quickly.

Language Usage

Author

William Shunn

Hugo and Nebula Award nominee. Creator of Proper Manuscript Format, Spelling Bee Solver, Tylogram, and more. Banned in Canada.

Subscribe to join the discussion.

Please create a free account to become a member and join the discussion.

Already have an account? Sign in

Mormonism

What We Mean When We Say “Anti-Mormon”

The term "anti-Mormon" is tossed around too lightly. A few months back, a video appeared online in which in which comedian Lewis Black read an angry rant submitted by an 18-year-old Mormon apostate. (Fan-submitted rants are a regular part of Black’s shows.) A week after the video

07 Mar 2016

•

5 Min

By: William Shunn

English

The Last Time

I wrote this poem to read at last night's Tuesday Funk—the 64th episode in the series, and my final night as host. Bless the English language for its charming, maddening ambiguity. Will I look back on this night as the last time I was here or the

04 Dec 2013

•

1 Min

By: William Shunn

Books

The Future of English (As of 1904)

Here's the last of the excerpts I'll bring you from the book I've just finished reading, 1904's The Making of English by Henry Bradley. This is the passage that closes the book, and I found it particularly hopeful in light of the

27 Feb 2013

•

2 Min

By: William Shunn

Predictions

How the Prediction Transpired

Last week I told you a bit about my recent bedtime reading, The Making of English by Henry Bradley. The book was published in 1904, and one of the peculiar delights of reading it more than a century later is seeing Bradley hold forth about "modern" words that

21 Feb 2013

•

1 Min

By: William Shunn

Times Not Faring Well in Spelling Department

Author

Sign up for William Shunn newsletters.

Subscribe to join the discussion.

Read more

What We Mean When We Say “Anti-Mormon”

The Last Time

The Future of English (As of 1904)

How the Prediction Transpired

Sign up for William Shunn newsletters.