Timeline

CENTURIONS -- For those of us past puberty, "turn of the century" used to mean the years just before and after 1900. However, since we have turned yet another century, good writers will remember to specify that. It won't be too long before we will think of the year 2001 as "turn of the century." (Hal, please take note before you get too spaced out.)

TRUE, BUT -- TV ads have been praising New Jersey Chris Christie for presentng balanced budgets in the two years he has been in office. However, the same "balanced budget" claim can be made by every other New Jersey governor, as well as the governors of every other state, since only the federal government can operate at a deficit. One way or another, states must devise balanced budgets.

GROUNDING -- "His sons carried the casket after the funeral and the burial." After the burial, no one carries the casket.

MODIFICATIONS -- Adjectives often take an -ed ending when modifying a noun; but just as often, that ending is dropped in informal speech, as in "mash potatoes." The standard in writing, however, calls for the use of the "-ed" ending. That said, confusion can arise in a phrase like "distress sales," referring to the sale of distressed property owners. Is it the properties that are in distress, or the owners? Are the sales distressed or those who hold mortgages on said properties? In short, who or what is in distress; the owners, the properties, the sales or the mortgage holders? The fallback position for the Samurai Rim Man is this: When in doubt, rephrase and rewrite. If we as allegedly professional uses of the language have to puzzle over what is the "correct" usage, how much more confusing is it for the poor shlub reading it? The goal is communication. If the writer sends the reader into puzzlement, the result is a failure of communication. In broadcast news writing, you get one chance to communicate the information to the listerner. In print, the reader has the option of going back and reading the phrase several times over before understanding. Good writers should not force readers into that option.