At one time I worked as a newspaper sub-editor. The job’s occupational hazards included getting involved in conversations about the correctness of certain kinds of punctuation, the usage of which vs that and who vs whom, and devilish subjects like the subjunctive mood and whether or not ‘internet’ should take a capital I. Those conversations are mercifully …
Tag archives: Grammar
When to beg the question, and when not to
Phrases and terms have a way of getting mangled over time and it can be hard finding clear examples of what is and isn’t right. Philip Corbett, a deputy news editor at the New York Times who’s in charge of its style manual, does a fine job explaining how to use ‘beg the question’.