Our correspondents
Cairo: Egypt struggles with population surge
Global briefing
- News that Mahmoud al Mabhouh, a leading member of Hamas's military wing, the Ezzedine al Qassam Brigades, was murdered in Dubai 11 days ago, has quickly prompted speculation that Israel was behind the killing.
When it came to saying sorry, Frank Sinatra did it his way
Far from being the hardest word, sorry is sometimes a rather easy one. Whether it is always used with sincerity is another matter.
Why Jagger’s double negative does not mar my Satisfaction
Do the standards of English in pop music matter? The answer, my friend, is whifflin' in the wind …
An ostrobogulous journey through a godwottery of words
Our fascination with words, where they came from and how they should and should not be used, is not a modern phenomenon.
Why we don’t need to put words into teenagers’ mouths
Are the teenagers of today really a bunch of moronic, monosyllabic idlers whose inarticulacy renders them unemployable?
Tweet falls foul of the Lake Superior word banishers
A thoughtful colleague pointed me in the direction of the twin cities of Sault Ste Marie, which lie on either side of the United States and Canada border.
The fine art of telling the tales of life after death
Some of the finest writing to be found in the better newspapers appears on the obituary pages.
Summing up the year in grammar, in alphabetical order
The final My Word column of 2009 looks back, in alphabetical order, on what I hope has been a thought-provoking year of pedantry, whimsy and banter.
As a punctuation vigilante, I am adopting a mellower outlook
But when the eyes and ears are assaulted each day by the liberties taken with the language, it is reassuring to come across the simplest examples of correct usage.
Court reporters who ensured the law was seen to be done
Some grave miscarriages of justice have been corrected because reporters have taken the trouble to investigate inconsistencies in the evidence.
Relax, we are all guilty of the occasional faux pas
All people who care about words have their own bêtes noires. Indeed, some would call them pet hates and say one of their biggest was the use of French phrases when a perfectly good English alternative exists.
Accuracy and eloquence – I rest my case, your honour
Colin Randall sits in awe of the eloquence of lawyers.
Nitpickers’ journal exposes degrees of grammatical ignorance
Inside each edition of Quest, the journal of the Queen’s English Society, is a feast of nitpicking. Two items from the new issue consider how people from other countries use English.
Chums who ensure that, a year on, I’m still not lost for words
How do you keep a column about the English language going for 51 weeks? Since we read, hear and use words every day, possible topics are likely to occur at any time.
No ifs or butts, despite any medieval Germanic origins
Some lessons on the use and abuse of English are taught to us when we are young. Others follow as we proceed through education, careers and life in general.
In awe of the spoken word and the speechwriters’ legacy
The spoken word, when combining eloquence, passion and perhaps a little wit, is one of the wonders of humanity.
Focus
In Mossad’s sights: the killers who wait decades
The swiftness and precision with which a Hamas leader was killed in Dubai last month bear the hallmarks of an Israeli hit squad.
Profile
Dictator called to account: Omar al Bashir
The president of Sudan is now the first sitting head of state to face formal charges of genocide, and he finds himself firmly in the sights of a bright, and determined lawyer.
Comment
Blows to India’s free speech
As India muscles its way to the front rank of global powers, one of its principal strengths, supposedly, is its vaunted democracy.
The week
Space rat and groundhog
Iran’s successful launch of a rocket, with passengers that included a rat, had the West anxious, Pennsylvania’s Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather, and two cubs were born to rare striped hyenas on Sir Beni Yas Island.
Lives remembered
Scholar who left cultural mark on the Emirates
During the 1970s, Ezzeddin Ibrahim was a key figure in many of the initiatives that shaped the modern emirate.
