Madding Gerund

My kind of piece from Robert Lane Greene for his 'Good Word' column in Slate, alerting me to my kind of book, Far From the Madding Gerund.

Another clever prezzie for the matriarch's birthday a fortnight's hence.

Good point by Greene about Prescriptivists versus Descriptivists.

Also, to my shame, I have not been aware of the excellent Language Log, although in my defence I have to say that too much reading of these columns can land one in a blue funk from which nary a word of one's own emerges.