Articles about Usage

If you’ve been following the story of Twitter agreeing to block users’ tweets in countries where the tweets are deemed illegal, you might have encountered the words censor/censure. And, like many among us, you might hesitate when you see them. Is it right to say, “Last month, Twitter exposed itself to public censor by agreeing to block government-censured posts?” Or is it, “Last month, Twitter exposed itself to public censure by agreeing to block government-censored posts?”

Learn more about the censor/censure distinction here.

Bill Walsh, a multiplatform editor at The Washington Post and longtime usage maven, poses a mathematical question: