A reader should be able to identify a column without its byline or funny little picture on top purely by look or feel, or its turgidity ratio.

It behooves us to avoid archaisms. Never use a long word when a diminutive one will do.

[Senators John Kerry & John Edwards] have risen high in Democratic polls with a brand of class resentment and soak-the-rich rhetoric rooted in the old-fashioned liberalism of Ted Kennedy.

Some handsome and ambitious men believe they are above all morality, and a woman's virtue becomes a mere challenge to them.

The most fun in breaking a rule is in knowing what rule you're breaking.

English is a stretch language; one size fits all.

Do not be taken in by 'insiderisms.' Fledgling columnists, eager to impress readers with their grasp of journalistic jargon, are drawn to such arcane spellings as 'lede.' Where they lede, do not follow.