Word sequence puzzles constitute fascinating (and fun) experiments in associative thinking—that is, experiments in how we make semantic, conceptual, or formal connections among the words in a set.

Unlikely as it sounds, the topic of adjective use has gone “viral.” The furor centers on the claim, taken from Mark Forsyth’s book "The Elements of Eloquence," that adjectives appearing before a noun ...

If you picture a woman twisting a doorknob, all the elements of this brief event show up in your mind – the woman, the twisting action of her hand and the doorknob. But as I describe this scene and as ...