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Now, for as long as there have been newspapers, there have been grammarians, those preoccupied with language and its proper usage, who write stern correctives to newspapers. Those of us in the business are accustomed to these missives, and alternately bemused and grateful for them.

But there’s a new sort of letter in town. I got two of them this week.

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“You should not use the term ‘shrill’ when referencing a woman’s voice,” the first said. “It’s sexist and misogynist. Please stop. Use unbiased, non-discriminatory language in future. Thank you.”

The complaint was in reference to a story I wrote about Xiu Jin Teng, an accused murderer who is representing herself at trial in the downtown Toronto court.

Teng had spent this particular day shrieking at the judge, and though I mostly adhered to the advice of Stephen King in On Writing and used the verb “said,” I occasionally weakened, and for the reason King suggested: “When I do it, it’s usually for the same reason any writer does it: because I’m afraid the reader won’t understand me if I don’t.”