When it comes to human language, syntax — the set of rules for arranging words and phrases to impart meaning — is important. People might understand what you meant if you declared “to the store I go ...

Do you think your one hour of research on WebMD makes you qualified to self-diagnose? Then you might be surprised to find that learning a programming syntax in a three week online course does not make ...

Harold in Clifton Park, N.Y., wrote recently to ask me about the grammar of the sentences “I couldn’t care less” and “I could care less.” Until then, I thought there were just two kinds of people in ...

R syntax can seem a bit quirky, especially if your frame of reference is, well, pretty much any other programming language. Here are some unusual traits of the language you may find useful to ...