"Curmudgeon" has been around since at least 1577 when it appeared in print. I don't know what is the matter with today's young people. They don't know perfectly respectable terms like "curmudgeon." I bet they don't even know a "currant" from a "current." Or how to "curry" or when to add "curry." Or a hyphen from a dash. They can be so cursedly curt when they are called on their cursory curriculum fulfillment.

By now do you know the hallmark of the curmudgeon? This ill-tempered person is full of resentment and stubborn notions. At least the voice (tone) that the columnist takes makes him appear not to care. Perhaps this is why satire and a cast of characters often appear in these columns.

Three pros of the pessimistic voice: H.L. Mencken, Mike Royko and Andy Rooney make a fascinating study of writing and history as reflected in their columns.

H. L. MENCKEN

In "Mother's Day" he sprinkles acid on people he rejects then gives some kind words about mothers. This Baltimore Sun writer was known for his sarcastic vitriol. Read some of his columns. Can you identify examples of it. Don't be fooled by the appearance of courtesy.

In "Criminology" note his use of abstract and concrete terms as he argues his position against those who are wrong, of course: "It was simply a natural reaction against the doctrine that murder is mainly an accidental and unfortunate matter, and devoid of moral content, like slipping on an icy sidewalk or becoming the father of twins." Satire, understatement and attack on this form of ethics are used against his opposition.

In "Why Nobody Loves a Politician" note his diction carefully. What level of language is used to underscore his point? Does he include himself as a victim of politicians?

Mencken's Biography

MIKE ROYKO

Have you daily frustrations from encounters with modern technology that is far from flawless? You should be able to relate to "How to Kick a Machine." Dialogue is another effective tool of the curmudgeon.

Royko's writing style is direct, unadorned and specific. He prefers short, clear Anglo-Saxon words to long, more obscure Latinate ones. Royko saw himself as the voice of the common man. Note his wit in "The Ethics of Endorsing a Product." What side is he on?

(If you have time, you can compare his style and approach to that of Fran Lebowitz in "Clothes with Words and /or Pictures on Them" and that of Ellen Goodman in "One Season Fits All.")

The May 24, 1999, issue of The New Yorker The Wayward Press critic Hendrik Hertzberg writes an appreciation of Royko. In "Big Mike: When he went, it left a hole in the soul," Hertzberg writes that Royko was the soul of Chicago. "He landed the column [in the afternoon Daily News] at the end of 1963 and wrote it for thirty-three years, right up until March 21, 1997, a few days before he suffered the stroke that put him in the ground, halfway into the sixty-fifth year of his age. … Some eight thousand columns, eight or nine hundred words each - something approaching seven million words."

Royko was the first soul-of-the-city columnist to be syndicated on a large scale, according to Hertzberg.

ANDY ROONEY

Sometimes Andy Rooney is facetious and very effectively makes you believe in "Teaching from the Classifieds" that language skills would be stronger if the classifieds were used as the textbook. He begins with a satirical prescription and ends with a demonstration of "teaching from the classifieds." The lists add humor in that their skepticism works due to contrast with the presumed innocence of the children.

As he often does on Sixty Minutes, Rooney in "Job Applicants" is pedantic, experienced with words and able to impart wisdom. Note that is criticism often have an element of truth with which the reader can agree.