And what about the rules that aren't?
1. Don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
2. Don't end a sentence with a preposition.
3. "None" is always singular.
4. Don't split infinitives (or any other verbs for that matter).
Thoughts:
1. Separating two independent clauses with a comma and lower-case conjunction often has less force than a period and capital.
But don't put a comma AFTER that conjunction.
2. "What are you waiting for?" Should we change it to "For what are you waiting?" Of course not. Winston Churchill famously and cleverly upbraided an editor who rearranged his sentences — putting the prepositions inside — with a terse note: "This is the sort of bloody nonsense up with which I will not put."
3. "None" can mean "no one," but it can also mean "no few" or "no several." Does anyone really prefer "None of the union members is happy with the contract"?
4. "To boldly go where no man has gone before." Sure, it could have been "To go boldly where no man has gone before," but it is stronger with "boldly" boldly placed smack dab in the middle of the infinitive "to go." This "rule" is a holdover from the Latin in which the infinitive was one word and couldn't be split. Go ahead and split your verbs if the alternative is awkward.
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4 comments:
regarding split infinitives:
The Columbia Guide to Standard American English (1993) notes the split infinitive "eliminates all possibility of ambiguity", in contrast to the "potential for confusion" in an unsplit construction.
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary says, "there has never been a rational basis for objecting to the split infinitive."
Still, "Where's the book at?" is grating, and I actually do prefer "None....is..."
"Tell your child that their homework is due." This comes from the fear of using the perfectly acceptable "his" and risk offending a "her" but it's teaching the incorrect usage.
Yes, Patty, but the "at" is not needed. "Where's the book?" completes the thought.
I still avoid the plural "their" for singular use. You can almost always write around it: "Tell your children their homework is due."
You would also be safe with "Tell your child HER homework is due." Obviously, you would only say this to a daughter since it would be a waste of breath to tell it to a son.
Okay, David. Apparently I wasn't clear in my writing, even though that's what this is all about. I KNOW you don't use "at" to end a sentence, which is why I said it was grating. People use it all the time and it drives me crazy. Also, I might have used a poor example in the singular subject example, but I see this in books, magazines and newspapers every day. Can we not go back to using "him" in this case? And, if you actually tell your son to do his homework, he will say, "Oh, was I supposed to do it?" He will then get good grades when he was barely passing. My little brother went through this, so I speak from experience.
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