Bryan A. Garner: In 1926, H.W. Fowler used the term “superstitions” to describe, in the field of writing, “unintelligent applications of an unintelligent dogma” … *
eleven superstitions:
eleven superstitions:
A. Never End a Sentence with a Preposition.
B. Never Split an Infinitive.
C. Never Split a Verb Phrase.
D. Never Begin a Sentence with And or But.
E. Never Write a One-Sentence Paragraph.
F. Never Begin a Sentence with Because.
G. Never Use since to Mean because.
H. Never Use between with More than Two Objects.
I. Never Use the First-Person Pronouns I and me.
J. Never Use Contractions.
K. Never Use you in referring to Your Reader.
***
Raymond Chandler, in a letter to the Atlantic Monthly editor in 1947:
“When I split an infinitive, (expletive deleted), I split it so it will stay split.”*
“When I split an infinitive, (expletive deleted), I split it so it will stay split.”*
*a link – see a note on notes and links