Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 21:32:35 -0500 (EST) From: furgesl@balrog.ucs.uindy.edu To: FreeBSD Chat <chat@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: English style (was: btokup().. patch to STYLE(9) (fwd)) (fwd) Message-ID: <Pine.BSF.3.96.990131211156.21083A-100000@kcfhome.my.domain> In-Reply-To: <Pine.BSF.3.96.990131192552.20868E-100000@kcfhome.my.domain>
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>From another source: In the opinion of a high school English teacher, the split infinitive is not acceptable in academic writing; however, it is considered grammatically correct. To encourage young writers to advance their writing "maturity", the split infinitive, contractions, and the use of passive verbs are not permitted. (Along with many others) According to "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Connner: The truth is that the phrase "split infinitive" is misleading. Since *to* isn't really part of the infinitive, there's nothing to split. A sentence often sounds better when the *to* is close to the infinitive: *Violet decided to ask for a raise*. But there's no harm in separating them by putting a descriptive word or two in between: *Violet decided to bravely ask for a raise*. Writers of English have been merrily "splitting" infinitives since the 1300's, and it was considered acceptable until the mid-nineteenth century, when grammar books--notably Henry Alford's *Plea for the Queen's English*--started calling it a crime. (Some linguists trace the taboo to the Victorians' slavish fondness for Latin, a language in which you *can't* divide an infinitive.) This "rule" was popular for half a century, until leading grammarians debunked it. Stefanie > >From an authority that the Americans are more likely to accept, I > quote the Chicago Manual of Style, 14th Edition, section 2.98 > (footnote): > > The thirteenth edition of this manual included split infinitives > among the examples of ``errors and infelicities'' but tempered the > inclusion by adding, in parentheses, that they are ``debatable > `error' ''. The term has been dropped from the fourteenth edition > because the Press now regards the intelligent and discriminating use > of the construction as a legitimate form of expression and nothing > writers or editors need feel uneasy about. Indeed, it seems to us > that in many cases clarity ad naturalness of expression are best > served by a judicious splitting of infinitives. > To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-chat" in the body of the message
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