Split-infinitive superstition strikes again

[nq:1]... and in The Guardian no less: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/eu/story/0,9061,1100477,00.html British officials, though resigned to Mr MacShane's shoot-from-the-hip style, insisted last night that it was not government policy to attack publicly the commission president.[/nq]

Thus spake John Dean:
[nq:1]BTW, I assume someone must have drawn together all these faux 'rules' based on obsessions with Latin & Greek and ... serious works, but I'm looking for a quick reference to all the stupidity that abounds under the guise of 'rules'.[/nq]
Someone should commission Ray Wise and Franke to write that book together.

Simon R. Hughes

[nq:1]BTW, I assume someone must have drawn together all these faux 'rules' based on obsessions with Latin & Greek and ... serious works, but I'm looking for a quick reference to all the stupidity that abounds under the guise of 'rules'.[/nq]
Dryden came to mind, but it turns out his bugbear was prepositions, ending with. Apparently you want Robert Lowth. See

[nq:1]Thus spake John Dean:[/nq]
[nq:2]BTW, I assume someone must have drawn together all these ... to all thestupidity that abounds under the guise of 'rules'.[/nq]
[nq:1]Someone should commission Ray Wise and Franke to write that book together.[/nq]
There already exist books which discuss curious beliefs based upon the misapplication of Latin and Greek to English usage and other ques

Thus spake Raymond S. Wise:

Lame titles.
You and Franke could do better. Aim at a popular market, and lose the "dictionary" in the title (choose a title as catchy as the panda book). Make it a slim tome, too; you don't want to scare off the secretary market.
You would sell millions next Christmas.
Oh yeah, and you'd make the world a better place.

Simon R. Hughes

[nq:1]... and in The Guardian no less: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/eu/story/0,9061,1100477,00.html British officials, though resigned to Mr MacShane's shoot-from-the-hip style, insisted last night that it was not government policy to attack publicly the commission president.[/nq]

[nq:2]... and in The Guardian no less: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/eu/story/0,9061,1100477,00.html British officials, ... was not government policy to attack publicly the commission president.[/nq]
[nq:1]So it is now wrong to not split infinitives?![/nq]
I have seen

Thus spake Raymond S. Wise:
[nq:2]So it is now wrong to not split infinitives?![/nq]
[nq:1]I have seen more than one usage commentator give Star Trek's "To boldly go where no man has gone before" as an example of where leaving the infinitive unsplit would weaken the sentence.[/nq]
Hasn't that line made it to idiom status yet?

Simon R. Hughes

[nq:1]Thus spake Raymond S. Wise:[/nq]
[nq:2]based was more stupidity There already exist books which discuss ... by Bergen Evans and Cornelia Evans are two such works.[/nq]
[nq:1]Lame titles. You and Franke could do better. Aim at a popular market, and lose the "dictionary" in the title ... off the secretary market. You would sell millions next Christmas. Oh yeah, and you'd make the world

[nq:2]... and in The Guardian no less: http://politics.guardian.co.uk/eu/story/0,9061,1100477,00.html British officials, ... was not government policy to attack publicly the commission president.[/nq]
[nq:1]So it is now wrong to not split infinitives?![/nq]
In this cas