Myths about Grammar - Essay Example

? Myths about Grammar Introduction Grammar is a language that is mostly misunderstood especially in the teaching field. The misconception comes in with the different ways in which different people view grammar. Grammar is mostly is viewed as a collection of several arbitrary rules that are normally about various linguistic static structures (Rodney and Pullum 388). The structures are not to be taught to the learners, they will acquire them on their own and if they are to be taught then the lessons are expected to be boring. They will be boring because the students will be required to repeat the different models in grammar (Chomsky, 136). Such teaching activities can be boring. This makes it more questionable. However there are different approaches that are communicative and proficiency based that limit the grammar instructions. There are several grammar claims that should be called grammar myths. There is a myth about split infinitives. You might have heard people saying that you are not supposed to use split infinitives. It is one of the many grammar myths that have been contradicting people for quite a long time. It all started with the Latin writers. (Bryan, 270) How the myth of split infinitives began Not to split infinitives is a notion that is mistaken. Latin was a, model in good writing in the 1800s and different writers tried to make English fit in Latin language. The attempt was unrealistic since the Latin infinitive is always one word and there is no way that it can be split. On the contrary, the infinitive has to be split in the English language (House, 54). No matter how awkward and unattractive the split infinitive is, it is never wrong to use them. There is nothing desirable about split infinitives, but according to H.W Fowler he says that when it comes to real ambiguity, then split infinitives are quite useful (Fowler, 768) .Always feel free to use the split infinitives whenever necessary even when it is a clumsy version. An example of a sentence with a split infinitive is…” We wanted to immediately leave for the airport”…. This splits an infinitive and is definitely not the right one to use. The other example is “The committee plans to legally ban franc disclosures” (LaRocque 61) .This sentence makes it clear that it is necessary to use a split infinitive. A split infinitive A split infinitive is a word that comes in between the particle “to and the verb. An example of a split infinitive word is “to go boldly” (Wardhaugh 69) it might seem wrong but then it is not. Split infinitives have been a great controversy among the teachers and the grammar people, but the notion that it is a grammatical myth is a mistake. Henry Fowler the writer of the book Modern English Usage stated that these as superstitions .It is a superstition that has never been legit and different English writers have always been splitting the infinitives ever since the 1300s. The blame has always been put on Henry Alford a Latinist and used to be the Dean of Canterbury in the 19th century. Alford published a book, A Plea for the Queen’s English in 1864 where he declared that “To” was an inseparable infinitive. He probably was influenced by the Latin grammar that infinitive is one word and it can never be split. Like you should not put the word,” Boldly” between an infinitive phrases “To go-as in “to boldly go’. This was false. (Alford 171) In the early 20th century the highly respected English writers Henry Fowler, George 0.Curme and many more started explaining that the split infinitive is preferable and accepted. Besides it is hard to split an infinitive, since the particle “To” is simply a prepositional marker and not part of the infinitive. At times it s never needed. An example like “She helped me to read” the particle ‘To’ can be dropped. But then because of the grammar myths that still live on, then it becomes difficult for one to drop it. That could explain why it is still in use and considered grammatically correct (Harris, Bruce and Joan, 11). The split infinitive is foreign The split infinitive might present itself as a mindless rule but then it was foreign. It was based on the Latin’s and Greeks inability to split infinitives because they only have one word only. The great writers consistently violated the split infinitive rule. In 1931 there was an evidence of split infinitives found in English literature from every century starting with the epic poem, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in the 14th century. Some of the infinitives improve on splitting. A sentence like “I cannot bring myself to really like the fellow” is relaxed, has a clear meaning, harmless violation and barely perceptible. Try and put it the way, the sentence will change where it will be stiff and pointlessly formal. (Strunk and Bryan 81) An infinitive that does not have the particle ‘to’ is normally referred to as zero infinitives. There are some grammar books that warn about the split infinitives. There are some phrases that have been in use for a long time and are still being used today, expressions like “to really”. A number of guides are now recognizing these phrases and also recognize that there are times when placing the particle “to” and a verb between sentences is preferable. If one is allowed to split infinitives As a modern writer once you split infinitives in your articles, you will definitely get disgusting mails from people who believe that it is wrong to split infinitives (American Heritage Dictionaries 35). So the decision of whether you should split infinitives or not will depend on how you feel about the kind of mails you get from the irritable people. Conversely, it is never a good idea to split infinitives deliberately when you well know that it will definitely annoy people. The best and safe path is to try and avoid the idea of having to split the infinitives (Chomsky 235). If for instance you are writing a letter or an article to an editor, it is best if you do not use the split infinitives because several editors still believe in the split infinitives rules. If you really want to show a good impression and get the job then the less you use spilt infinitives the higher are the chances. The same way applies when writing a cover letter (House). How to avoid It is easier to avoid splitting infinitives. Like in the sentence,” To boldly go where no man has gone before” The writer could have written” To go boldly where no man has gone before” You have to be much careful though when trying to avoid splitting the infinitives. Sometimes you could do it and then you finally change the meaning of the sentence. An example is,” Jack decided to quickly remove his shirt” “to quickly remove “is the split infinitive. If you decide to move the adverb “quickly” before the infinitive then it will imply that Jack made a fast decision as in “Jack decided quickly to remove his shirt. Alternatively the adverb can be at the end-“Jack decided to remove his shirt quickly” which might seem quite ambiguous. You may also want to rewrite the same sentence without having to split the infinitives to simply have the same meaning .i.e. ‘Jack decided to grab his shirt before his mother could find him.” This is a clear sentence without a split infinitive, but then it is not necessary for one to rewrite a sentence unless you are required to. The main point is that, you can still avoid splitting infinitives whenever you want, at the same time let no one tell you that it is never allowed to split infinitives. Conclusion English is a language that does not have an academy for setting rules on grammar usage. Following the arbitrary rules, especially the grammar myths when you are writing is not necessary. However, you have to consider the context in which you are writing and make sure that your readers’ needs are met. If you are writing a research proposal or formal document then you definitely need to consider the idea of not using the split infinitives. You do not want to raise any problems with your editor or examiner simply because you used split infinitives. The only best and appropriate approach is going through your document and proofreading it. Works Cited Alford, H., A Plea for the Queen's English: Stray Notes on Speaking and Spelling. New York: George Routledge & Sons, 1864: p. 171 American Heritage Dictionaries, The American Heritage Book of English Usage, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1996: pg35 Bryan A. Garner, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Garner on Language and Writing ps 270, 81 Chomsky, C. "Language and philosophy," Linguistics and philosophy, In S. Hook (Ed.) New York, 1969: ps 235,136 Fowler, H.W., Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Oxford University Press, 2009: pg 768 Harris Phillip, Bruce M. Smith, & Joan Harris, The myths of standardized tests: why they don't tell you what you think they do, Rowman & Littlefield, 2010: pg11 Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, A Student's Introduction to English Grammar. Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006: pg 388 LaRocque Paula, Championship writing: 50 ways to improve your writing, Marion Street Press, Inc., 2000, pg 61 House Random, Origins of the Specious: Myths and Misconceptions of the English Language, 2009, Pg 54 Strunk William, Jr. and White E.B., The Elements of Style, 3rd ed. Macmillan, 1979: pg81 Wardhaugh Ronald, Proper English: myths and misunderstandings about language, Wiley-Blackwell, 1999: pg69   Read More