Your English teacher lied when she laid down the law. I’m sure you remember her time-honored rules of the written word: Never begin a sentence with a conjunction. Never end a sentence with a preposition. Never split an infinitive. Turns out, she was exaggerating for effect. To borrow a line from Pirates of the Caribbean, “the code is more what you’d call guidelines than actual rules.” Although these celebrated taboos are often sound advice, they deserve a little qualification.
- Don’t start sentences with a conjunction
(unless it’s important to the rhythm and flow of the text). - Don’t end sentences with a preposition
(unless it’s necessary to avoid awkward language). - Don’t split infinitives
(unless it’s really the best place for the adverb). - Don’t use passive voice
(unless it’s important to obscure the actor). - Don’t use nonstandard words like “irregardless” or “ain’t”
(unless you’re writing informally or with a specific voice).
Read your work out loud when you’re finished—or better yet, ask someone else to read it back to you. If it looks right to your eyes AND sounds natural to your ears, it’s probably correct on the page.
