Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Split Infinitives


The following is the result of a nonsense conversation on Facebook...

Split Infinitives – for Matt Scott

The people who reject the rules
and sprinkle their orations  
With split infinitives and more
 egregious violations ..."  Anna Barham

My punctious pal says it’s
an ‘egregious violation
to gamely split infinitives,’
in Facebook conversation.

By ‘gamely’ does he mean in fun,
or doing it with vigour;
taking grammar at a run,
observing it with rigour?

To this the answer I’ve no thought,
but Strunk and White insist,
that split infinitives you ought
not never to dismiss.

No-nonsense Fowler
also works to rule;
considers it a howler
and thinks that you’re a fool.

But Mr Shakespeare, who
re language knew some little,
split infinitives - to show
he cared not a jot or a tittle.