Remember to never split an infinitive

This is the last of the William Safire writing “rules” for me. I’ve had such fun considering them. We all know how bogus this one is, right? Every since Star Trek: To boldly go where no (man/one) has gone before. The latter, “one,” for Next Generation, since they finally realized that there were women along and they hadn’t been there before either.

I’ve read that the origin of rules like this stem from Latin scholars, or maybe just snobs. It’s impossible to split an infinitive in Latin, since they are only one word. Esse, amare, videre, regere, audire (to be, to love, to see, to rule, to hear). Okay, but just because you can’t split them in Latin, doesn’t mean you can’t split them in English. Ours are TWO words. You can always split two words. I’m always eager to find places to happily break this rule. Which, it seems, never was a rule.*

Go ahead, cleave those infinitives, if it makes sense in your context!

*https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/split-infinitives

axe photo from morguefile.com

Do not put statements in the negative form.

This is William Safire’s third rule of grammar. Two more to go.

Here’s the late, great Ella, telling us about it. 

Using the advice, the title, above, would be: Put statements in the positive form.

Right? Okay, but don’t we have to use negative statements sometimes? I honestly don’t know what this one is about.

But I did some research on negation and found some esoteric things.

Like, the subtle difference between these two statements:

      (1) I don't think [that he came] (I don't know what he did)
          (2) I think [that he didn't come] (I think that he stayed away)

And these not-so-subtly different statements:

      (1) I didn't say [that he lied] (I said nothing)
          (2) I said [that he didn't lie] (I said that he told the truth)

The above are taken from:

https://www.thoughtco.com/negation-in-grammar-1691424

Any more thoughts on this?

Verbs has to agree with their subjects

This is William Safire’s fourth rule of grammar. (I have three left, then I’ll have to start thinking up new blog topics.)

What do you think? Does this drive you crazy? It does me!

Easy examples:

wrong:  The girls has talked to me.

right: The girls have talked to me.

wrong: We talks to the girls.

right: We talk to the girls.

The slightly obscure, to some people, examples are the problems.

wrong: Neither of them have talked to me.

right: Neither of them has talked to me.

Neither is singular and it’s the subject.

wrong: Janet and Kaye has both talked to me.

right: Janet and Kaye have both talked to me.

Both talked, so plural.

wrong: Janet or Kaye have talked to me.

right: Janet or Kaye has talked to me.

Only one talked, so singular.

Which one here is wrong or right?

The girls talked to me.

The girl talked to me.

AHA, doesn’t matter here.

I took some of this from here:

https://webapps.towson.edu/ows/moduleSVAGR.htm