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You’re totally wrong!” Rakoff cried. He explained that the…

“You’re totally wrong!” Rakoff cried. He explained that the rule against split infinitives was just a bizarre invention by some pedants in the late nineteenth century to have English mimic Latin, in which infinitives are one word. All the great authors—Shakespeare! Faulkner!—split the infinitive.” quote by Jesse Eisinger
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““You’re totally wrong!” Rakoff cried. He explained that the rule against split infinitives was just a bizarre invention by some pedants in the late nineteenth century to have English mimic Latin, in which infinitives are one word. All the great authors—Shakespeare! Faulkner!—split the infinitive.””

Jesse Eisinger

About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Split infinitives are historically arbitrary; many great authors used them despite prescriptive rules.

In simple terms: Grammar rules can be flexible.

Key Takeaway

Focus on meaning over strict rules.

Themes

Language Grammar Literature

Mood

analytical historical

Type

Language:1 Great Authors:0 Split Infinitive:1 Split Infinitives:1 Infinitives:1 Latin Infinitives:0 Infinitives Word:0

When to use this quote

  • editing
  • writing instruction
  • literary analysis

Key Concepts

Linguistics Historical usage

Questions to Reflect On

  • When is rule-breaking effective?
  • How do readers perceive split infinitives?
A Different Perspective

May downplay importance of clarity.

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