English grammar is so complex and confusing for the one very simple reason that its rules and terminology are based on Latin - a language with which it has precious little in common. In Latin, to take one example, it is not possible to split an infinitive. So in English, the early authorities decided, it should not be possible to split an infinitive either. But there is no reason why we shouldn't, any more than we should forsake instant coffee and air travel because they weren't available to the Romans.
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- Because time moves more slowly in Kid World ... it goes on for decades ... It is adult life that is over in a twinkling.
- Language is more fashion than science, and matters of usage, spelling and pronunciation tend to wander around like hemlines. β¨ Bill Bryson (1990). The Mother Tongue, William Morrow Paperbacks
- For most of us the rules of English grammar are at best a dimly remembered thing. But even for those who make the rules, grammatical correctitude sometimes proves easier to urge than to achieve. Amon β¦ βΆ
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