To boldly go to the most famous grammar mistake of all time.
- Thread starter Escapefromwhatever
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I don't know...I still think "to go boldly" sounds better than "to boldly go."BBQ Platypus said:
Uh....jackbomb9 said:
There's not supposed to be an apostrophe in "Grammar Nazis".
I'm just sayin'.
Actually, you're right. I should have thought about it for a little longer before posting. It's good sometimes, kind of terrible other times.avidabey said:
Oh, and I don't care if you call me a moron. It's the internet. Who really cares what I'm called here?
Meh, nobody's perfect.The Rogue Wolf said:
Well, I don't. I think it breaks up the rhythm. I suppose you're entitled to your opinion, but I think that you're missing the point of grammatical rules in general. It should make things sound LESS awkward, not more.SuperMse said:
The split infinitive has been a part of English since the 14th Century. It wasn't until the 19th Century when a bunch of upper-class twats decided to arbitrarily change it due to their Latin fetish. (That's right - there's a split infinitive in that sentence! And I wasn't even trying to include it! This supports my theory that it's a part of natural language construction! Squirm, baby, squirm!)
But I'm not on these forums to start a grammatical debate. Even I'm not THAT boring. And let's not even MENTION the Oxford comma, m'kay?
no sorry to say but it doesn't sound better and if you put it as "to boldly go" you can change the sound of the sentence by changing where and how you emphasize it, also it goes better with how Shatner speaksSuperMse said:
look at how i write this, the bold parts are for emphasis
to boldy go
to go boldly
to go boldly
most ppl would say the first statement is way more inspirational AND it rolls off the tongue a lot better
now to Shatnerize it
to .... boldly ... go
to ... go ... boldly
to go .... boldly
even in Shatnerese the first one still sounds better
Isn't the split infinitive rule a stylistic choice and not an actual rule? Like the rule about not ending a sentence with a preposition. It's not incorrect, it just sounds weird in most cases.
And what's with the Escapist reducing my English spacing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-spaced_sentences] to single spaces?
And what's with the Escapist reducing my English spacing [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-spaced_sentences] to single spaces?
But if there wasn't this grammar error, Henry Cho wouldn't have been able to tell jokes about "Jonly Bonly from Boldlygo."
Also, sometimes we deliberately ignore the rules in order to make what is being read or said have more impact. It is proper to say, "To go boldly where no one has gone before," but in this case the split infinitive gives a more natural emphasis on "boldly" in order to set the tone. It is my opinion that Yahtzee used the same tactic in his line about not dying.
Edit: I believe my viewpoint was ninja'd.
Also, sometimes we deliberately ignore the rules in order to make what is being read or said have more impact. It is proper to say, "To go boldly where no one has gone before," but in this case the split infinitive gives a more natural emphasis on "boldly" in order to set the tone. It is my opinion that Yahtzee used the same tactic in his line about not dying.
Edit: I believe my viewpoint was ninja'd.
Nope. They aren't stylistic choices. I'm not sure where one could find proof of the no preposition rule, but I know split infinitives are mentioned in The Elements of Style.Starnerf said:
Now to speak to the whole thread. Look, I didn't make this thread to be a jerk, and I almost didn't make it. My grammar is not perfect, but I was simply pointing out a trend I noticed. To me, it is important to have consistent grammar rules by which we communicate, in order to optimize understanding. Of course there are exceptions, like poetry, but I just don't want our communal grasp of the importance of language to slip, mmmkay?
I think what it all comes down to is whether or not it really matters.
The mass of an electron is actually "1/1867", but we say that it is negligible rather than working it in.
Even though it is a mistake, it can still provide a proper amount of emphasis.
It is still capable of portraying the appropriate message without obliterating the written language.
The mass of an electron is actually "1/1867", but we say that it is negligible rather than working it in.
Even though it is a mistake, it can still provide a proper amount of emphasis.
It is still capable of portraying the appropriate message without obliterating the written language.
Shouldn't there be a semi-colon? (Do it; I'd love to see it.)SuperMse said:
"To boldly go" was used to draw emphasis to the word 'boldly,' further reaffirming humanity's inherent awesomeness without actually stating it, since it does, in fact, seem clunky. (As does the "in fact" thing, which I hope can recreate the effect enough.)SuperMse said:
...or at least, that's my take.
Sorry to say, but I find that a ridiculous rule. "To boldly go" just packs a better punch than "To go boldly".
Regardless of any of this, language is merely a form of communication, which is subject to change. I'm not saying we should abolish punctuation and capitalization, but as long as it sounds natural, there shouldn't be any downright stupid rules to protect so-called "good speech". Honestly, whoever came up with this rule should have been shot for making grammar unnecessarily complex.
There is such a thing as enriching and refining a language, and then there is the making of rules for the sake of making rules.
Regardless of any of this, language is merely a form of communication, which is subject to change. I'm not saying we should abolish punctuation and capitalization, but as long as it sounds natural, there shouldn't be any downright stupid rules to protect so-called "good speech". Honestly, whoever came up with this rule should have been shot for making grammar unnecessarily complex.
There is such a thing as enriching and refining a language, and then there is the making of rules for the sake of making rules.
Well that's what drew me there, it's kind of regretablementor07825 said:
the thread was locked at all if it would produce more
posts like those.