Rules from school you need to unlearn fast

Ahhh, your grade school English teacher. An image that probably evokes either fond memories or nightmares. A voice that might still ring in your ears every day at work. No matter what kind of teacher you had, you probably have the same set of rules drilled into your head as the rest of us.

But some "rules" aren't actually rules at all. They are based on either myth or convention. And here's why you need to unlearn them.

1. Never end a sentence with a preposition

There is actually nothing grammatically wrong with ending a sentence with a preposition. And trying to avoid doing so can result in serious awkwardness.

Example:
Awkward: You get solutions on which you can depend.
Clear: You get solutions you can depend on.

As Winston Churchill famously wrote in a reply to an editor who had rearranged one of his sentences to avoid ending it with a preposition, "This is the sort of English up with which I will not put".

2. Don't split an infinitive

The Oxford English Dictionary says that splitting infinites is "both normal and useful". In fact, great writers have done it for hundreds of years – even Shakespeare.

An infinitive is to plus a verb, as in to walk, to work, to be. Splitting one means sticking an adverb in the middle – as in "to boldly go where no man has gone before" – the famous line from Star Trek.

While you shouldn't go out of your way to split infinitives, you should feel free to do so for the sake of clarity or to place greater emphasis on the adverb than the verb. It just wouldn't sound as good to say to go boldly.

3. Never start a sentence with and or but

Just another myth. And especially in marketing, it's more important to avoid long sentences than to avoid starting sentences with a conjunction. Using and or but is also a great way to emphasize a final point.

Example:
Okay: You get expert, dependable, timely service, and we come right to your door.
Better: You get expert, dependable, timely service. And we come right to your door.

4. Always write complete sentences

Nope. Again, marketing materials need to grab your readers' interest, make an emotional connection and hold their attention. Sometimes this means writing sentence fragments – leaving out the noun or the verb. 

Example:
Okay: At Bonny Beach, you'll find blue skies, clear water and endless sun. It's just where you want to be.
Better: Blue skies. Clear water. Endless sun. All at Bonny Beach – just where you want to be.

5. Big words mean business

Actually, big words often mean confusion. Your writing should be clear, concise and easy to read. Don't think you’ll sound more serious or professional if you use long, fancy words. You'll probably just turn off your readers.

Example:
Bad: It is imperative that all participants hasten their use of the facilities.
Good: Please use the toilet quickly.

While you should certainly follow most of the English rules that you learned in school, there are clearly some that you can forget. Your goal is to reach your audience with interesting, easy-to-read messages. So even though you think you know the rules – now your mission is to boldly go ahead and break them.

 

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WordNerd
There have been dozens of variations of Churchill's famous quote about the rule against ending a sentence with a preposition, including one that called it "bloody nonsense".