In the same year, William Safire wrote at the end of his “On Language” column in the New York Times, on 7 October 1979:
Query:
I am compiling “Ten Perverse Rules of English Grammar.” Thanks to Philip Henderson of Lawrence, Kan., I have three. They are: (1) Remember to never split an infinitive. (2) A preposition is something never to end a sentence with. (3) The passive voice should never be used. Any others along these lines? |
He followed this up a month later, on 4 November 1979, with the following “On Language” column:
The Fumblerules of GrammarNot long ago, I advertised for perverse rules of grammar, along the lines of “Remember to never split an infinitive” and “The passive voice should never be used.” The notion of making a mistake while laying down rules (“Thimk,” “We Never Make Misteaks”) is highly unoriginal, and it turns out that English teachers have been circulating lists of fumblerules for years. As owner of the world’s largest collection, and with thanks to scores of readers, let me pass along a bunch of these never-say-neverisms:
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We are told that these and possibly more Fumblerules were reprinted in at least one of Safire’s books of collected articles. In 1990 he made a separate book, Fumblerules: A Lighthearted Guide to Grammar and Good Usage (not in print, but used copies available.)