Notes on grammar for copywriters and clients The English language is evolving. Some of the 'rules' we learned at school no longer apply. In fact, some of them had already fallen into disuse even before they were taught to us. And some were never rules at all. Scroll down to learn the truth behind four common myths.

Should a copywriter split infinitives? ('To boldly go', 'To really think', etc.) 'There is no grammatical reason whatever against splitting an infinitive...' 'The King's English' by Sir Kingsley Amis (HarperCollins) 'The dislike of split infinitives is long-standing but is not well founded, being based on an analogy with Latin...But English is not the same as Latin.' 'The New Oxford Dictionary of English' (Oxford University Press)

Should copywriters end sentences with prepositions? ('on', 'With', 'From' etc.) 'This is one of those fancied prohibitions dear to ignorant snobs.' 'The King's English' by Sir Kingsley Amis (HarperCollins) '...in many cases (particularly in questions and phrasal verbs) the attempt to move the preposition [away from the end of the sentence] produces awkward, unnatural-sounding results.' 'The New Oxford Dictionary of English' (Oxford University Press)

Can your copywriter start a sentence with a conjunction? ('and' or 'but' etc.) 'That it is a solecism to begin a sentence with 'and' is a faintly lingering superstition. The OED gives examples ranging from the 10th to the 19th century; the Bible is full of them.' 'Fowler's Modern English Usage' (Oxford University Press)

Can copywriters use single-word sentences? Yes.