Based on 200 responses from people who teach legal writing:
|
Sensible
|
Mistaken
|
|
| Do not begin a sentence with but. | 5% | 26% | 69% |
| Do not begin a sentence with and. | 11% | 28% | 61% |
| Do not begin a sentence with however. | 1% | 22% | 77% |
| Do not end a sentence with a preposition. | 16% | 37% | 47% |
| Do not split an infinitive. | 9% | 32% | 59% |
| Do not split a verb phrase. | 2% | 26% | 72% |
| Do not separate a be verb from its complement. | 3% | 21% | 76% |
Here’s what I think:
- It’s okay to split infinitives and verb phrases
- It’s okay to begin with however
- It’s okay to end with a preposition
- It’s okay to begin with but
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