🔤 Garbl’s Myths & Superstitions of Writing —2025 Edition
Writers across centuries agree: Clarity beats old rules.
Writing myths are stubborn creatures. They survive decades of evidence, millions of well-edited sentences, and every major style guide on Earth telling us to ease up. When I first created this list in the early 2000s, I stuffed it with citations to show skeptics that, yes, real authorities had been debunking these rules for a century or more.
Turns out readers weren’t looking for citations. They were looking for permission: the freedom to write in clear, modern English without being haunted by grade-school grammar ghosts.
So here’s a refreshed version. Cleaner. Updated. Still grounded in respected sources. And still dedicated to busting the old myths that keep too many people from writing with confidence.
1. Myth: Never split an infinitive.
Truth: Splitting an infinitive is often clearer, smoother, and more natural in modern English.
“There is no point in rearranging a sentence just to avoid splitting an infinitive.” — Porter G. Perrin, 1965
Example:
She wanted to really understand the issue this time.
2. Myth: Never begin a sentence with but or and.
Truth: Writers have begun sentences with coordinating conjunctions for centuries. It’s normal and effective.
“One cannot help wondering whether those who teach such a monstrous doctrine ever read any English themselves.” — Charles Allen Lloyd, 1938
Example:
And that’s the part everyone forgets.
3. Myth: Never end a sentence with a preposition.
Truth: Ending with a preposition is idiomatic English and usually the clearest choice.
“Prepositions have been used as terminal words in a sentence since the days of Chaucer.” — Theodore M. Bernstein, 1971
Example:
That’s the policy we’re working with.
4. Myth: Never use between with more than two items.
Truth: Between describes relationships, not numbers. It works perfectly with three or more parties.
“Sometimes the ‘two’ relationship is present even when more than two elements are involved.” — Theodore M. Bernstein, 1977
Example:
The meeting was between the city and the three school districts.
5. Myth: Never split a verb phrase.
Truth: There’s nothing wrong with placing an adverb within a compound verb.
“The notion that an adverb must never be placed between parts of a verb phrase is erroneous.” — Pence & Emery, 1963
Example:
We have seriously underestimated the timeline.
6. Myth: Never use contractions.
Truth: Contractions make writing more natural, direct, and reader-friendly.
“Your style will be warmer and truer to your personality if you use contractions.” — William Zinsser, 1985
Example:
I’ll send the draft tomorrow.
7. Myth: Never use I or me.
Truth: First person is often the clearest choice, especially in guidance, commentary, and explanation.
“If you want to write like a professional, the first thing you must get used to is the first person singular.” — Rudolf Flesch, 1958
Example:
It struck me as odd.
8. Myth: Never use since to mean because.
Truth: English has used since in a causal sense for more than a thousand years.
“No warrant exists for avoiding this usage, which goes back beyond Chaucer.” — Wilson Follett, 1966
Example:
Since you’re here, we can get started.
9. Myth: Never begin a sentence with because.
Truth: Beginning with because is fine. Just don’t leave the clause hanging.
“This superstition appears to result only from worry about fragments.” — Bryan A. Garner, 2003
Example:
Because traffic was backed up, the meeting started late.
10. Myth: Never write a one-sentence paragraph.
Truth: Short paragraphs can give emphasis and aid readability, especially online.
“To interpose a one-sentence paragraph at intervals is prudent.” — Eric Partridge, 1942
Example:
Sometimes one sentence is enough.
11. Myth: Never refer to the reader as you.
Truth: In plain language, you is essential. It brings the reader directly into the conversation.
“Keep a running conversation with your reader. Use the second-person pronoun whenever you can.” — Rudolf Flesch, 1962
Example:
You can skip this myth entirely.
12. Myth: Never use sentence fragments.
Truth: Fragments are powerful when used deliberately, especially in modern writing.
“The fragment, handled with care, can be a strong stylistic stroke.” — William Zinsser (paraphrased from 1980s editions)
Example:
Sometimes clarity needs a pause. A punch. A moment.
Selected Modern Sources
A short, practical list of the style guides and thinkers who continue to debunk these myths:
Bryan A. Garner, Garner’s Modern English Usage
Chicago Manual of Style
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary & Usage Notes
Benjamin Dreyer, Dreyer’s English
Patricia T. O’Connor, Woe Is I, Words Fail Me
Ernest Gowers, Plain Words: A Guide to the Use of English
William Sabin, The Gregg Reference Manual
Bill Bryson, Bryson’s Dictionary of Troublesome Words
Bill Walsh, Lapsing Into a Comma
Richard Lederer & Richard Dowis, Sleeping Dogs Don’t Lay
Older classic sources influenced the original edition and still hold up; some appear in the quotations above.
These myths are overdue for retirement. Clear, modern writing isn’t about obeying old taboos. It’s about helping people understand you the first time they read you.
Related Resources
Garbl’s Writing Bookshelf 2025
A lifelong editor’s favorite guides to writing, clarity, and style
Garbl’s Plain Language Writing Guide
Helping you write clearly and concisely—so your readers get what you’re saying.
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