Brilliant, Ted. How do you feel about you and the CIA being in synch in
this respect? ;-)
larry
------ Original Message ------
From: "Ted Harding" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 10/07/2014 09:23:30
Subject: Re: writing guide
>On 10-Jul-2014 07:35:54 the.Duke.of.URL wrote:
>> Now available online is the CIA writing guide. They like the Oxford
>> comma, good, and they take a sophisticated attitude toward split
>> infinitives, also good. I have liked split infinitives even before I
>> knew Churchill thought they were excellent.
>>
>> Mastering this manual will no doubt render your prose more
>>intelligible
>> to the intel community, which I am sure is high on the list of
>> priorities of every member of this list.
>>
>>
>>http://www.nationalsecuritylaw.org/files/received/CIA/DI_Style_Manual.pdf
>>
>> larry
>>
>> Dr L Brownstein
>> [Alt-e] [log in to unmask]
>
>Excellent concise statement about split infinitives!
> "No one insists any more that all split infinitives must be shunned.
> Do, however, make sure that clarity or the flow of the sentence
> demands the split. If you are not sure, do not split."
>
>An example which I have been trotting out for many years -- of a
>sentence with at least 3 meanings, depending (partly) on the position
>of the adverb "slowly":
>
>(A) I prepared slowly to go home thinking.
>(B) I prepared to slowly go home thinking.
>(C) I prepared to go home slowly thinking.
>
>Given that the intended meaning is that "slowly" applies to going home,
>the split infinitive at (B) leaves no doubt.
>
>But would (A) be interpreted as the intended (B) but formulated to
>avoid the "deprecated" split infinitive? Or would it be interpreted as:
>
>(D) I slowly prepared to go home thinking.
>
>And would (C) be interpreted as the intended (B), again avoiding the
>split infinitive (but perhaps you then need a comma)? Or as:
>
>(E) I prepared to go home thinking slowly.
>
>(But even then it's not absolutely clear whether "slowly" applies
>to "thinking" or to "go home").
>
>Splitting the infinitive removes all doubt!
>
>Best wishes to all,
>Ted.
>
>-------------------------------------------------
>E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <[log in to unmask]>
>Date: 10-Jul-2014 Time: 09:23:26
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