>Come on: “to go boldly where no man has gone before” just doesn’t have the same ring to it as “to boldly go.” If it sounds better to split the infinitive, then take an axe to it!
It is likely that "to boldly go" has a "ring to it" because the author has watched hundreds of episodes of Star Trek where the infinitive is split.
To my mind there is nothing inherent about, for instance, the phrase "Man and Wife" that gives it a special ring. Instead it is the ingrained convention of the firstness of men that makes the phrase sound "right."
I am not saying the author is wrong about split infinitives, but the example, "if it sounds good use it," isn't a very good one.
"To boldly go" was used in Star Trek because it sounds better than "to go boldly". Familiarity may have increased that effect, but it certainly didn't create it.
It is likely that "to boldly go" has a "ring to it" because the author has watched hundreds of episodes of Star Trek where the infinitive is split.
To my mind there is nothing inherent about, for instance, the phrase "Man and Wife" that gives it a special ring. Instead it is the ingrained convention of the firstness of men that makes the phrase sound "right."
I am not saying the author is wrong about split infinitives, but the example, "if it sounds good use it," isn't a very good one.