What Are Zombie Rules and Why You Should Know Them?

A Zombie Rule is a rule that was once widely taught and accepted as correct but has since been debunked or discredited by linguists and language experts.

Once, I had a client who sent a 14-page list of “mistakes” I had made while editing their manuscript. Once I went through the list, I quickly realized the “mistakes” were zombie rules that the writer has been taught in school many years ago. After explaining this and painstakingly going through every item in the list and stating the current rule or standard, my client apologized.

What’s the point of this story? I spent several hours going through every list item, finding it in the text, and double-checking the exact wording of the rule to make sure it was correct. My client, too, had likely spent a significant amount of time creating the list in the first place. Both of us could have spent this time writing, editing, or doing something productive to achieve our respective goals. The lesson here is clear-let's not waste our valuable time on zombie rules.

So let’s dig into these rules to make sure we are not zombies blindly caring on irrelevant information. Let’s empower ourselves with the knowledge of what's current and relevant in our language usage.

Split Infinitives

This rule states that you should never split an infinitive (e.g., "to boldly go"). However, splitting infinitives is both grammatically correct and often necessary for clarity or emphasis.

Ending sentences with prepositions

Traditionally, it was believed incorrect to end a sentence with a preposition (e.g., "What are you talking about?"). However, this rule is based on a misunderstanding of English grammar, and it's perfectly acceptable to end sentences with prepositions in modern usage.

Not starting a sentence with a conjunction

Some people were taught that starting a sentence with words like "and" or "but" is grammatically incorrect. However, this rule is more of a stylistic preference than a grammatical necessity, and starting sentences with conjunctions can add variety and emphasis to writing.

Avoiding sentence fragments

In formal writing, it's often taught that all sentences must have a subject and a verb and must be complete. However, sentence fragments can be used effectively for emphasis or stylistic purposes, especially in creative writing or informal contexts.

Never use the passive voice

Some prescriptive grammar guides advise against using the passive voice (e.g., "The cake was eaten by the dog.") and suggest rewriting sentences in the active voice whenever possible. While the active voice is generally preferred for clarity and directness, there are situations where the passive voice is more appropriate or necessary. Therefore, it's not a strict rule to always avoid the passive voice.

Despite being declared incorrect, these rules may persist in popular usage or be mistakenly taught in some educational settings. The term "zombie rule" highlights the idea that these outdated rules continue to "haunt" discussions about grammar even after being debunked.