Time travel always seemed to me a silly idea — at least as it’s portrayed in movies and on TV. Sure, it’s fun to ponder whether a guy can be his own grandpa. But time-travel movies always fall apart ...

It is a development sure to deeply disconcert those who consider themselves sticklers for English grammar. But Captain Kirk might well be delighted. Because split infinitives – where an adverb is put ...

If you want to help another person — say, your employee — with his writing, there are several approaches you could take. You might look at the big picture: How well are the ideas organized and ...

Salley Vickers, Angelica Goodden, John Doherty, Eddy York and Barbara Benedict weigh in on an eternal linguistic debate Re David Roberts’ letter deploring your use of a split infinitive (29 June); ...

For those who boldly violate the Prime Directive by trying to enrich the general public’s understanding of English grammar and thus change the planetary culture, each tiny triumph is something to ...

We can all probably recite at least part of Star Trek's iconic mission statement, as dictated by William Shatner in the series' opening credits. Every week, fans were told that the Enterprise's ...

TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. About the Archive This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online ...