The rule forbidding this is still in place, but it is not absolute. For example, in the sentence I have to quickly do this, it is preferable to say I have to do this quickly. On the other hand, there are times when a sentence will sound better and its meaning will be clearer if the infinitive is split. Here is an example: It is important to really like your job when the pay is so little. In this case the word really does not fit well anywhere else. People tie themselves in knots trying to conform to the convention, when sometimes it is asking to be broken.

“NEVER PUT A COMMA BEFORE AND.”
Writing about this means opening a can of worms. People feel very strongly for or against this dictum. Those who use this rule say the comma is a replacement for and, and that therefore it is unnecessary to use it when you have an and. And it is true that you can clutter up your text with too many commas.

However, I suggest (and I am in very good company) that a few extra commas can clarify what you are writing. Take this example: The dessert menu lists cheesecake, chocolate mousse, rhubarb pie and ice-cream. If you were to put these items into a vertical list, would it look like this:

cheesecake
chocolate mousse
rhubarb pie and
ice-cream

or like this:

cheesecake
chocolate mousse
rhubarb pie and ice-cream

In other words, are we being offered three desserts or four?

Skimming books by Margaret Atwood, Alice Munro, Michael Ondaatje and Wallace Stegner, I found many commas before and in each one, usually on the first page I looked at. Whichever choice you make for your commas, someone will probably disagree with you.

Here is an example of the importance the comma may have: Woman without her man is nothing. What if you were to write it thus: Woman, without her man is nothing? The meaning changes completely.

As a plain-language writer, I may overuse punctuation marks occasionally, but it minimizes the likelihood of misunderstanding. Also the extra commas demonstrate pauses that are useful “breathing spaces” for people who need to read slowly.

“A PARAGRAPH MUST ALWAYS HAVE MORE THAN ONE SENTENCE.”
Why?