Split Infinitives   (and other nasty habits)    

How many times have you seen and heard discussion and condemnation of the use of the 'split infinitive'? but been too shy to ask what the hell it means? Be afraid no more! dazzle your friends and workmates with your erudition by explaining it to them!

First we need to look at a little bit of English grammar, avoid panic! only a little bit.

A VERB is the name for that part of speech that describes an action. To go, to eat, to see, to jump. to be. and many others.

An INFINITIVE is the description that is used when the verb form is unspecified, that is it dos not say who or what is doing the jumping, just that there is some jumping going on! (just to make it confusing, there isn't a finitive verb!)

An ADVERB is a word that modifies the verb. It changes the way in which we 'do' the verbs action . Quickly, as in 'to go quickly'. fast as in ' to run fast',  boldly as in 'to go boldly' like the crew of the Starship Enterprise.

When they say 'To boldly go where no man has gone before'  they are taking the split infinitive with them!

To be traditionally correct they should say 'To go boldly where no man has gone before'

When one splits the infinitive, one puts the adverb in the 'incorrect' place, that is , between the  'to' and the verb 'go'

Sometime it makes no difference to the sentence, as in 'to go boldly, and 'to boldly go'

Other times we would not split the infinitive because it would fall awkwardly on the ears as in To eat fast' and 'to fast eat'

Many philologists now agree that the rule is outdated and can be ignored with impunity but how much more fun to pull all our friends and colleagues up short at their inadvertent use of the 'Split Infinitive'? and what better way to win friends and influence people?

As a foot note I should say that this is only a small comment on the subject.. H.W.Fowler in his book 'Modern English Usage' dedicates 750 column centimeters on the matter, almost 2000 words.

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Last modified: August 23, 1993