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Sorry if this is old news, but infinitives are to really split

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EstimatedProphet Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-04-04 11:38 AM
Original message
Sorry if this is old news, but infinitives are to really split
As evidenced by the title...
From Merriam-Webster online:
One entry found for split infinitive.


Main Entry: split infinitive
Function: noun
: an infinitive with to having a modifier between the to and the verbal (as in "to really start")
usage The split infinitive was discovered and named in the 19th century. 19th century writers seem to have made greater use of this construction than earlier writers; the frequency of occurrence attracted the disapproving attention of grammarians, many of whom thought it to be a modern corruption. The construction had in fact been in occasional use since the 14th century; only its frequency had changed. Even though there has never been a rational basis for objecting to the split infinitive, the subject has become a fixture of folk belief about grammar. You can hardly publish a sentence containing one without hearing about it from somebody. Modern commentators know the split infinitive is not a vice, but they are loath to drop such a popular subject. They usually say it's all right to split an infinitive in the interest of clarity. Since clarity is the usual reason for splitting, this advice means merely that you can split them whenever you need to.
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Wwagsthedog Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-04-04 12:09 PM
Response to Original message
1. To additionally provide more info
Split infinitives:
Split infinitives occur when additional words are included between to and the verb in an infinitive. Many readers find a single adverb splitting the infinitive to be acceptable, but this practice should be avoided in formal writing.
Examples:

I like to on a nice day walk in the woods. * (unacceptable)
On a nice day, I like to walk in the woods. (revised)
I needed to quickly gather my personal possessions. (acceptable in informal contexts)
I needed to gather my personal possessions quickly. (revised for formal contexts)

http://web.ask.com/redir?bpg=http%3a%2f%2fweb.ask.com%2fweb%3fq%3dinfinitive%26o%3d8001%26page%3d1&q=infinitive&u=http%3a%2f%2ftm.wc.ask.com%2fr%3ft%3dan%26s%3da%26uid%3d242aad6ad42aad6ad%26sid%3d342aad6ad42aad6ad%26qid%3d33E023B504A77A47A83DFBEF050A103D%26io%3d0%26sv%3dza5cb0d76%26o%3d8001%26ask%3dinfinitive%26uip%3d42aad6ad%26en%3dte%26eo%3d-100%26pt%3dVerbals%253a%2bGerunds%252c%2bParticiples%252c%2band%2bInfinitives%26ac%3d24%26qs%3d0%26pg%3d1%26ep%3d1%26te_par%3d103%26te_id%3d%26u%3dhttp%3a%2f%2fowl.english.purdue.edu%2fhandouts%2fgrammar%2fg_verbals.html&s=a&bu=http%3a%2f%2fowl.english.purdue.edu%2fhandouts%2fgrammar%2fg_verbals.html&qte=0&o=8001
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tishaLA Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Fri Jun-04-04 12:46 PM
Response to Reply #1
2. Split infinitives and dangling prepositions....
two errors up with which I will not put.
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