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A split infinitive is a grammatical construction in which an adverb or adverbial phrase separates the "to" and "infinitive" constituents of what was traditionally called the "full infinitive", but is more commonly known in modern linguistics as the to-infinitive (e.g., to go). In the history of English language aesthetics, the split infinitive ...
Infinitive. Infinitive (abbreviated INF) is a linguistics term for certain verb forms existing in many languages, most often used as non-finite verbs. As with many linguistic concepts, there is not a single definition applicable to all languages. The name is derived from Late Latin [modus] infinitivus, a derivative of infinitus meaning "unlimited".
The split infinitive "to boldly go" has also been the subject of jokes regarding its grammatical correctness. British humorist and science-fiction author Douglas Adams describes, in his series The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy , the long-lost heroic age of the Galactic Empire, when bold adventurers dared "to boldly split infinitives that no ...
Apocopic infinitive, where no vowel is added to the infinitive form, e.g., å vær, å bit, common in certain areas of Nordland; Two different endings (eastern dialects) Split infinitive, in which some verbs end with -a while others end with -e; e.g. å væra versus å bite, common in Eastern Norway
[9] Many examples of terminal prepositions occur in classic works of literature, including the plays of Shakespeare. [5] The saying "This is the sort of nonsense up with which I will not put" [10] [5] satirizes the awkwardness that can result from prohibiting sentence-ending prepositions. Misconception: Infinitives must not be split.
So this sentence is not meant to be a split infinitive - it is, rather, an example of a finite verb being split by an adverbial, which is very common in English. The theory is that this then was transferred to the infinitive proper, producing a split infinitive. To make sense, the argument has got to start from an example which is finite.
1 why it is generally not acceptable to 'split' an infinitive with 'not' 2 falsity. 3 Problems. 4 comments. 4 Prescription vs. description. 5 biased "non split" POV ...
Split infinitives are still frowned upon in common English usage. Almost all of the examples cited in this article would actually sound better, in common usage terms, without the infinitives being split. As the article shows, split infinitives originated in Britain, and the first known objection to them was in America.