What is split an infinitive?
An infinitive is a verb preceded by the word to: (to write, to examine, to take, to cooperate). When an adverb appears between to and the verb itself, we get a split infinitive.
How do you know if an infinitive is split?
To split an infinitive is to put a word or words between the infinitive marker—the word to—and the root verb that follows it. A common example is the Star Trek phrase “to boldly go.” Here, the infinitive to go is split by the adverb boldly.
What is split infinitive answer?
A split infinitive means that there is a word or words between the word “to” and the verb in the base (infinitive) form of the verb. The words that split infinitives most often are adverbs.
Why do we split infinitives?
Infinitives are the verb form that is preceded by “to.” To split an infinitive is considered a grammatical crime in many circles. Nonetheless, there is often no good reason not to split infinitives, and in some cases it can improve clarity, avoid weak language, or prevent writing from sounding overly formal.
Are split infinitives grammatically incorrect?
Split infinitives are common in spoken and informal English. It wasn’t until the 1800s that the act of splitting infinitives began to be considered grammatically incorrect. Nevertheless, in formal writing, it’s best to avoid splitting infinitives.
Is to better understand a split infinitive?
A split infinitive (“to better understand,” “to always disagree”) occurs when an adverb or adverbial construction is placed between to and a verb.
How do you get rid of an infinitive?
A split infinitive occurs when other words come between the two parts of the infinitive. Though some writing teachers argue they are often not a big deal, they can seem informal and cause confusion. To fix a split infinitive, rearrange the sentence so that no words come between the two parts of the infinitive.
When should you avoid splitting an infinitive?
It wasn’t until the 1800s that the act of splitting infinitives began to be considered grammatically incorrect. Nevertheless, in formal writing, it’s best to avoid splitting infinitives. To do this, try to place adverbs either before or after the phrases they modify whenever possible.
What are examples of split infinitives?
An infinitive consists of the word to and the simple form of a verb (e.g. to go and to read). “To suddenly go” and “to quickly read” are examples of split infinitives because the adverbs (suddenly and quickly) split (or break up) the infinitives to go and to read.
What is a gerund phrase?
A gerund phrase is a group of words consisting of a gerund and the modifier(s) and/or (pro)noun(s) or noun phrase(s) that function as the direct object(s), indirect object(s), or complement(s) of the action or state expressed in the gerund, such as: The gerund phrase functions as the subject of the sentence.
What is a split infinitive rule?
“ An infinitive is the basic form of a verb, like “to be” or “to run.” A split infinitive happens when extra words appear between “to” and the bare infinitive of the verb. “Never split infinitives ” is a baseless rule.
Can you split an infinitive?
Yes, it’s okay to occasionally split an infinitive! But if you can be graceful, it’s better not to split it. “It’s okay to split an infinitive occasionally” would pose a lower risk of annoying your readers than the first sentence above, which, as you may have noticed, contains a split infinitive.
What are infinitives examples?
Examples of infinitives include to read, to run, to jump, to play, to sing, to laugh, to cry, to eat, and to go. Remember that although infinitives are verbs, they do not function as verbs, instead they are used as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs.
What are infinitive phrases?
Definition. In English grammar, an infinitive phrase is a verbal construction made up of the particle to and the base form of a verb, with or without modifiers, complements, and objects. Also called an infinitival phrase and a to-infinitive phrase. An infinitive phrase can function as a noun, an adjective, or an adverb,…