{"id":7760,"date":"2015-03-20T10:18:54","date_gmt":"2015-03-20T09:18:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.com\/?p=7760"},"modified":"2023-07-23T15:31:00","modified_gmt":"2023-07-23T13:31:00","slug":"myth-its-an-error-to-split-infinitives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.com\/academic-writing\/myth-its-an-error-to-split-infinitives\/","title":{"rendered":"Myth: It\u2019s an error to split infinitives"},"content":{"rendered":"

An infinitive is one uninflected form of a verb<\/a>, and it\u2019s easy to spot. To go, to say, to wonder, to ride, to share<\/em>\u2014these are all examples of infinitives, and you will recognize plenty of them in your own writing, no doubt. Usually (though not always), and infinitive verb is preceded by \u201cto.\u201d<\/p>\n

To split an infinitive is to put a word or words between \u201cto\u201d and the verb in order to modify that verb. Again, the myth of this error comes to us as dogmatic prescriptive advice<\/a>, gaining a foothold in mid-nineteenth century England\u2019s insistence that English should emulate Latin (in Latin, infinitives are a single word and cannot be split).<\/p>\n

Example of split infinitive:<\/h2>\n

\u201cTo boldly go where no one has gone before\u201d<\/p>\n

In this case, \u201cboldly\u201d (an adverb<\/a>) modifies \u201cto go\u201d (an infinitive). This excerpt from the speech that opens Star Trek: The Next Generation<\/em> splits the infinitive to get the right rhythm; neither \u201cboldly to go\u201d nor \u201cto go boldly\u201d feel quite as emphatic or, well\u2026 \u201cbold,\u201d do they?<\/p>\n

But there are far better reasons to split infinitives than for rhetorical effect. Sometimes the split infinitive presents the clearest phrasing. Consider a sentence without a split infinitive: \u201cShe needed to assist further efforts<\/strong> in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do we mean that she will give more assistance or that she will assist later efforts? Let\u2019s rephrase, still avoiding the split infinitive: \u201cShe needed<\/strong> further to assist <\/strong>efforts in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

The ambiguity is not lessened here. Do we mean that she now has greater need to assist or that she has the need to give more assistance?<\/p>\n

If we mean that she needs to give more assistance, it\u2019s clearest to split the infinitive with \u201cfurther\u201d: \u201cShe needed to further assist efforts in the area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other examples show different circumstances in which the split infinitive is preferable, and you can easily search these out. In some cases the split will be nearly unavoidable (e.g. \u201cHe understood her wish to more than pass by that island paradise\u201d).<\/p>\n

I should stress that the split infinitive is not always a good stylistic choice<\/strong>, and as with every decision you make in your writing, you should be deliberate in your decision to split infinitives. Sometimes, though, it is the best or only choice you can make, so the longstanding ban on split infinitives can be safely ignored.<\/p>\n

This article is part of\u00a0Writing myths: The reasons we get bad advice<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This discussion of split infinitives owes much to Amy Einsohn\u2019s book, The Copy Editor\u2019s Handbook, specifically her discussion of both split infinitives and Theodore Bernstein\u2019s take on them in his own book, The Careful Writer.<\/sub><\/p>\n

Other interesting articles<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you want to know more about AI for academic writing, AI tools, or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!<\/p>\n

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<\/em>Fallacies<\/strong><\/p>\n