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MineralMan

(148,865 posts) Mon Feb 26, 2018, 11:44 AM Feb 2018

This Just In - It's OK to Boldly Split Infinitives. [View all]

It's actually always been OK. Some weird grammarians have tried to make that a rule since the 1800s. They've never succeeded, and that rule only worked to seriously confuse readers and obfuscate meaning.

Who says? The Oxford English Dictionary for one:

https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/grammar/split-infinitives

I say so, too, and I am the official DU Grammar Nazi, I'm told.

36 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

This Just In - It's OK to Boldly Split Infinitives. [View all] MineralMan Feb 2018 OP

As Long As You Don't Dangle A Participle JimGinPA Feb 2018 #1

In all fairness at a certain age that is hard to avoid. Kirk Lover Feb 2018 #2

Or end a sentence with a preposition. MineralMan Feb 2018 #7

Bastard! ThoughtCriminal Feb 2018 #33

Oh, thank heavens. I really have worried about that. Arkansas Granny Feb 2018 #3

What's an infinitive? Sounds like elitest talk. Kaleva Feb 2018 #4

Most people have no idea, either. dalton99a Feb 2018 #6

It's the "to form" of a verb TlalocW Feb 2018 #18

infinitives must hang together, or they are sure to separately hang. unblock Feb 2018 #5

All human endeavors have a political aspect. MineralMan Feb 2018 #9

Ugh Beakybird Feb 2018 #8

Well, using split infinitives in an essay for an English class MineralMan Feb 2018 #10

To knowingly tell others how to write is one wasupaloopa Feb 2018 #11

I believe that rule about infinitives came about PoindexterOglethorpe Feb 2018 #12

Yes, I think that's true. MineralMan Feb 2018 #13

You're old enough that you might have been taught PoindexterOglethorpe Feb 2018 #14

Oh, yes. We got plenty of grammar instruction. MineralMan Feb 2018 #16

Actually, we have a very stripped down grammar. PoindexterOglethorpe Feb 2018 #24

Russian is a highly inflected language, with MineralMan Feb 2018 #25

Mostly very regular. PoindexterOglethorpe Feb 2018 #35

Sorry. While I understand that it's not really a rule The Velveteen Ocelot Feb 2018 #15

Well, it's OK not to split infinitives, too. MineralMan Feb 2018 #17

And maybe remove ambiguity. Other languages that have a separate infinitive The Velveteen Ocelot Feb 2018 #19

The copy editor at one of the magazines I wrote for scolded MineralMan Feb 2018 #20

I'm sorry, but just imagine the Prologue to Shakespeare's Henry V: Glorfindel Feb 2018 #31

He wrote it as he wrote it. MineralMan Feb 2018 #32

I'm going to split your fucking infinitive!!! NCTraveler Feb 2018 #21

If not for Yoda, having such a conversation, we wouldn't be. nt Buns_of_Fire Feb 2018 #22

Thank god! Danascot Feb 2018 #23

Not to me, it isn't. Split infinitives just sound WRONG. Glorfindel Feb 2018 #26

There really aren't any rules in writing any more. gvstn Feb 2018 #27

In the end, grammar, spelling and punctuation rules MineralMan Feb 2018 #28

I understand. gvstn Feb 2018 #30

I love the book "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" womanofthehills Feb 2018 #34

Fine. But they'll have to pry the Oxford Comma out of my cold, dead, and blue hands. cabot Feb 2018 #29

So your going to ostentatiously tell I me grammer is bad? ProudLib72 Feb 2018 #36