Split Infinitive - Or Not? 1

[MeGustaXL]

The board will monitor closely any arisings....

The Board will closely monitor any arisings...

Any arisings will be monitored closely by the board...




My brain hurts...


Chris

Why are there 5 syllables in the word "monosyllabic"? - Stephen Wright

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[sleipnir214]

Your third example is in passive voice. I generally recommend against passive voice.

However, neither of the first two are split infinitives because neither contains the infinitive form of the verb. The infinitive form reguires "to": to go, to walk, to play.

One example of the split infinitive is from Star Trek, where Kirk's or Picard's voice describes the mission of the starship Enterprise as, "to boldly go where no [man|one] has gone before". "To boldly go" is a split infinitive.



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[MeGustaXL]

Thanks sleipnir214! I thought they weren't.

However, the original form was this:

"It is the responsibility of the Board to monitor closely any arisings..."

How about that?

Chris

Why are there 5 syllables in the word "monosyllabic"? - Stephen Wright

http://www.insys-ltd.co.uk

 

[columb]

And what's wrong with the split infinitive? Why should <i>English</i> grammar be forced to behave as if it were <i>Latin</i>?


Can you imagine the Star Trek intro as either 'boldly to go' or 'to go boldly'.

I hope I'm not starting some form of flame war here, but the split infinitive must be the most discredited grammatical rule of all. It was based on a linguistic fallacy - you can't split the infinitive in Latin, therefore you can't in English. I, for one,. will continue to boldly split infinitives as and when I wish.


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Columb Healy

 

[CajunCenturion]

I think it's okay to judicioulsy use split infinitives.

However, I'm still trying to find the split infinitive in the original post. I do, however, see a split verb phrase, and generally, the adverb should come behind the verb.

I prefer 'monitor closely'.

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[MeGustaXL]

I agree with all of you re. it being OK to make judicious use of S.I's. Quite often it makes the meaning clearer than the more awkward sounding non-SI version!

CC, there aren't any S.I's in the Top post; that was the reason for my question "Split Infinitive Or Not?".
I thought not; A.N Other said there was; argument; I win!

What about the other wording, about the 'responsibility of the Board..' Is that a S.I? Does it matter?



Chris

Why are there 5 syllables in the word "monosyllabic"? - Stephen Wright

http://www.insys-ltd.co.uk

 

[SantaMufasa]

What about the other wording, about the 'responsibility of the Board..' Is that a S.I? Does it matter?

The infinitive form reguires "to": to go, to walk, to play.

Mufasa
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[sleipnir214]

The phrase "It is the responsibility of the Board to monitor closely any arisings" does contain an infinitive, specifically, "to monitor". However, to contain a split infinitive, the phrase would have to read "It is the responsibility of the Board [red]to closely monitor[/red] any arisings"







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[SQLSister]

Responsibility of the Board" is not a split infinitive but it could be written as "the Board's responsiblity."

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[SilentAiche]

I thought a "split" infinitive was one that had left. Right?

Tim

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[traingamer]

Yes, I can imagine the Star Trek opening as

To go boldly...

Split infinitives are gradually being accepted by the 'powers that be'.

Greg
"Personally, I am always ready to learn, although I do not always like being taught." - Winston Churchill

 

[SantaMufasa]

Do you mean the "illiteruts that be?"

Mufasa
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[rosieb]

I rather like Fowler's comment:

"The English-speaking world may be divided into those who neither know nor care what a split infinitive is, those who don't know, but care very much, those who know and approve, those who know and condemn, and those who know and distinguish."

ref:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fowler's_Modern_English_Usage

Rosie
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[columb]

Nice quote, Rosie. The Wikipedia article on the split infinitive is also worth a look. It gives a calm and reasoned look at both sides of the argument.

Mufasa, you're on dangerous ground accusing those who split infinitives of being illiterate. The Wikipedia article I linked to gives an example where a split infinitive is the only meaningful answer without a rewrite.

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Columb Healy

 

[MeGustaXL]

In view of the foregoing, I claim my right To totally not care about split, or indeed any other kind of infinitives wherever, however, and by whomever they may be perpetrated. Aaay-Hemm!

Chris

Why are there 5 syllables in the word "monosyllabic"? - Stephen Wright

http://www.insys-ltd.co.uk

 

[columb]

traingamer
This passage from the alt-usage-english-org FAQ might be of interest.

The most frequently cited split infinitive is from the opening
voice-over of Star Trek: "to boldly go where no man has gone
before". (Star Trek: The Next Generation had "one" in place of
"man".) Here, "boldly" modifies the entire verb phrase: the
meaning is "to have the boldness that the unprecedentedness of the
destinations requires". If "boldly" were placed after "go", it
would modify only "go", changing the meaning to "to go where no
man has gone before, and by the way, to go there boldly".

Ceci n'est pas une signature
Columb Healy

 

[CajunCenturion]

I'm sorry, but I don't buy that passage from AUE.

==> If "boldly" were placed after "go", it would modify only "go", changing the meaning to "to go where no man has gone before, and by the way, to go there boldly".
How is that any different than:
"to go where no man has gone before, and by the way, to go there with the boldness that the unprecedentedness of the
destinations requires"

Whether or not you say "to boldly go", or "to go boldly", the adverb 'boldly' is modifying the verb 'to go'; it describes how you should go. It has no effect on 'where' you're going.

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[Lunatic]

Can we just blame this, as well as so many other things, on that notalentassclown William Shatner and go forward?

 

[Stella740pl]

A word on split infinitives:
as it usually happens, we already have a thread or a few that at least touch the topic in question. I don't recall a thread devoted to split infinitives entirely, though. But here, in the thread1256-1069471, in the last post, I posted a few links on the subject matter. Here they are again:

http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~susan/cyc/s/split.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split_infinitive

http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxspliti.html

Also, obligatorily split infinitive, anyone? Then look here:

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/002180.html

 

[KenCunningham]

Obligatorily? Interesting. Wouldn't obligatory have done just as well?

I don't mind people who aren't what they seem. I just wish they'd make their mind up.

Alan Bennett.