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Split infinitive - Wikipedia

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of origins</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Theories_of_origins-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Analogy" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Analogy"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.3.1</span> <span>Analogy</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Analogy-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Transformational_grammar" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-3"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Transformational_grammar"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.3.2</span> <span>Transformational grammar</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Transformational_grammar-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Types" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Types"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">1.4</span> <span>Types</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Types-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-History_of_the_term" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#History_of_the_term"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>History of the term</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-History_of_the_term-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-History_of_the_controversy" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#History_of_the_controversy"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>History of the controversy</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-History_of_the_controversy-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Principal_objections_to_the_split_infinitive" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Principal_objections_to_the_split_infinitive"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Principal objections to the split infinitive</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-Principal_objections_to_the_split_infinitive-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle Principal objections to the split infinitive subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-Principal_objections_to_the_split_infinitive-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-The_descriptivist_objection" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_descriptivist_objection"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.1</span> <span>The descriptivist objection</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_descriptivist_objection-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-The_argument_from_the_full_infinitive" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_argument_from_the_full_infinitive"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.2</span> <span>The argument from the full infinitive</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_argument_from_the_full_infinitive-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-The_argument_from_classical_languages" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#The_argument_from_classical_languages"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4.3</span> <span>The argument from classical languages</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-The_argument_from_classical_languages-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Current_views" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Current_views"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Current views</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Current_views-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Avoiding_split_infinitives" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Avoiding_split_infinitives"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Avoiding split infinitives</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Avoiding_split_infinitives-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-See_also" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#See_also"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>See also</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-See_also-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>Notes</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Notes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">9</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Further_reading" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Further_reading"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">10</span> <span>Further reading</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Further_reading-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">11</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox " aria-label="Toggle the table of contents" > <label id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-label" for="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet 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//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Sound-icon.svg/40px-Sound-icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="96" /></a></span></div></div> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">English grammatical construction</div> <p>A <b>split infinitive</b> is a <a href="/wiki/Grammatical_construction" title="Grammatical construction">grammatical construction</a> in which an <a href="/wiki/Adverb" title="Adverb">adverb</a> or <a href="/wiki/Adverbial_phrase" title="Adverbial phrase">adverbial phrase</a> separates the "to" and "<a href="/wiki/Infinitive" title="Infinitive">infinitive</a>" <a href="/wiki/Constituent_(linguistics)" title="Constituent (linguistics)">constituents</a> of what was traditionally called the "full infinitive", but is more commonly known in modern <a href="/wiki/Linguistics" title="Linguistics">linguistics</a> as the to-infinitive (e.g., <i>to go</i>). In the history of English language aesthetics, the split infinitive was often deprecated, despite its prevalence in <a href="/wiki/Colloquialism" title="Colloquialism">colloquial speech</a>. The <a href="/wiki/Title_sequence" title="Title sequence">opening sequence</a> of the <i><a href="/wiki/Star_Trek" title="Star Trek">Star Trek</a></i> television series contains a well-known example, "<a href="/wiki/Where_no_man_has_gone_before" title="Where no man has gone before"><b>to <i>boldly</i> go</b> where no man has gone before</a>", wherein the adverb <i>boldly</i> was said to split the full infinitive, <i>to go</i>. Multiple words may split a to-infinitive, such as: "The population is expected <b>to <i>more than</i> double</b> in the next ten years." </p><p>In the 19th century, some <a href="/wiki/Linguistic_prescriptivists" class="mw-redirect" title="Linguistic prescriptivists">linguistic prescriptivists</a> sought to disallow the split infinitive, and the resulting conflict had considerable cultural importance. The construction still renders disagreement, but modern English usage guides have largely dropped the objection to it.<sup id="cite_ref-Walsh112_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Walsh112-1"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p><p>The <i>split infinitive</i> terminology is not widely used in modern linguistics. Some linguists question whether a to-infinitive phrase can meaningfully be called a "full infinitive" and, consequently, whether an infinitive can be "split" at all. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc" /> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History_of_the_construction">History of the construction</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=1" title="Edit section: History of the construction"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Old_and_Middle_English">Old and Middle English</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=2" title="Edit section: Old and Middle English"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In <a href="/wiki/Old_English" title="Old English">Old English</a>, infinitives were single words ending in <i>-n</i> or <i>-an</i> (comparable to modern <a href="/wiki/Dutch_language" title="Dutch language">Dutch</a> and <a href="/wiki/German_language" title="German language">German</a> <i>-n</i>, <i>-en</i>). <a href="/wiki/Gerund" title="Gerund">Gerunds</a> were formed using <i>to</i> followed by a verbal noun in the <a href="/wiki/Dative_case" title="Dative case">dative case</a>, which ended in <i>-anne</i> or <i>-enne</i> (e.g., <i>tō cumenne</i> = "coming, to come").<sup id="cite_ref-Bryant_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Bryant-2"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> In <a href="/wiki/Middle_English" title="Middle English">Middle English</a>, the bare infinitive and the gerund coalesced into the same form ending in <i>-(e)n</i> (e.g., <i>comen</i> "come"; <i>to comen</i> "to come"). The "to" infinitive was not split in Old or Early Middle English. </p><p>The first known example of a split infinitive in English, in which a pronoun rather than an adverb splits the infinitive, is in <a href="/wiki/Layamon" title="Layamon">Layamon</a>'s <i><a href="/wiki/Brut_(Layamon)" class="mw-redirect" title="Brut (Layamon)">Brut</a></i> (early 13th century): </p> <dl><dd><i>and he cleopede him to; alle his wise cnihtes.</i></dd> <dd><i><b>for to him reade</b></i>;<sup id="cite_ref-Brook1963_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Brook1963-3"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Nagle_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Nagle-4"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> <dl><dd>And he called to him all his wise knights / to him advise.</dd></dl></dd></dl> <p>This may be a poetic inversion for the sake of meter, and therefore says little about whether Layamon would have felt the construction to be syntactically natural. However, no such reservation applies to the following prose example from <a href="/wiki/John_Wycliffe" title="John Wycliffe">John Wycliffe</a> (14th century), who often split infinitives:<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <dl><dd><i>For this was gret unkyndenesse, <b>to this manere treten</b> there brother.</i><sup id="cite_ref-Hall1882_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Hall1882-6"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> <dl><dd>For this was great unkindness, to in this manner treat their brother.</dd></dl></dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Modern_English">Modern English</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=3" title="Edit section: Modern English"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>After its rise in <a href="/wiki/Middle_English" title="Middle English">Middle English</a>, the construction became rare in the 15th and 16th centuries.<sup id="cite_ref-Nagle_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Nagle-4"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/William_Shakespeare" title="William Shakespeare">William Shakespeare</a> used it at least once.<sup id="cite_ref-Vizetelly1915_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Vizetelly1915-7"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> The uncontroversial example appears to be a syntactical inversion for the sake of meter:<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <dl><dd><i>Root pity in thy heart, that when it grows</i></dd> <dd><i>Thy pity may deserve <b>to pitied be</b></i> (<a href="/wiki/Sonnet_142" title="Sonnet 142">Sonnet 142</a>).</dd></dl> <p><a href="/wiki/Edmund_Spenser" title="Edmund Spenser">Edmund Spenser</a>, <a href="/wiki/John_Dryden" title="John Dryden">John Dryden</a>, <a href="/wiki/Alexander_Pope" title="Alexander Pope">Alexander Pope</a>, and the <a href="/wiki/King_James_Version_of_the_Bible" class="mw-redirect" title="King James Version of the Bible">King James Version of the Bible</a> used none, and they are very rare in the writing of <a href="/wiki/Samuel_Johnson" title="Samuel Johnson">Samuel Johnson</a>. <a href="/wiki/John_Donne" title="John Donne">John Donne</a> used them several times, though, and <a href="/wiki/Samuel_Pepys" title="Samuel Pepys">Samuel Pepys</a> also used at least one.<sup id="cite_ref-AHBEU_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-AHBEU-10"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Hall_11-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Hall-11"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>11<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> No reason for the near disappearance of the split infinitive is known; in particular, no prohibition is recorded.<sup id="cite_ref-Nagle_4-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Nagle-4"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p><p>Split infinitives reappeared in the 18th century and became more common in the 19th.<sup id="cite_ref-MWDEU_12-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MWDEU-12"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Daniel_Defoe" title="Daniel Defoe">Daniel Defoe</a>, <a href="/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin" title="Benjamin Franklin">Benjamin Franklin</a>, <a href="/wiki/William_Wordsworth" title="William Wordsworth">William Wordsworth</a>, <a href="/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln" title="Abraham Lincoln">Abraham Lincoln</a>, <a href="/wiki/George_Eliot" title="George Eliot">George Eliot</a>, <a href="/wiki/Henry_James" title="Henry James">Henry James</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Willa_Cather" title="Willa Cather">Willa Cather</a> are among the writers who used them. Examples in the poems of <a href="/wiki/Robert_Burns" title="Robert Burns">Robert Burns</a> attest its presence also in 18th-century Scots: </p> <dl><dd><i>Who dared <b>to nobly stem</b> tyrannic pride.</i> ("The Cottar's Saturday Night")</dd></dl> <p>In colloquial speech, the construction came to enjoy widespread use. Today, according to the <i>American Heritage Book of English Usage</i>, "people split infinitives all the time without giving it a thought."<sup id="cite_ref-AHBEU_10-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-AHBEU-10"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> In corpora of contemporary spoken English, some adverbs such as <i>always</i> and <i>completely</i> appear more often in the split position than the unsplit.<sup id="cite_ref-EvG_13-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-EvG-13"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Theories_of_origins">Theories of origins</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=4" title="Edit section: Theories of origins"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Although it is difficult to say why the construction developed in Middle English, or why it revived so powerfully in Modern English, a number of theories have been postulated. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Analogy">Analogy</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=5" title="Edit section: Analogy"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Traditional grammarians have suggested that the construction appeared because people frequently place adverbs before finite verbs. <a href="/wiki/George_Oliver_Curme" title="George Oliver Curme">George Curme</a> writes: "If the adverb should immediately precede the finite verb, we feel that it should immediately precede also the infinitive…"<sup id="cite_ref-Curme1927_14-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Curme1927-14"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>14<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> Thus, if one says: </p> <dl><dd><i>She gradually <b>got</b> rid of her stutter.</i> and</dd> <dd><i>She <b>will</b> gradually <b>get</b> rid of her stutter.</i></dd></dl> <p>one may, by analogy, wish to say: </p> <dl><dd><i>She</i> wants <i><b>to</b> gradually <b>get</b> rid of her stutter.</i></dd></dl> <p>This is supported by the fact that split infinitives are often used as echoes, as in the following exchange, in which the riposte parodies the slightly odd collocation in the original sentence: </p> <dl><dd>Child: <i>I accidentally forgot to feed the hamster.</i></dd> <dd>Parent: <i>Well, you'll have to try harder not</i> to "accidentally forget", <i>won't you?</i></dd></dl> <p>This is an example of an adverb being transferred into split infinitive position from a parallel position in a different construction. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading4"><h4 id="Transformational_grammar">Transformational grammar</h4><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=6" title="Edit section: Transformational grammar"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><a href="/wiki/Transformational_grammar" title="Transformational grammar">Transformational grammarians</a> have attributed the construction to a re-analysis of the role of <i>to</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-Nagle_4-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Nagle-4"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Types">Types</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=7" title="Edit section: Types"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>In the modern language, splitting usually involves a single adverb coming between the verb and its marker. Very frequently, this is an emphatic adverb, for example: </p> <dl><dd><i>I need you all <b>to really pull</b> your weight.</i></dd> <dd><i>I'm <b>gonna (=going to) totally pulverise</b> him.</i></dd></dl> <p>Sometimes it is a negation, as in the self-referential joke: </p> <dl><dd><i>Writers should learn <b>to not split</b> infinitives</i>.</dd></dl> <p>However, in modern colloquial English, almost any adverb may be found in this syntactic position, especially when the adverb and the verb form a close syntactic unit (really-pull, not-split). </p><p>Compound split infinitives, i.e., infinitives split by more than one word, usually involve a pair of adverbs or a multi-word adverbial: </p> <dl><dd><i>We are determined <b>to completely and utterly eradicate</b> the disease</i>.</dd> <dd><i>He is thought <b>to almost never have</b> made such a gesture before</i>.</dd> <dd><i>This is a great opportunity <b>to once again communicate</b> our basic message</i>.</dd></dl> <p>Examples of non-adverbial elements participating in the split-infinitive construction seem rarer in Modern English than in Middle English. The pronoun <i>all</i> commonly appears in this position: </p> <dl><dd><i>It was their nature <b>to all hurt</b> one another</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-Burchfield1996_15-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Burchfield1996-15"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>15<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup></dd></dl> <p>and may even be combined with an adverb: </p> <dl><dd><i>I need you <b>to all really pull</b> your weight.</i></dd></dl> <p>However an object pronoun, as in the <a href="#Old_and_Middle_English">Layamon example</a> above, would be unusual in modern English, perhaps because this might cause a listener to misunderstand the <i>to</i> as a preposition: </p> <dl><dd>*<i>And he called to him all his wise knights <b>to him advise</b></i>.</dd></dl> <p>While, structurally, acceptable as poetic formulation, this would result in a <a href="/wiki/Garden_path_sentence" class="mw-redirect" title="Garden path sentence">garden path sentence</a>, particularly evident if the indirect object is omitted: </p> <table class="wikitable" bgcolor="white"> <tbody><tr> <th>Sentence </th> <th>Initial likely partial parse </th> <th>Final parse </th></tr> <tr> <td>*<i>And he called all his wise knights <b>to him advise</b></i>. </td> <td>And he called all his knights to come to him... </td> <td>And he called all his knights, so that they might advise him </td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Other parts of speech would be very unusual in this position. However, in verse, poetic inversion for the sake of meter or of bringing a rhyme word to the end of a line often results in abnormal syntax, as with Shakespeare's split infinitive (<i>to pitied be</i>, cited above), in fact an inverted passive construction in which the infinitive is split by a <a href="/wiki/Past_participle" class="mw-redirect" title="Past participle">past participle</a>. Presumably, this would not have occurred in a prose text by the same author. </p><p>When multiple infinitives are linked by a conjunction, the particle <i>to</i> tends to be used only once at the beginning of the sequence: <i>to eat, drink, and be merry</i>. In this case, the conjunction and any other words that fall between the <i>to</i> and the final infinitive have seldom been deemed to create a split infinitive, and almost always have been considered uncontroversial. Examples include "We pray you <b>to proceed&#160;/ And justly and religiously unfold</b>..." (Shakespeare, <i>Henry V</i>, Act II, scene 9) and "...she is determined <b>to be independent, and not live</b> with aunt Pullet" (<a href="/wiki/George_Eliot" title="George Eliot">George Eliot</a>, <i><a href="/wiki/The_Mill_on_the_Floss" title="The Mill on the Floss">The Mill on the Floss</a></i>, volume VI, chapter I).<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-16"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>16<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History_of_the_term">History of the term</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=8" title="Edit section: History of the term"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>It was not until the very end of the 19th century that terminology emerged to describe the construction. The earliest use of the term <i>split infinitive</i> on record dates from 1890.<sup id="cite_ref-MWnotes_17-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MWnotes-17"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-18"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>18<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> The now rare <i>cleft infinitive</i> is almost as old, attested from 1893;<sup id="cite_ref-19" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-19"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>19<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> in the 1890s it was briefly the more common term but almost disappeared after 1905. "Splitting the infinitive" is slightly older, going back to 1887.<sup id="cite_ref-MWnotes_17-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MWnotes-17"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> According to the main <a href="/wiki/Etymological_dictionary" title="Etymological dictionary">etymological dictionaries</a>, <i>infinitive-splitting</i> and <i>infinitive-splitter</i> followed in 1926 and 1927, respectively. The term <i>compound split infinitive</i>, referring to a split infinitive with more than one word between the particle and the infinitive, is not found in these dictionaries and appears to be very recent. </p><p>This terminology implies analysing the full infinitive as a two-word infinitive, which not all grammarians accept. As one who used "infinitive" to mean the single-word verb, <a href="/wiki/Otto_Jespersen" title="Otto Jespersen">Otto Jespersen</a> challenged the epithet: "'To' is no more an essential part of an infinitive than the definite article is an essential part of a <a href="/wiki/Nominative" class="mw-redirect" title="Nominative">nominative</a>, and no one would think of calling 'the good man' a split nominative."<sup id="cite_ref-Jespersen1956_20-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Jespersen1956-20"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>20<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> However, no alternative terminology has been proposed. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History_of_the_controversy">History of the controversy</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=9" title="Edit section: History of the controversy"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1244412712">.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 32px}.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;margin-top:0}@media(min-width:500px){.mw-parser-output .templatequotecite{padding-left:1.6em}}</style><blockquote class="templatequote"><p>No other grammatical issue has so divided English speakers since the split infinitive was declared to be a <a href="/wiki/Solecism" title="Solecism">solecism</a> in the 19c [19th century]: raise the subject of English usage in any conversation today and it is sure to be mentioned.</p><div class="templatequotecite">—&#8202;<cite><a href="/wiki/Henry_Watson_Fowler" class="mw-redirect" title="Henry Watson Fowler">Henry Watson Fowler</a>, <a href="/wiki/Fowler%27s_Modern_English_Usage" class="mw-redirect" title="Fowler&#39;s Modern English Usage"><i>Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage</i></a><sup id="cite_ref-Fowler547_21-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Fowler547-21"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>21<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup></cite></div></blockquote> <p>Although it is sometimes reported that a prohibition on split infinitives goes back to <a href="/wiki/Renaissance" title="Renaissance">Renaissance</a> times, and frequently the 18th century scholar <a href="/wiki/Robert_Lowth" title="Robert Lowth">Robert Lowth</a> is cited as the originator of the prescriptive rule,<sup id="cite_ref-22" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-22"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>22<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> such a rule is not to be found in Lowth's writing, and is not known to appear in any text before the 19th century.<sup id="cite_ref-BrownOgilvie2010p347_23-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-BrownOgilvie2010p347-23"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Hickey2010p81_24-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Hickey2010p81-24"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>24<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-OstadeWurff2009pp37-38_25-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-OstadeWurff2009pp37-38-25"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p><p>Possibly the earliest comment against split infinitives was by the American John Comly in 1803.<sup id="cite_ref-MWnotes_17-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MWnotes-17"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>17<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <blockquote><p>An adverb should not be placed between the verb of the infinitive mood and the preposition <i>to</i>, which governs it; as <i>Patiently</i> to wait—not To <i>patiently</i> wait.</p></blockquote> <p>Another early prohibition came from an anonymous American in 1834:<sup id="cite_ref-BrownOgilvie2010p347_23-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-BrownOgilvie2010p347-23"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>23<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-OstadeWurff2009pp37-38_25-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-OstadeWurff2009pp37-38-25"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>25<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-Kamm2015_26-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Kamm2015-26"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>26<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <blockquote><p>The practice of separating the prefix of the infinitive mode from the verb, by the intervention of an adverb, is not unfrequent among uneducated persons&#160;… I am not conscious, that any rule has been heretofore given in relation to this point&#160;… The practice, however, of not separating the particle from its verb, is so general and uniform among good authors, and the exceptions are so rare, that the rule which I am about to propose will, I believe, prove to be as accurate as most rules, and may be found beneficial to inexperienced writers. It is this&#160;:—<i>The particle, </i>TO<i>, which comes before the verb in the infinitive mode, must not be separated from it by the intervention of an adverb or any other word or phrase; but the adverb should immediately precede the particle, or immediately follow the verb.</i><sup id="cite_ref-Anon_1834_27-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Anon_1834-27"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <p>In 1840, Richard Taylor also condemned split infinitives as a "disagreeable affectation",<sup id="cite_ref-28" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-28"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>28<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> and in 1859, Solomon Barrett, Jr., called them "a common fault."<sup id="cite_ref-29" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-29"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>29<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> However, the issue seems not to have attracted wider public attention until <a href="/wiki/Henry_Alford_(theologian)" title="Henry Alford (theologian)">Henry Alford</a> addressed it in his <i>Plea for the Queen's English</i> in 1864: </p> <blockquote><p>A correspondent states as his own usage, and defends, the insertion of an adverb between the sign of the infinitive mood and the verb. He gives as an instance, "<i>to scientifically illustrate.</i>" But surely this is a practice entirely unknown to English speakers and writers. It seems to me, that we ever regard the <i>to</i> of the infinitive as inseparable from its verb. And, when we have already a choice between two forms of expression, "scientifically to illustrate" and "to illustrate scientifically," there seems no good reason for flying in the face of common usage.<sup id="cite_ref-Alford_1864_30-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Alford_1864-30"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-31" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-31"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>31<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <p>Others followed, among them Bache, 1869 ("The <i>to</i> of the infinitive mood is inseparable from the verb");<sup id="cite_ref-32" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-32"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>32<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> William B. Hodgson, 1889; and Raub, 1897 ("The sign <i>to</i> must not be separated from the remaining part of the infinitive by an intervening word").<sup id="cite_ref-33" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-33"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>33<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p><p>Even as these authorities were condemning the split infinitive, others were endorsing it: Brown, 1851 (saying some grammarians had criticized it and it was less elegant than other adverb placements but sometimes clearer);<sup id="cite_ref-34" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-34"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>34<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> Hall, 1882; Onions, 1904; Jespersen, 1905; and Fowler and Fowler, 1906. Despite the defence by some grammarians, by the beginning of the 20th century the prohibition was firmly established in the press. In the 1907 edition of <i>The King's English</i>, the <a href="/wiki/Henry_Watson_Fowler" class="mw-redirect" title="Henry Watson Fowler">Fowler</a> brothers wrote: </p> <blockquote><p>The 'split' infinitive has taken such hold upon the consciences of journalists that, instead of warning the novice against splitting his infinitives, we must warn him against the curious superstition that the splitting or not splitting makes the difference between a good and a bad writer.</p></blockquote> <p>In large parts of the school system, the construction was opposed with ruthless vigour. A correspondent to the <a href="/wiki/BBC" title="BBC">BBC</a> on a programme about English grammar in 1983 remarked: </p> <blockquote><p>One reason why the older generation feel so strongly about English grammar is that we were severely punished if we didn't obey the rules! One split infinitive, one whack; two split infinitives, two whacks; and so on.<sup id="cite_ref-35" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-35"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>35<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <p>As a result, the debate took on a degree of passion that the bare facts of the matter never warranted.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template" style="white-space:nowrap;">&#91;<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view" title="Wikipedia:Neutral point of view"><span title="This statement is possibly biased. (October 2023)">neutrality</span></a>&#32;is <a href="/wiki/Talk:Split_infinitive" title="Talk:Split infinitive">disputed</a></i>&#93;</sup> There was frequent skirmishing between the splitters and anti-splitters until the 1960s. <a href="/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw" title="George Bernard Shaw">George Bernard Shaw</a> wrote letters to newspapers supporting writers who used the split infinitive and <a href="/wiki/Raymond_Chandler" title="Raymond Chandler">Raymond Chandler</a> complained to the editor of <i><a href="/wiki/The_Atlantic" title="The Atlantic">The Atlantic</a></i> about a <a href="/wiki/Proofreading" title="Proofreading">proofreader</a> who interfered with Chandler's split infinitives: </p> <blockquote><p>By the way, would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write in a sort of broken-down patois which is something like the way a Swiss-waiter talks, and that when I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will remain split, and when I interrupt the velvety smoothness of my more or less literate syntax with a few sudden words of barroom vernacular, this is done with the eyes wide open and the mind relaxed and attentive. The method may not be perfect, but it is all I have.<sup id="cite_ref-36" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-36"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>36<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup></p></blockquote> <p>Follett, in <i>Modern American Usage</i> (1966) writes: "The split infinitive has its place in good composition. It should be used when it is expressive and well led up to."<sup id="cite_ref-37" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-37"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>37<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> Fowler (Gowers' revised second edition, 1965) offers the following example of the consequences of refusal to split infinitives: "The greatest difficulty about assessing the economic achievements of the Soviet Union is that its spokesmen try <i>absurdly to exaggerate</i> them; in consequence the visitor may tend <i>badly to underrate</i> them" (italics added). This question results: "Has dread of the split infinitive led the writer to attach the adverbs ['absurdly' and 'badly'] to the wrong verbs, and would he not have done better <i>to boldly split</i> both infinitives, since he cannot put the adverbs after them without spoiling his rhythm" (italics added)?<sup id="cite_ref-38" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-38"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>38<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> Bernstein (1985) argues that, although infinitives should not always be split, they should be split where doing so improves the sentence: "The natural position for a modifier is before the word it modifies. Thus the natural position for an adverb modifying an infinitive should be just&#160;… <i>after</i> the to" (italics added). Bernstein continues: "Curme's contention that the split infinitive is often an improvement&#160;… cannot be disputed."<sup id="cite_ref-39" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-39"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>39<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> Heffernan and Lincoln, in their modern English composition textbook, agree with the above authors. Some sentences, they write, "are weakened by&#160;… cumbersome splitting," but in other sentences "an infinitive may be split by a one-word modifier that would be awkward in any other position."<sup id="cite_ref-40" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-40"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>40<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Principal_objections_to_the_split_infinitive">Principal objections to the split infinitive</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=10" title="Edit section: Principal objections to the split infinitive"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Objections to the split infinitive fall into three categories, of which only the first is accorded any credence by linguists. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="The_descriptivist_objection">The descriptivist objection</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=11" title="Edit section: The descriptivist objection"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>One of the earliest arguments against the split infinitive, expressed by an anonymous contributor to the <i>New-England Magazine</i> in 1834, was based on the impression that it was not an observable feature of English as used by "good authors."<sup id="cite_ref-Anon_1834_27-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Anon_1834-27"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>27<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/Henry_Alford_(theologian)" title="Henry Alford (theologian)">Henry Alford</a>, in his <i>Plea for the Queen's English</i> in 1864 went further, stating that use of the "split infinitive" was "a practice entirely unknown to English speakers and writers."<sup id="cite_ref-Alford_1864_30-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Alford_1864-30"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>30<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> In principle there is a consensus that language teachers should advise on usage on the basis of what is observed to be current practice in the language. If the early critics of the construction did not observe it to be usual in (the prestige variety of) English as they knew it, their advice was legitimate. However it would be difficult to argue that way today, as the split infinitive has become very common. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="The_argument_from_the_full_infinitive">The argument from the full infinitive</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=12" title="Edit section: The argument from the full infinitive"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A second argument is summed up by Alford's statement "It seems to me that we ever regard the <i>to</i> of the infinitive as inseparable from its verb." </p><p>The <i>to</i> in the infinitive construction, which is found throughout the Germanic languages, is originally a preposition before the dative of a verbal noun, but in the modern languages it is widely regarded as a particle that serves as a marker of the infinitive. In German and Dutch, this marker (<i>zu</i> and <i>te</i> respectively) sometimes precedes the infinitive, but is not regarded as part of it. In English, on the other hand, it is traditional to speak of the "<a href="/wiki/Infinitive#Uses_of_the_bare_infinitive" title="Infinitive">bare infinitive</a>" without <i>to</i> and the "full infinitive" with it, and to conceive of <i>to</i> as part of the full infinitive. (In the sentence "I had my daughter clean her room," <i>clean</i> is a bare infinitive; in "I told my daughter to clean her room," <i>to clean</i> is a full infinitive.) Possibly this is because the absence of an <i>inflected</i> infinitive form made it useful to include the particle in the citation form of the verb, and in some nominal constructions in which other Germanic languages would omit it (e.g., <i>to know her is to love her</i>). The concept of a two-word infinitive can reinforce an intuitive sense that the two words belong together. For instance, the rhetorician John Duncan Quackenbos said, "<i>To have</i> is as much one thing, and as inseparable by modifiers, as the original form <i>habban</i>, or the <a href="/wiki/Latin" title="Latin">Latin</a> <i>habere</i>."<sup id="cite_ref-41" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-41"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>41<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> The usage writer John Opdycke based a similar argument on the closest French, German, and Latin translations.<sup id="cite_ref-42" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-42"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>42<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p><p>However, the two-part infinitive is disputed, and some linguists argue that the infinitive in English is a single-word verb form, which may or may not be preceded by the particle <i>to</i>. Some modern <a href="/wiki/Generative_grammar" title="Generative grammar">generative</a> analysts classify <i>to</i> as a "peculiar" <a href="/wiki/Auxiliary_verb" title="Auxiliary verb">auxiliary verb</a>;<sup id="cite_ref-43" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-43"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>43<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> other analysts, as the infinitival <a href="/wiki/Subordination_(linguistics)" title="Subordination (linguistics)">subordinator</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-44" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-44"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>44<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p><p>Besides, even if the concept of the full infinitive is accepted, it does not necessarily follow that any two words that belong together grammatically need be adjacent to each other. They usually are, but counter-examples are easily found, such as an adverb splitting a two-word finite verb ("will not do", "has not done"). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="The_argument_from_classical_languages">The argument from classical languages</h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=13" title="Edit section: The argument from classical languages"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>A frequent argument of those who tolerate split infinitives is that the split-infinitive prohibition is based solely on a misguided comparison with <a href="/wiki/Latin" title="Latin">Latin</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Bailey_45-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Bailey-45"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>45<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> However, the argument from the classical languages may be a <a href="/wiki/Straw_man" title="Straw man">straw man</a> argument, as the most important critics of the split infinitive never used it. Although many writers who support the split infinitive suggest that this argument motivated the early opponents of the construction, there is little primary source evidence for this; indeed, Richard Bailey has noted that, despite the lack of evidence, this theory has simply become "part of the folklore of linguistics". </p><p>An infinitive in Latin or Greek is never used with a marker equivalent to English <i>to</i>, and a Latin infinitive cannot be split. The argument would be that the construction should be avoided because it is not found in the classics. The claim that those who dislike split infinitives are applying rules of Latin grammar to English is asserted by many authorities who accept the split infinitive. One example is in the <i>American Heritage Book of English Usage</i>: "The only rationale for condemning the construction is based on a false analogy with Latin."<sup id="cite_ref-AHBEU_10-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-AHBEU-10"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> The assertion is also made in the <i>Oxford Guide to Plain English</i>,<sup id="cite_ref-46" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-46"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>46<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> <i>Compact Oxford English Dictionary</i>,<sup id="cite_ref-47" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-47"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>47<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> and <a href="/wiki/Steven_Pinker" title="Steven Pinker">Steven Pinker</a>'s <i><a href="/wiki/The_Language_Instinct" title="The Language Instinct">The Language Instinct</a></i>,<sup id="cite_ref-48" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-48"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>48<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> among others.<sup id="cite_ref-49" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-49"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>49<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-50" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-50"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>50<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-51" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-51"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>51<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p><p>The argument implies an adherence to the humanist idea of the greater purity of the classics,<sup id="cite_ref-52" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-52"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>52<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> which, particularly in Renaissance times, led people to regard as inferior aspects of English that differed from Latin. Today no linguist would accept an argument that judges the usage of one language by the grammar of another. Besides, if Latin has no equivalent of the marker <i>to</i>, it provides no model for the question of where to put it, and therefore supports neither splitting nor not-splitting. As Richard Lederer puts it: "there is no precedent in these languages for condemning the split infinitive because in Greek and Latin (and all the other <a href="/wiki/Romance_verbs#Modern_languages" title="Romance verbs">romance languages</a>) the infinitive is a single word that is impossible to sever."<sup id="cite_ref-53" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-53"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>53<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Current_views">Current views</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=14" title="Edit section: Current views"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1224211176">.mw-parser-output .quotebox{background-color:#F9F9F9;border:1px solid #aaa;box-sizing:border-box;padding:10px;font-size:88%;max-width:100%}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatleft{margin:.5em 1.4em .8em 0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatright{margin:.5em 0 .8em 1.4em}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.centered{overflow:hidden;position:relative;margin:.5em auto .8em auto}.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatleft span,.mw-parser-output .quotebox.floatright span{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .quotebox>blockquote{margin:0;padding:0;border-left:0;font-family:inherit;font-size:inherit}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-title{text-align:center;font-size:110%;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote>:first-child{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote:last-child>:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote.quoted:before{font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-weight:bold;font-size:large;color:gray;content:" “ ";vertical-align:-45%;line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox-quote.quoted:after{font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;font-weight:bold;font-size:large;color:gray;content:" ” ";line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .left-aligned{text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .right-aligned{text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .center-aligned{text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .quotebox .quote-title,.mw-parser-output .quotebox .quotebox-quote{display:block}.mw-parser-output .quotebox cite{display:block;font-style:normal}@media screen and (max-width:640px){.mw-parser-output .quotebox{width:100%!important;margin:0 0 .8em!important;float:none!important}}</style><div class="quotebox pullquote floatright" style="width:27%; ; padding:8px;"> <blockquote class="quotebox-quote left-aligned" style=""> <p>"When I split an infinitive, God damn it, I split it so it will stay split." </p> </blockquote> <p style="padding-bottom: 0;"><cite class="left-aligned" style=""><a href="/wiki/Raymond_Chandler" title="Raymond Chandler">Raymond Chandler</a>, <i>1947</i>.<sup id="cite_ref-54" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-54"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>54<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup></cite></p> </div> <p>Present <a href="/wiki/Style_manual" class="mw-redirect" title="Style manual">style and usage manuals</a> deem simple split infinitives unobjectionable.<sup id="cite_ref-55" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-55"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>55<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> For example, <a href="/wiki/George_Oliver_Curme" title="George Oliver Curme">Curme</a>'s <i>Grammar of the English Language</i> (1931) says that not only is the split infinitive correct, but it "should be furthered rather than censured, for it makes for clearer expression." <i>The Columbia Guide to Standard American English</i> notes that the split infinitive "eliminates all possibility of <a href="/wiki/Ambiguity" title="Ambiguity">ambiguity</a>," in contrast to the "potential for confusion" in an unsplit construction.<sup id="cite_ref-Columbia_56-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Columbia-56"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> <i><a href="/wiki/Merriam%E2%80%93Webster%27s_Dictionary_of_English_Usage" class="mw-redirect" title="Merriam–Webster&#39;s Dictionary of English Usage">Merriam–Webster's Dictionary of English Usage</a></i> says: "the objection to the split infinitive has never had a rational basis."<sup id="cite_ref-MWDEU_12-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-MWDEU-12"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>12<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> According to <a href="/wiki/Mignon_Fogarty" title="Mignon Fogarty">Mignon Fogarty</a>, "today almost everyone agrees that it is OK to split infinitives."<sup id="cite_ref-57" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-57"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>57<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p><p>Nevertheless, many teachers of English still admonish students against using split infinitives in writing. Because the prohibition has become so widely known, the <i>Columbia Guide</i> recommends that writers "follow the conservative path [of avoiding split infinitives when they are not necessary], especially when you're uncertain of your readers' expectations and sensitivities in this matter."<sup id="cite_ref-Columbia_56-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Columbia-56"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>56<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> Likewise, the Oxford dictionaries do not regard the split infinitive as ungrammatical, but on balance consider it likely to produce a weak style and advise against its use for formal correspondence.<sup id="cite_ref-58" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-58"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>58<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/R._W._Burchfield" class="mw-redirect" title="R. W. Burchfield">R. W. Burchfield</a>'s revision of Fowler's <i>Modern English Usage</i> goes farther (quoting Burchfield's own 1981 book <i>The Spoken Word</i>): "Avoid splitting infinitives whenever possible, but do not suffer undue remorse if a split infinitive is unavoidable for the completion of a sentence already begun."<sup id="cite_ref-59" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-59"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>59<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> Still more strongly, older editions of <i><a href="/wiki/The_Economist" title="The Economist">The Economist</a></i> Style Guide said, "Happy the man who has never been told that it is wrong to split an infinitive: the ban is pointless. Unfortunately, to see it broken is so annoying to so many people that you should observe it" (but added "To never split an infinitive is quite easy.").<sup id="cite_ref-60" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-60"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>60<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> This recommendation, however, is weakened in the 12th edition.<sup id="cite_ref-61" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-61"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>61<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> After stating that the ban is pointless, <i>The Economist Style Guide</i> now says "To see a split infinitive nevertheless annoys some readers, so try to avoid placing a modifier between "to" and the verb in an infinitive. But if moving the modifier would ruin the rhythm, change the meaning or even just put the emphasis in the wrong place, splitting the infinitive is the best option."<sup id="cite_ref-62" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-62"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>62<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p><p>As well as varying according to register, tolerance of split infinitives varies according to type. While most authorities accept split infinitives in general, it is not hard to construct an example that any native speaker would reject. Wycliff's Middle English compound split would, if transferred to modern English, be regarded by most people as un-English: </p> <dl><dd><i>It was most unkind <b>to in this manner treat</b> their brother.</i></dd></dl> <p>Attempts to define the boundaries of normality are controversial. In 1996, the usage panel of <i>The American Heritage Book</i> was evenly divided for and against such sentences as, </p> <dl><dd><i>I expect him <b>to completely and utterly fail</b></i></dd></dl> <p>but more than three-quarters of the panel rejected </p> <dl><dd><i>We are seeking a plan <b>to gradually, systematically, and economically relieve</b> the burden.</i></dd></dl> <p>Here the problem appears to be the breaking up of the verbal phrase <i>to be seeking a plan to relieve</i>: a segment of the head verbal phrase is so far removed from the remainder that the listener or reader must expend greater effort to understand the sentence. By contrast, 87 percent of the panel deemed acceptable the multi-word adverbial in </p> <dl><dd><i>We expect our output <b>to more than double</b> in a year</i></dd></dl> <p>not surprisingly perhaps, because here there is no other place to put the words <i>more than</i> without substantially recasting the sentence. </p><p>A special case is the splitting of an infinitive by the negation in sentences like </p> <dl><dd><i>I soon learned <b>to not provoke</b> her.</i></dd> <dd><i>I want <b>to not see</b> you any more.</i></dd></dl> <p>Here traditional idiom, placing the negation before the marker (<i>I soon learned not to provoke her</i>) or with verbs of desire, negating the finite verb (<i>I don't want to see you anymore</i>) remains easy and natural, and is still overwhelmingly the more common construction. Some argue that the two forms have different meanings, while others see a grammatical difference,<sup id="cite_ref-EvG_13-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-EvG-13"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>13<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> but most speakers do not make such a distinction. In an example drawn from 3121 sampled usages by the <a href="/wiki/British_National_Corpus" title="British National Corpus">British National Corpus</a>, the use of <i>to not be</i> (versus <i>not to be</i>) is only 0.35%.<sup class="noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact" style="white-space:nowrap;">&#91;<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed" title="Wikipedia:Citation needed"><span title="no attestation (March 2022)">citation needed</span></a></i>&#93;</sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Avoiding_split_infinitives">Avoiding split infinitives</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=15" title="Edit section: Avoiding split infinitives"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Writers who avoid splitting infinitives either place the splitting element elsewhere in the sentence or reformulate the sentence, perhaps rephrasing it without an infinitive and thus avoiding the issue. However, a sentence such as "to more than double" must be completely rewritten to avoid the split infinitive; it is ungrammatical to put the words "more than" anywhere else in the sentence.<sup id="cite_ref-63" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-63"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>63<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> While split infinitives can be avoided, a writer must be careful not to produce an awkward or ambiguous sentence. Fowler (1926) stressed that, if a sentence is to be rewritten to remove a split infinitive, this must be done without compromising the language: </p> <blockquote><p>It is of no avail merely to fling oneself desperately out of temptation; one must so do it that no traces of the struggle remain; that is, sentences must be thoroughly remodeled instead of having a word lifted from its original place &amp; dumped elsewhere&#160;…<sup id="cite_ref-Fowler_1926,_p._559_64-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Fowler_1926,_p._559-64"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>64<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p></blockquote> <p>In some cases, moving the adverbial creates an ungrammatical sentence or changes the meaning. <a href="/wiki/Larry_Trask" title="Larry Trask">R.&#160;L. Trask</a> uses this example:<sup id="cite_ref-Trask_65-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Trask-65"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>65<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <dl><dd><ul><li><i>She decided to <b>gradually</b> get rid of the teddy bears she had collected.</i></li></ul></dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd>"Gradually" splits the infinitive "to get." However, if the adverb were moved, where could it go?</dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dd><ul><li><i>She decided <b>gradually</b> to get rid of the teddy bears she had collected.</i></li></ul></dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd>This might imply that the decision was gradual.</dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dd><ul><li><i>She decided to get rid of the teddy bears she had collected <b>gradually.</b></i></li></ul></dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd>This implies that the collecting process was gradual.</dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dd><ul><li><i>She decided to get <b>gradually</b> rid of the teddy bears she had collected.</i></li></ul></dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd>This sounds awkward, as it splits the phrase "get rid of."</dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dd><ul><li><i>She decided to get rid <b>gradually</b> of the teddy bears she had collected.</i></li></ul></dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd>Trask considers this almost as unwieldy as its immediate predecessor.</dd></dl></dd></dl> <dl><dd><ul><li><i><b>Gradually,</b> she decided to get rid of the teddy bears she had collected.</i></li></ul></dd></dl> <dl><dd><dl><dd>This might imply that her decision or the fact that she will get rid of her teddy bears is gradual.</dd></dl></dd></dl> <p>The sentence can be rewritten to maintain its meaning, however, by using a noun or a different <a href="/wiki/Grammatical_aspect" title="Grammatical aspect">grammatical aspect</a> of the verb, or by avoiding the informal "get rid": </p> <dl><dd><ul><li><i>She decided to get rid of her teddy bear collection gradually.</i><sup id="cite_ref-66" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-66"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>66<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup></li> <li><i>She decided she would gradually get rid of the teddy bears she had collected.</i></li> <li><i>She decided to rid herself gradually of the teddy bears she had collected.</i></li></ul></dd></dl> <p>Fowler notes that the option of rewriting is always available but questions whether it is always worth the trouble.<sup id="cite_ref-Fowler_1926,_p._559_64-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Fowler_1926,_p._559-64"><span class="cite-bracket">&#91;</span>64<span class="cite-bracket">&#93;</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="See_also">See also</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=16" title="Edit section: See also"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Common_English_usage_misconceptions#Grammar" title="Common English usage misconceptions">Common English usage misconceptions</a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Notes">Notes</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=17" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-Walsh112-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Walsh112_1-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><cite id="CITEREFWalsh2000" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Bill_Walsh_(author)" title="Bill Walsh (author)">Walsh, Bill</a> (2000). Contemporary Books (ed.). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/lapsingintocomma00wals/page/112"><i>Lapsing into a comma: a curmudgeon's guide to the many things that can go wrong in print—and how to avoid them</i></a>. Lincolnwood, Illinois: Contemporary Books. pp.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/lapsingintocomma00wals/page/112">112–113</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-8092-2535-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-8092-2535-2"><bdi>0-8092-2535-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Lapsing+into+a+comma%3A+a+curmudgeon%27s+guide+to+the+many+things+that+can+go+wrong+in+print%E2%80%94and+how+to+avoid+them&amp;rft.place=Lincolnwood%2C+Illinois&amp;rft.pages=112-113&amp;rft.pub=Contemporary+Books&amp;rft.date=2000&amp;rft.isbn=0-8092-2535-2&amp;rft.aulast=Walsh&amp;rft.aufirst=Bill&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Flapsingintocomma00wals%2Fpage%2F112&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Bryant-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Bryant_2-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBryant1946" class="citation journal cs1">Bryant, M. M. (October 1946). "The Split Infinitive". <i>College English</i>. <b>8</b> (1). National Council of Teachers of English: 39–40. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.2307%2F370450">10.2307/370450</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a>&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/370450">370450</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=article&amp;rft.jtitle=College+English&amp;rft.atitle=The+Split+Infinitive&amp;rft.volume=8&amp;rft.issue=1&amp;rft.pages=39-40&amp;rft.date=1946-10&amp;rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.2307%2F370450&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F370450%23id-name%3DJSTOR&amp;rft.aulast=Bryant&amp;rft.aufirst=M.+M.&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Brook1963-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Brook1963_3-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLayamon1993" class="citation book cs1">Layamon (1993) [Published in print 1963-1978 for the <a href="/wiki/Early_English_Text_Society" title="Early English Text Society">Early English Text Society</a> by the Oxford University Press, original author Layamon, <abbr title="floruit (&#39;flourished&#39;&#160;– known to have been active at a particular time or during a particular period)">fl.</abbr><span style="white-space:nowrap;">&#8201;1200</span>at=Line 5221]. Brook, G. L.; Leslie, R. F. (eds.). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://quod.lib.umich.edu/c/cme/LayOtho?rgn=main;view=fulltext"><i>British Museum Ms. Cotton Caligula A. IX and British Museum Ms. Cotton Otho C. XIII</i></a>. Oxford University Press<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2018-06-20</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=British+Museum+Ms.+Cotton+Caligula+A.+IX+and+British+Museum+Ms.+Cotton+Otho+C.+XIII&amp;rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&amp;rft.date=1993&amp;rft.au=Layamon&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fquod.lib.umich.edu%2Fc%2Fcme%2FLayOtho%3Frgn%3Dmain%3Bview%3Dfulltext&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Nagle-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Nagle_4-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Nagle_4-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Nagle_4-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Nagle_4-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Nagle (1994). Nagle takes his historical data from <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFVisser1997" class="citation book cs1">Visser, F. T. (1997) [1973]. <i>An Historical Syntax of the English Language</i>. Leiden: Brill. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/90-04-03273-8" title="Special:BookSources/90-04-03273-8"><bdi>90-04-03273-8</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=An+Historical+Syntax+of+the+English+Language&amp;rft.place=Leiden&amp;rft.pub=Brill&amp;rft.date=1997&amp;rft.isbn=90-04-03273-8&amp;rft.aulast=Visser&amp;rft.aufirst=F.+T.&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFPartridge1969" class="citation book cs1">Partridge, Astley Cooper (1969). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=wgIrAAAAIAAJ&amp;q=%22split+infinitive%22"><i>Tudor to Augustan English: A Study in Syntax and Style from Caxton to Johnson</i></a>. Deutsch. p.&#160;214. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780233960920" title="Special:BookSources/9780233960920"><bdi>9780233960920</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2013-03-03</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Tudor+to+Augustan+English%3A+A+Study+in+Syntax+and+Style+from+Caxton+to+Johnson&amp;rft.pages=214&amp;rft.pub=Deutsch&amp;rft.date=1969&amp;rft.isbn=9780233960920&amp;rft.aulast=Partridge&amp;rft.aufirst=Astley+Cooper&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DwgIrAAAAIAAJ%26q%3D%2522split%2Binfinitive%2522&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Hall1882-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Hall1882_6-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Quoted by <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHall1882" class="citation journal cs1">Hall, Fitzedward (1882). "On the Separation, by a Word or Words, of to and the Infinitive Mood". <i>American Journal of Philology</i>. <b>3</b> (9). The Johns Hopkins University Press: 17–24. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.2307%2F287307">10.2307/287307</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a>&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/287307">287307</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=article&amp;rft.jtitle=American+Journal+of+Philology&amp;rft.atitle=On+the+Separation%2C+by+a+Word+or+Words%2C+of+to+and+the+Infinitive+Mood&amp;rft.volume=3&amp;rft.issue=9&amp;rft.pages=17-24&amp;rft.date=1882&amp;rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.2307%2F287307&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F287307%23id-name%3DJSTOR&amp;rft.aulast=Hall&amp;rft.aufirst=Fitzedward&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span>; <a href="/wiki/William_Strunk_Jr." title="William Strunk Jr.">Strunk, William</a> &amp; <a href="/wiki/E._B._White" title="E. B. White">White, E.B.</a>, <i><a href="/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style" title="The Elements of Style">The Elements of Style</a></i>, fourth edition, Longman, 2000, p. 58, also speak of 14th-century examples.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Vizetelly1915-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Vizetelly1915_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFVizetelly1915" class="citation book cs1">Vizetelly, Frank (1915). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=zD4jeNDmNXYC&amp;pg=PA156"><i>Essentials of English Speech and Literature</i></a>. Read Books. p.&#160;156. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-4086-6266-3" title="Special:BookSources/1-4086-6266-3"><bdi>1-4086-6266-3</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2010-01-04</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Essentials+of+English+Speech+and+Literature&amp;rft.pages=156&amp;rft.pub=Read+Books&amp;rft.date=1915&amp;rft.isbn=1-4086-6266-3&amp;rft.aulast=Vizetelly&amp;rft.aufirst=Frank&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DzD4jeNDmNXYC%26pg%3DPA156&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Some have suggested that another sentence in Shakespeare, from <i>Coriolanus</i>, Act I, scene 2, contains a split infinitive: "Whatever hath been thought on in this state, / That could be brought to bodily act, ere Rome / Had circumvention?" <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=7vkxAQAAIAAJ&amp;pg=PA50">[1]</a>, <a rel="nofollow" class="external autonumber" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=KC1XAAAAYAAJ&amp;pg=PA720-IA2">[2]</a> Others say that "bodily" here is an adjective and "act" is a noun, as Vizetelly and <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=eOBRurBikwQC&amp;dq=%22brought+to+bodily+act%22+%22real%2C+actual%22&amp;pg=PA130">Johnson's Dictionary</a> do.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-9">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSemerjyan" class="citation journal cs1">Semerjyan, Maria. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.academia.edu/28206300">"The Split Infinitive in Modern English"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Academia.edu" title="Academia.edu">Academia.edu</a></i>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=article&amp;rft.jtitle=Academia.edu&amp;rft.atitle=The+Split+Infinitive+in+Modern+English&amp;rft.aulast=Semerjyan&amp;rft.aufirst=Maria&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.academia.edu%2F28206300&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-AHBEU-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-AHBEU_10-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-AHBEU_10-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-AHBEU_10-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation book cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=BEHFyMCdwssC&amp;q=American+Heritage+Book+of+English+Usage"><i>The American Heritage Book of English Usage: A Practical and Authoritative Guide to Contemporary English</i></a>. Houghton Mifflin. 1996. pp.&#160;34–35. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-395-76786-5" title="Special:BookSources/0-395-76786-5"><bdi>0-395-76786-5</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-07-29</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+American+Heritage+Book+of+English+Usage%3A+A+Practical+and+Authoritative+Guide+to+Contemporary+English&amp;rft.pages=34-35&amp;rft.pub=Houghton+Mifflin&amp;rft.date=1996&amp;rft.isbn=0-395-76786-5&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DBEHFyMCdwssC%26q%3DAmerican%2BHeritage%2BBook%2Bof%2BEnglish%2BUsage&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Hall-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Hall_11-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Hall (1882)</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-MWDEU-12"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-MWDEU_12-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-MWDEU_12-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFMerriam-Webster,_Inc.1994" class="citation book cs1">Merriam-Webster, Inc. (1994). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/merriamwebstersd00merr/page/867"><i>Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of English Usage</i></a></span>. Merriam-Webster. pp.&#160;867–868. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-87779-132-5" title="Special:BookSources/0-87779-132-5"><bdi>0-87779-132-5</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-11-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Merriam-Webster%27s+Dictionary+of+English+Usage&amp;rft.pages=867-868&amp;rft.pub=Merriam-Webster&amp;rft.date=1994&amp;rft.isbn=0-87779-132-5&amp;rft.au=Merriam-Webster%2C+Inc.&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fmerriamwebstersd00merr%2Fpage%2F867&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-EvG-13"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-EvG_13-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-EvG_13-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFVan_Gelderen2004" class="citation book cs1">Van Gelderen, Elly (2004). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=e7yG6WSuwi8C&amp;pg=PA246"><i>Grammaticalization as Economy</i></a>. John Benjamins. pp.&#160;245–246. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/90-272-2795-0" title="Special:BookSources/90-272-2795-0"><bdi>90-272-2795-0</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2010-10-31</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Grammaticalization+as+Economy&amp;rft.pages=245-246&amp;rft.pub=John+Benjamins&amp;rft.date=2004&amp;rft.isbn=90-272-2795-0&amp;rft.aulast=Van+Gelderen&amp;rft.aufirst=Elly&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3De7yG6WSuwi8C%26pg%3DPA246&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.public.asu.edu/~gelderen/TO-"><i>not</i>.doc .doc version</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Curme1927-14"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Curme1927_14-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFCurme1927" class="citation journal cs1"><a href="/wiki/George_Oliver_Curme" title="George Oliver Curme">Curme, George</a> (May 1927). "The Split Infinitive". <i>American Speech</i>. <b>2</b> (8). Duke University Press: 341–342. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.2307%2F452976">10.2307/452976</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a>&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/452976">452976</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=article&amp;rft.jtitle=American+Speech&amp;rft.atitle=The+Split+Infinitive&amp;rft.volume=2&amp;rft.issue=8&amp;rft.pages=341-342&amp;rft.date=1927-05&amp;rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.2307%2F452976&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F452976%23id-name%3DJSTOR&amp;rft.aulast=Curme&amp;rft.aufirst=George&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Burchfield1996-15"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Burchfield1996_15-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Quoted from P. Carey (1981) in <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBurchfieldFowler1996" class="citation book cs1">Burchfield, R. W.; Fowler, H. W. (1996). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/newfowlersmodern00fowl/page/738"><i>The New Fowler's Modern English Usage</i></a>. Oxford University Press. p.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/newfowlersmodern00fowl/page/738">738</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-869126-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-19-869126-2"><bdi>0-19-869126-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+New+Fowler%27s+Modern+English+Usage&amp;rft.pages=738&amp;rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&amp;rft.date=1996&amp;rft.isbn=0-19-869126-2&amp;rft.aulast=Burchfield&amp;rft.aufirst=R.+W.&amp;rft.au=Fowler%2C+H.+W.&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fnewfowlersmodern00fowl%2Fpage%2F738&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-16"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-16">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFVisser1966" class="citation book cs1">Visser, F. Th. (1966). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ObA3AAAAIAAJ&amp;pg=PA1039"><i>An Historical Syntax of the English Language, Part 2: Syntactical Units with One Verb</i></a>. Vol.&#160;2. Brill. p.&#160;1039<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2018-09-10</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=An+Historical+Syntax+of+the+English+Language%2C+Part+2%3A+Syntactical+Units+with+One+Verb&amp;rft.pages=1039&amp;rft.pub=Brill&amp;rft.date=1966&amp;rft.aulast=Visser&amp;rft.aufirst=F.+Th.&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DObA3AAAAIAAJ%26pg%3DPA1039&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-MWnotes-17"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-MWnotes_17-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-MWnotes_17-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-MWnotes_17-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/to-boldly-split-infinitives">"To Boldly Go: Star Trek &amp; the Split Infinitive"</a>. <i>Usage notes</i>. Merriam-Webster.com. April 26, 2018<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2018-04-26</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.jtitle=Usage+notes&amp;rft.atitle=To+Boldly+Go%3A+Star+Trek+%26+the+Split+Infinitive&amp;rft.date=2018-04-26&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.merriam-webster.com%2Fwords-at-play%2Fto-boldly-split-infinitives&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-18"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-18">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation journal cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=94oeAQAAMAAJ&amp;pg=PA439">"Reviews: A Novel in Journalese"</a>. <i>The Scots Observer</i>. <b>IV</b> (95): 489. September 13, 1890<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2018-04-27</span></span>. <q>The split infinitive ('to solemnly curse') is a captain jewel in the carcanet [referring to 'gems' of a novel's grammar].</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=article&amp;rft.jtitle=The+Scots+Observer&amp;rft.atitle=Reviews%3A+A+Novel+in+Journalese&amp;rft.volume=IV&amp;rft.issue=95&amp;rft.pages=489&amp;rft.date=1890-09-13&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D94oeAQAAMAAJ%26pg%3DPA439&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-19"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-19">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><i>OED</i> 1900; <i>OEDS. A Supplement to the Oxford English Dictionary</i>. 1972–86. Ed. R. W. Burchfield; <i>Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary</i>, Eleventh Edition (2005–2006), "split infinitive".</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Jespersen1956-20"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Jespersen1956_20-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFJespersen1956" class="citation book cs1">Jespersen, Otto (1956). <i>Growth and Structure of the English Language</i>. Doubleday. p.&#160;222.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Growth+and+Structure+of+the+English+Language&amp;rft.pages=222&amp;rft.pub=Doubleday&amp;rft.date=1956&amp;rft.aulast=Jespersen&amp;rft.aufirst=Otto&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Fowler547-21"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Fowler547_21-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRobert_Allen2002" class="citation encyclopaedia cs1">Robert Allen, ed. (2002). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/pocketfowlersmod00alle/page/547">"Split infinitive"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/Fowler%27s_Modern_English_Usage" class="mw-redirect" title="Fowler&#39;s Modern English Usage">Pocket Fowler's Modern English Usage</a> (1926)</i>. Oxford University Press. p.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/pocketfowlersmod00alle/page/547">547</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-860947-7" title="Special:BookSources/0-19-860947-7"><bdi>0-19-860947-7</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=bookitem&amp;rft.atitle=Split+infinitive&amp;rft.btitle=Pocket+Fowler%27s+Modern+English+Usage+%281926%29&amp;rft.pages=547&amp;rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&amp;rft.date=2002&amp;rft.isbn=0-19-860947-7&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fpocketfowlersmod00alle%2Fpage%2F547&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-22"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-22">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Richard Lederer, <i>A Man of My Words: Reflections on the English Language</i>, St. Martin's Press, 2003, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-312-31785-9" title="Special:BookSources/0-312-31785-9">0-312-31785-9</a>, p. 248: "The prohibition of that practice was created in 1762 by one Robert Lowth, an Anglican bishop and self-appointed grammarian." Similarly Peter Stockwell, <i>Sociolinguistics: A Resource Book for Students</i>, Routledge, 2002, <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-415-23452-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-415-23452-2">0-415-23452-2</a>, p. 98.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-BrownOgilvie2010p347-23"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-BrownOgilvie2010p347_23-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-BrownOgilvie2010p347_23-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBrownOgilvie2010" class="citation book cs1">Brown, Keith; Ogilvie, Sarah (2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=F2SRqDzB50wC&amp;pg=PA347"><i>Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World</i></a>. Elsevier. p.&#160;347. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-08-087775-4" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-08-087775-4"><bdi>978-0-08-087775-4</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Concise+Encyclopedia+of+Languages+of+the+World&amp;rft.pages=347&amp;rft.pub=Elsevier&amp;rft.date=2010&amp;rft.isbn=978-0-08-087775-4&amp;rft.aulast=Brown&amp;rft.aufirst=Keith&amp;rft.au=Ogilvie%2C+Sarah&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DF2SRqDzB50wC%26pg%3DPA347&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Hickey2010p81-24"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Hickey2010p81_24-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHickey2010" class="citation book cs1">Hickey, Raymond (2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=B-PKlIqH6EMC&amp;pg=PA81"><i>Eighteenth-Century English: Ideology and Change</i></a>. Cambridge University Press. p.&#160;81. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-139-48959-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-139-48959-1"><bdi>978-1-139-48959-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Eighteenth-Century+English%3A+Ideology+and+Change&amp;rft.pages=81&amp;rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&amp;rft.date=2010&amp;rft.isbn=978-1-139-48959-1&amp;rft.aulast=Hickey&amp;rft.aufirst=Raymond&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DB-PKlIqH6EMC%26pg%3DPA81&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-OstadeWurff2009pp37-38-25"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-OstadeWurff2009pp37-38_25-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-OstadeWurff2009pp37-38_25-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFOstadeWurff2009" class="citation book cs1">Ostade, Ingrid Tieken-Boon van; Wurff, Wim van der (2009). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=x91EUnnWwR8C&amp;pg=PA37"><i>Current Issues in Late Modern English</i></a>. Peter Lang. pp.&#160;37–38. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-3-03911-660-7" title="Special:BookSources/978-3-03911-660-7"><bdi>978-3-03911-660-7</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Current+Issues+in+Late+Modern+English&amp;rft.pages=37-38&amp;rft.pub=Peter+Lang&amp;rft.date=2009&amp;rft.isbn=978-3-03911-660-7&amp;rft.aulast=Ostade&amp;rft.aufirst=Ingrid+Tieken-Boon+van&amp;rft.au=Wurff%2C+Wim+van+der&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dx91EUnnWwR8C%26pg%3DPA37&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Kamm2015-26"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Kamm2015_26-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKamm2015" class="citation book cs1">Kamm, Oliver (2015). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=mD8qAwAAQBAJ&amp;pg=PT245"><i>Accidence Will Happen: The Non-Pedantic Guide to English Usage</i></a>. Orion. p.&#160;245. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-297-87194-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-297-87194-1"><bdi>978-0-297-87194-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Accidence+Will+Happen%3A+The+Non-Pedantic+Guide+to+English+Usage&amp;rft.pages=245&amp;rft.pub=Orion&amp;rft.date=2015&amp;rft.isbn=978-0-297-87194-1&amp;rft.aulast=Kamm&amp;rft.aufirst=Oliver&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DmD8qAwAAQBAJ%26pg%3DPT245&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Anon_1834-27"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Anon_1834_27-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Anon_1834_27-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFP.1834" class="citation journal cs1">P. (December 1834). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?root=%2Fmoa%2Fnwen%2Fnwen0007%2F&amp;tif=00479.TIF&amp;cite=http%3A%2F%2Fcdl.library.cornell.edu%2Fcgi-bin%2Fmoa%2Fmoa-cgi%3Fnotisid%3DABS8100-0007-131&amp;coll=moa&amp;frames=1&amp;view=50">"Inaccuracies of Diction. Grammar"</a>. <i><a href="/wiki/The_New-England_Magazine" title="The New-England Magazine">The New-England Magazine</a></i>. <b>7</b> (6): 467–470<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2006-10-26</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=article&amp;rft.jtitle=The+New-England+Magazine&amp;rft.atitle=Inaccuracies+of+Diction.+Grammar&amp;rft.volume=7&amp;rft.issue=6&amp;rft.pages=467-470&amp;rft.date=1834-12&amp;rft.au=P.&amp;rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fcdl.library.cornell.edu%2Fcgi-bin%2Fmoa%2Fpageviewer%3Froot%3D%252Fmoa%252Fnwen%252Fnwen0007%252F%26tif%3D00479.TIF%26cite%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcdl.library.cornell.edu%252Fcgi-bin%252Fmoa%252Fmoa-cgi%253Fnotisid%253DABS8100-0007-131%26coll%3Dmoa%26frames%3D1%26view%3D50&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-28"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-28">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTookeTaylor1840" class="citation book cs1">Tooke, John Horne; Taylor, Richard (1840). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/epeapteroentaor01taylgoog"><i>The Diversions of Purley</i></a>. London: Thomas Tegg. p.&#160;xxx<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2015-12-07</span></span>. <q>Some writers of the present day have the disagreeable affectation of putting an adverb between <i>to</i> and the infinitive.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+Diversions+of+Purley&amp;rft.place=London&amp;rft.pages=xxx&amp;rft.pub=Thomas+Tegg&amp;rft.date=1840&amp;rft.aulast=Tooke&amp;rft.aufirst=John+Horne&amp;rft.au=Taylor%2C+Richard&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fepeapteroentaor01taylgoog&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-29"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-29">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBarrett1859" class="citation book cs1">Barrett, Solomon Jr. (1859). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=93sQAAAAIAAJ&amp;pg=PA164"><i>Barrett's English Syntax</i></a>. Boston: Bradley, Dayton, &amp; Co. p.&#160;164<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2011-09-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Barrett%27s+English+Syntax&amp;rft.place=Boston&amp;rft.pages=164&amp;rft.pub=Bradley%2C+Dayton%2C+%26+Co.&amp;rft.date=1859&amp;rft.aulast=Barrett&amp;rft.aufirst=Solomon+Jr.&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D93sQAAAAIAAJ%26pg%3DPA164&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Alford_1864-30"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Alford_1864_30-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Alford_1864_30-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/stream/pleaforqueenseng00alfouoft#page/188/mode/2up"><i>A Plea for the Queen's English: Stray notes on Speaking and Spelling</i></a>, Henry Alford, Strahan, 1866, page 188</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-31"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-31">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Quoted by Hall (1882).</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-32"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-32">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBache1869" class="citation book cs1">Bache, Richard Meade (1869). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/vulgarismsother00bachgoog"><i>Vulgarisms and Other Errors of Speech</i></a> (second&#160;ed.). Philadelphia: Claxton, Remsen, and Haffelfinger. p.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/vulgarismsother00bachgoog/page/n165">145</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2006-10-31</span></span>. <q>Richard Meade Bache vulgarisms.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Vulgarisms+and+Other+Errors+of+Speech&amp;rft.place=Philadelphia&amp;rft.pages=145&amp;rft.edition=second&amp;rft.pub=Claxton%2C+Remsen%2C+and+Haffelfinger&amp;rft.date=1869&amp;rft.aulast=Bache&amp;rft.aufirst=Richard+Meade&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fvulgarismsother00bachgoog&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-33"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-33">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRaub1897" class="citation book cs1">Raub, Robert N. (1897). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/helpsinusegoode01raubgoog"><i>Helps in the Use of Good English</i></a>. Philadelphia: Raub &amp; Co. p.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/helpsinusegoode01raubgoog/page/n126">120</a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2006-11-13</span></span>. <q>Raub helps.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Helps+in+the+Use+of+Good+English&amp;rft.place=Philadelphia&amp;rft.pages=120&amp;rft.pub=Raub+%26+Co.&amp;rft.date=1897&amp;rft.aulast=Raub&amp;rft.aufirst=Robert+N.&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fhelpsinusegoode01raubgoog&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-34"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-34">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBrown1851" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Goold_Brown" title="Goold Brown">Brown, Goold</a> (1851). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/11615/11615-8.txt"><i>The Grammar of English Grammars</i></a>. New York<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2006-11-13</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+Grammar+of+English+Grammars&amp;rft.place=New+York&amp;rft.date=1851&amp;rft.aulast=Brown&amp;rft.aufirst=Goold&amp;rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.gutenberg.org%2Ffiles%2F11615%2F11615-8.txt&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span><span class="cs1-maint citation-comment"><code class="cs1-code">{{<a href="/wiki/Template:Cite_book" title="Template:Cite book">cite book</a>}}</code>: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (<a href="/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_location_missing_publisher" title="Category:CS1 maint: location missing publisher">link</a>)</span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-35"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-35">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Quoted by David Crystal, <i>The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language</i>, p. 91</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-36"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-36">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHineyMacShane2000" class="citation book cs1">Hiney, Tom; MacShane, Frank (2000). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/raymondchandlerp00raym/page/77"><i>The Raymond Chandler Papers: Selected Letters and Nonfiction, 1909–1959</i></a>. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. p.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/raymondchandlerp00raym/page/77">77</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-87113-786-0" title="Special:BookSources/0-87113-786-0"><bdi>0-87113-786-0</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+Raymond+Chandler+Papers%3A+Selected+Letters+and+Nonfiction%2C+1909%E2%80%931959&amp;rft.place=New+York&amp;rft.pages=77&amp;rft.pub=Atlantic+Monthly+Press&amp;rft.date=2000&amp;rft.isbn=0-87113-786-0&amp;rft.aulast=Hiney&amp;rft.aufirst=Tom&amp;rft.au=MacShane%2C+Frank&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fraymondchandlerp00raym%2Fpage%2F77&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-37"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-37">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Wilson Follett, <i>Modern American Usage: A Guide</i> (New York: Hill and Wang, 1966), 313.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-38"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-38">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">H. W. Fowler, <i>Fowler's Modern English Usage</i>, 2nd ed., rev. and ed. by Sir Ernest Gowers (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1983), 582</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-39"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-39">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Theodore M. Bernstein, <i>The Careful Writer</i> (New York: Athenium, 1985), 424-27.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-40"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-40">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">James A. W. Heffernan and John E. Lincoln, <i>Writing: A College Handbook—Annotated Instructor's Edition</i>, 4th ed., (New York: W. W. Norton, 1994), 284–285.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-41"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-41">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFQuackenbos1896" class="citation book cs1">Quackenbos, John Duncan (1896). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/practicalrhetor00quacgoog"><i>Practical Rhetoric</i></a>. American Book Company. p.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/practicalrhetor00quacgoog/page/n228">222</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Practical+Rhetoric&amp;rft.pages=222&amp;rft.pub=American+Book+Company&amp;rft.date=1896&amp;rft.aulast=Quackenbos&amp;rft.aufirst=John+Duncan&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fpracticalrhetor00quacgoog&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-42"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-42">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFOpdycke1941" class="citation book cs1">Opdycke, John B. (1941). <i>Get it Right! A Cyclopedia of Correct English Usage</i>. Funk and Wagnalls. p.&#160;174.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Get+it+Right%21+A+Cyclopedia+of+Correct+English+Usage&amp;rft.pages=174&amp;rft.pub=Funk+and+Wagnalls&amp;rft.date=1941&amp;rft.aulast=Opdycke&amp;rft.aufirst=John+B.&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-43"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-43">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFSagWasowBender2003" class="citation book cs1">Sag, Ivan A.; Wasow, Thomas; Bender, Emily M. (2003). <i>Syntactic Theory: A Formal Introduction</i>. Center for the Study of Language and Information. p.&#160;361. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-57586-400-2" title="Special:BookSources/1-57586-400-2"><bdi>1-57586-400-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Syntactic+Theory%3A+A+Formal+Introduction&amp;rft.pages=361&amp;rft.pub=Center+for+the+Study+of+Language+and+Information&amp;rft.date=2003&amp;rft.isbn=1-57586-400-2&amp;rft.aulast=Sag&amp;rft.aufirst=Ivan+A.&amp;rft.au=Wasow%2C+Thomas&amp;rft.au=Bender%2C+Emily+M.&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-44"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-44">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHuddleston2002" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Rodney_Huddleston" title="Rodney Huddleston">Huddleston, Rodney</a> (2002). "Non-finite and verbless clauses". In Huddleston, Rodney; <a href="/wiki/Geoffrey_Pullum" class="mw-redirect" title="Geoffrey Pullum">Pullum, Geoffrey K.</a> (eds.). <i>The Cambridge Grammar of the English language</i>. Cambridge University Press. pp.&#160;1183–1187. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0521431460" title="Special:BookSources/978-0521431460"><bdi>978-0521431460</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=bookitem&amp;rft.atitle=Non-finite+and+verbless+clauses&amp;rft.btitle=The+Cambridge+Grammar+of+the+English+language&amp;rft.pages=1183-1187&amp;rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&amp;rft.date=2002&amp;rft.isbn=978-0521431460&amp;rft.aulast=Huddleston&amp;rft.aufirst=Rodney&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Bailey-45"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Bailey_45-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBailey2006" class="citation news cs1">Bailey, Richard (June 2006). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/html/2027.42/62004/words.html">"Talking about words: Split Infinitives"</a>. <i>Michigan Today News-e</i>. <a href="/wiki/University_of_Michigan" title="University of Michigan">University of Michigan</a> News Service<span class="reference-accessdate">. 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Oxford: Oxford University Press. p.&#160;111. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-955850-6" title="Special:BookSources/978-0-19-955850-6"><bdi>978-0-19-955850-6</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Oxford+Guide+to+Plain+English&amp;rft.place=Oxford&amp;rft.pages=111&amp;rft.edition=Third&amp;rft.pub=Oxford+University+Press&amp;rft.date=2009&amp;rft.isbn=978-0-19-955850-6&amp;rft.aulast=Cutts&amp;rft.aufirst=Martin&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-47"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-47">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060417081625/http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/splitinfinitive?view=uk">"Oxford Languages &#124; The Home of Language Data"</a>. <i>languages.oup.com</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://languages.oup.com/">the original</a> on April 17, 2006.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.jtitle=languages.oup.com&amp;rft.atitle=Oxford+Languages+%26%23124%3B+The+Home+of+Language+Data&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Flanguages.oup.com%2F&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-48"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-48">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20140430100146/http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/articles/media/1994_01_24_thenewrepublic.html">"Steven Pinker. Grammar Puss"</a>. Pinker.wjh.harvard.edu. 1992-10-04. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/articles/media/1994_01_24_thenewrepublic.html">the original</a> on 2014-04-30<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2011-02-21</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.btitle=Steven+Pinker.+Grammar+Puss&amp;rft.pub=Pinker.wjh.harvard.edu&amp;rft.date=1992-10-04&amp;rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fpinker.wjh.harvard.edu%2Farticles%2Fmedia%2F1994_01_24_thenewrepublic.html&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-49"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-49">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLyons1981" class="citation book cs1">Lyons, John L. (1981). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/languagelinguist0000lyon"><i>Language and Linguistics: An Introduction</i></a></span>. Cambridge University Press. p.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/languagelinguist0000lyon/page/50">50</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-23034-9" title="Special:BookSources/0-521-23034-9"><bdi>0-521-23034-9</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-01-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Language+and+Linguistics%3A+An+Introduction&amp;rft.pages=50&amp;rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&amp;rft.date=1981&amp;rft.isbn=0-521-23034-9&amp;rft.aulast=Lyons&amp;rft.aufirst=John+L.&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Flanguagelinguist0000lyon&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-50"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-50">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHill1997" class="citation book cs1">Hill, Alette Olin (1997). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=SAY5idFoyS8C&amp;pg=PA104">"Pronoun Envy"</a>. In Carolyn Logan (ed.). <i>Counterbalance: Gendered Perspectives on Writing and Language</i>. Broadview Press. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55111-127-6" title="Special:BookSources/1-55111-127-6"><bdi>1-55111-127-6</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-01-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=bookitem&amp;rft.atitle=Pronoun+Envy&amp;rft.btitle=Counterbalance%3A+Gendered+Perspectives+on+Writing+and+Language&amp;rft.pub=Broadview+Press&amp;rft.date=1997&amp;rft.isbn=1-55111-127-6&amp;rft.aulast=Hill&amp;rft.aufirst=Alette+Olin&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3DSAY5idFoyS8C%26pg%3DPA104&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-51"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-51">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFKroeger2004" class="citation book cs1">Kroeger, Paul R. (2004). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=ps1M-uXTrj4C&amp;pg=PA4"><i>Analyzing Syntax: A Lexical-Functional Approach</i></a>. Cambridge University Press. p.&#160;4. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-81623-8" title="Special:BookSources/0-521-81623-8"><bdi>0-521-81623-8</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-01-16</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Analyzing+Syntax%3A+A+Lexical-Functional+Approach&amp;rft.pages=4&amp;rft.pub=Cambridge+University+Press&amp;rft.date=2004&amp;rft.isbn=0-521-81623-8&amp;rft.aulast=Kroeger&amp;rft.aufirst=Paul+R.&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3Dps1M-uXTrj4C%26pg%3DPA4&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-52"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-52">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFBryson2001" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Bill_Bryson" title="Bill Bryson">Bryson, Bill</a> (2001) [1990]. <i>The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way</i>. HarperCollins. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-380-71543-0" title="Special:BookSources/0-380-71543-0"><bdi>0-380-71543-0</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+Mother+Tongue%3A+English+and+How+It+Got+That+Way&amp;rft.pub=HarperCollins&amp;rft.date=2001&amp;rft.isbn=0-380-71543-0&amp;rft.aulast=Bryson&amp;rft.aufirst=Bill&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span>, p.137.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-53"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-53">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFLederer2003" class="citation book cs1">Lederer, Richard (2003). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/manofmywordsrefl00lede"><i>A Man of My Words: Reflections on the English Language</i></a></span>. St. Martin's Press. p.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/manofmywordsrefl00lede/page/n265">248</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-312-31785-9" title="Special:BookSources/0-312-31785-9"><bdi>0-312-31785-9</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2007-01-27</span></span>. <q>split infinitive Lowth.</q></cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=A+Man+of+My+Words%3A+Reflections+on+the+English+Language&amp;rft.pages=248&amp;rft.pub=St.+Martin%27s+Press&amp;rft.date=2003&amp;rft.isbn=0-312-31785-9&amp;rft.aulast=Lederer&amp;rft.aufirst=Richard&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fmanofmywordsrefl00lede&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-54"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-54">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Jeremy Butterfield (2008). <i>Damp Squid: The English Language Laid Bare</i>. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 978-0-19-923906. p. 136.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-55"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-55">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">"It is exceedingly difficult to find any authority who condemns the split infinitive—Theodore Bernstein, H. W. Fowler, Ernest Gowers, Eric Partridge, Rudolph Flesch, Wilson Follett, Roy H. Copperud, and others too tedious to enumerate here all agree that there is no logical reason not to split an infinitive."—Bryson (1990), p. 144.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Columbia-56"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Columbia_56-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Columbia_56-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFWilson1993" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Kenneth_G._Wilson_(author)" title="Kenneth G. Wilson (author)">Wilson, Kenneth G.</a> (1993). <span class="id-lock-registration" title="Free registration required"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/columbiaguidetos00wils_0"><i>The Columbia Guide to Standard American English</i></a></span>. Columbia University Press. pp.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/columbiaguidetos00wils_0/page/410">410</a>–411. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-231-06989-8" title="Special:BookSources/0-231-06989-8"><bdi>0-231-06989-8</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2009-11-12</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+Columbia+Guide+to+Standard+American+English&amp;rft.pages=410-411&amp;rft.pub=Columbia+University+Press&amp;rft.date=1993&amp;rft.isbn=0-231-06989-8&amp;rft.aulast=Wilson&amp;rft.aufirst=Kenneth+G.&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fcolumbiaguidetos00wils_0&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-57"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-57">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFogarty2011" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Mignon_Fogarty" title="Mignon Fogarty">Fogarty, Mignon</a> (2011). <i>The Ultimate Writing Guide for Students</i>. New York: Henry Holt &amp; Company. pp.&#160;17–18. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0805089448" title="Special:BookSources/978-0805089448"><bdi>978-0805089448</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+Ultimate+Writing+Guide+for+Students&amp;rft.place=New+York&amp;rft.pages=17-18&amp;rft.pub=Henry+Holt+%26+Company&amp;rft.date=2011&amp;rft.isbn=978-0805089448&amp;rft.aulast=Fogarty&amp;rft.aufirst=Mignon&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-58"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-58">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20041025105319/http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutgrammar/splitinfinitives?view=uk">"Split infinitives&#160;: Oxford Dictionaries Online"</a>. Askoxford.com. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.askoxford.com/asktheexperts/faq/aboutgrammar/splitinfinitives?view=uk">the original</a> on October 25, 2004<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2011-02-21</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.btitle=Split+infinitives+%3A+Oxford+Dictionaries+Online&amp;rft.pub=Askoxford.com&amp;rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.askoxford.com%2Fasktheexperts%2Ffaq%2Faboutgrammar%2Fsplitinfinitives%3Fview%3Duk&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-59"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-59">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFowler1996" class="citation book cs1">Fowler, H. W. (1996). Burchfield, R. W (ed.). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/newfowlersmodern00fowl/page/738"><i>The New Fowler's Modern English Usage</i></a>. Clarendon Press. p.&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/newfowlersmodern00fowl/page/738">738</a>. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-19-869126-2" title="Special:BookSources/0-19-869126-2"><bdi>0-19-869126-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+New+Fowler%27s+Modern+English+Usage&amp;rft.pages=738&amp;rft.pub=Clarendon+Press&amp;rft.date=1996&amp;rft.isbn=0-19-869126-2&amp;rft.aulast=Fowler&amp;rft.aufirst=H.+W.&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fnewfowlersmodern00fowl%2Fpage%2F738&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-60"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-60">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFThe_Economist2012" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/The_Economist" title="The Economist">The Economist</a> (2012). <i>The Economist Style Guide</i> (10th&#160;ed.). Profile. p.&#160;70. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-84668-606-1" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-84668-606-1"><bdi>978-1-84668-606-1</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+Economist+Style+Guide&amp;rft.pages=70&amp;rft.edition=10th&amp;rft.pub=Profile&amp;rft.date=2012&amp;rft.isbn=978-1-84668-606-1&amp;rft.au=The+Economist&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-61"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-61">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFRobert_Lane_Greene_(writing_as_&quot;Johnson2018" class="citation news cs1"><a href="/wiki/Robert_Lane_Greene" title="Robert Lane Greene">Robert Lane Greene</a> (writing as "Johnson (26 April 2018). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.economist.com/news/books-and-arts/21741127-boldly-go-where-grammarians-have-feared-tread-ban-split-infinitives">"The ban on split infinitives is an idea whose time never came"</a>. <i>The Economist</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">28 April</span> 2018</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=article&amp;rft.jtitle=The+Economist&amp;rft.atitle=The+ban+on+split+infinitives+is+an+idea+whose+time+never+came&amp;rft.date=2018-04-26&amp;rft.au=Robert+Lane+Greene+%28writing+as+%22Johnson&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.economist.com%2Fnews%2Fbooks-and-arts%2F21741127-boldly-go-where-grammarians-have-feared-tread-ban-split-infinitives&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-62"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-62">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFThe_EconomistWroe2018" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/The_Economist" title="The Economist">The Economist</a>; Wroe, Ann (2018). <i>The Economist Style Guide</i> (12th&#160;ed.). Profile. split infinitives. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-78283-348-2" title="Special:BookSources/978-1-78283-348-2"><bdi>978-1-78283-348-2</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=The+Economist+Style+Guide&amp;rft.pages=split+infinitives&amp;rft.edition=12th&amp;rft.pub=Profile&amp;rft.date=2018&amp;rft.isbn=978-1-78283-348-2&amp;rft.au=The+Economist&amp;rft.au=Wroe%2C+Ann&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-63"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-63">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20060619093847/http://www.bartleby.com/61/55/S0655500.html">"Homework Help and Textbook Solutions &#124; bartleby"</a>. <i>www.bartleby.com</i>. Archived from <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.bartleby.com/">the original</a> on June 19, 2006.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.jtitle=www.bartleby.com&amp;rft.atitle=Homework+Help+and+Textbook+Solutions+%26%23124%3B+bartleby&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bartleby.com%2F&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Fowler_1926,_p._559-64"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-Fowler_1926,_p._559_64-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-Fowler_1926,_p._559_64-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text">Fowler (1926), p. 559.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Trask-65"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Trask_65-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFTrask2001" class="citation book cs1"><a href="/wiki/Larry_Trask" title="Larry Trask">Trask, R. L.</a> (2001). Penguin Books (ed.). <i>Mind The Gaffe</i>. London: Penguin. pp.&#160;269–70. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-14-051476-7" title="Special:BookSources/0-14-051476-7"><bdi>0-14-051476-7</bdi></a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Mind+The+Gaffe&amp;rft.place=London&amp;rft.pages=269-70&amp;rft.pub=Penguin&amp;rft.date=2001&amp;rft.isbn=0-14-051476-7&amp;rft.aulast=Trask&amp;rft.aufirst=R.+L.&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-66"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-66">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">With a slight change in meaning: she could have a teddy bear collection without having collected it herself, e.g., if she bought it in its entirety.</span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=18" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFowler1926" class="citation book cs1">Fowler, H. W. (1926). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://archive.org/details/dli.bengal.10689.920"><i>Modern English Usage</i></a>. Clarendon Press.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=book&amp;rft.btitle=Modern+English+Usage&amp;rft.pub=Clarendon+Press&amp;rft.date=1926&amp;rft.aulast=Fowler&amp;rft.aufirst=H.+W.&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Farchive.org%2Fdetails%2Fdli.bengal.10689.920&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFHall1882" class="citation journal cs1">Hall, Fitzedward (1882). "On the Separation, by a Word or Words, of to and the Infinitive Mood". <i>American Journal of Philology</i>. <b>3</b> (9). The Johns Hopkins University Press: 17–24. <a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.2307%2F287307">10.2307/287307</a>. <a href="/wiki/JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a>&#160;<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/287307">287307</a>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=article&amp;rft.jtitle=American+Journal+of+Philology&amp;rft.atitle=On+the+Separation%2C+by+a+Word+or+Words%2C+of+to+and+the+Infinitive+Mood&amp;rft.volume=3&amp;rft.issue=9&amp;rft.pages=17-24&amp;rft.date=1882&amp;rft_id=info%3Adoi%2F10.2307%2F287307&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.jstor.org%2Fstable%2F287307%23id-name%3DJSTOR&amp;rft.aulast=Hall&amp;rft.aufirst=Fitzedward&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFNagle1994" class="citation book cs1">Nagle, Stephen (1994). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://books.google.com/books?id=25yCVi0AA4cC&amp;q=Nagle+split+infinitive+infl&amp;pg=PA234">"Infl in Early Modern English and the status of <i>to</i>"</a>. In Dieter Kastovsky (ed.). <i>Studies in Early Modern English</i>. Berlin; New York: Mouton de Gruyter. pp.&#160;233–242. <a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/3-11-014127-2" title="Special:BookSources/3-11-014127-2"><bdi>3-11-014127-2</bdi></a><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2006-10-27</span></span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&amp;rft.genre=bookitem&amp;rft.atitle=Infl+in+Early+Modern+English+and+the+status+of+to&amp;rft.btitle=Studies+in+Early+Modern+English&amp;rft.place=Berlin%3B+New+York&amp;rft.pages=233-242&amp;rft.pub=Mouton+de+Gruyter&amp;rft.date=1994&amp;rft.isbn=3-11-014127-2&amp;rft.aulast=Nagle&amp;rft.aufirst=Stephen&amp;rft_id=https%3A%2F%2Fbooks.google.com%2Fbooks%3Fid%3D25yCVi0AA4cC%26q%3DNagle%2Bsplit%2Binfinitive%2Binfl%26pg%3DPA234&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Further_reading">Further reading</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=19" title="Edit section: Further reading"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://alt-usage-english.org/excerpts/fxspliti.html">AUE: The alt.usage.english Home Page</a> FAQ entry on split infinitives.</li> <li><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><cite id="CITEREFFogarty2010" class="citation web cs1"><a href="/wiki/Mignon_Fogarty" title="Mignon Fogarty">Fogarty, Mignon</a> (20 August 2010). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/split-infinitives.aspx">"Split Infinitives"</a>. <i>Quick and Dirty Tips</i>. Macmillan<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">5 April</span> 2011</span>.</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&amp;rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&amp;rft.genre=unknown&amp;rft.jtitle=Quick+and+Dirty+Tips&amp;rft.atitle=Split+Infinitives&amp;rft.date=2010-08-20&amp;rft.aulast=Fogarty&amp;rft.aufirst=Mignon&amp;rft_id=http%3A%2F%2Fgrammar.quickanddirtytips.com%2Fsplit-infinitives.aspx&amp;rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fen.wikipedia.org%3ASplit+infinitive" class="Z3988"></span></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Rodney_Huddleston" title="Rodney Huddleston">Huddleston, Rodney D.</a> and <a href="/wiki/Geoffrey_Pullum" class="mw-redirect" title="Geoffrey Pullum">Pullum, Geoffrey K.</a> (2002). <i>The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language</i>, <a href="/wiki/Cambridge_University_Press" title="Cambridge University Press">Cambridge University Press</a>. <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238218222"><a href="/wiki/ISBN_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="ISBN (identifier)">ISBN</a>&#160;<a href="/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-43146-8" title="Special:BookSources/0-521-43146-8">0-521-43146-8</a>. (<i>See especially pp.&#160;581–582.</i>)</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.bartleby.com/68/76/5676.html"><i>The Columbia Guide to Standard American English</i></a></li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="External_links">External links</h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Split_infinitive&amp;action=edit&amp;section=20" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1235611614">.mw-parser-output .spoken-wikipedia{border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:var(--background-color-interactive-subtle,#f8f9fa);margin:0.5em 0;padding:0.2em;line-height:1.5em;font-size:90%}.mw-parser-output .spoken-wikipedia-header{text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .spoken-wikipedia-listen-to{font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .spoken-wikipedia-files{text-align:center;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:0.4em}.mw-parser-output .spoken-wikipedia-icon{float:left;margin-left:5px;margin-top:10px}.mw-parser-output .spoken-wikipedia-disclaimer{margin-left:60px;margin-top:10px;font-size:95%;line-height:1.4em}.mw-parser-output .spoken-wikipedia-footer{margin-top:10px;text-align:center}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .spoken-wikipedia{width:20em;float:right;clear:right;margin-left:1em}}</style><div class="spoken-wikipedia noprint haudio"><div class="spoken-wikipedia-header"><span class="spoken-wikipedia-listen-to">Listen to this article</span> (<span class="duration"><span class="min">15</span> minutes</span>)</div><div class="spoken-wikipedia-files"><figure class="mw-halign-center" typeof="mw:File"><span><audio id="mwe_player_0" controls="" preload="none" data-mw-tmh="" class="mw-file-element" width="200" style="width:200px;" data-durationhint="908" data-mwtitle="Split_infinitive.ogg" data-mwprovider="wikimediacommons"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/Split_infinitive.ogg" type="audio/ogg; codecs=&quot;vorbis&quot;" data-width="0" data-height="0" /><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/08/Split_infinitive.ogg/Split_infinitive.ogg.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" data-transcodekey="mp3" data-width="0" data-height="0" /></audio></span><figcaption></figcaption></figure> </div><div class="spoken-wikipedia-icon"><span typeof="mw:File"><span title="Spoken Wikipedia"><img alt="Spoken Wikipedia icon" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Sound-icon.svg/45px-Sound-icon.svg.png" decoding="async" width="45" height="34" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Sound-icon.svg/68px-Sound-icon.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/47/Sound-icon.svg/90px-Sound-icon.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="96" /></span></span></div><div class="spoken-wikipedia-disclaimer"><a href="/wiki/File:Split_infinitive.ogg" title="File:Split infinitive.ogg">This audio file</a> was created from a revision of this article dated 13&#160;March&#160;2005<span style="display:none">&#160;(<span class="bday dtstart published updated itvstart">2005-03-13</span>)</span>, and does not reflect subsequent edits.</div><div class="spoken-wikipedia-footer">(<a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Media_help" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Media help">Audio help</a>&#160;· <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Spoken_articles" title="Wikipedia:Spoken articles">More spoken articles</a>)</div></div> <!-- NewPP limit report Parsed by mw‐web.eqiad.main‐5dc468848‐cxzfx Cached time: 20241122140632 Cache expiry: 2592000 Reduced expiry: false Complications: [vary‐revision‐sha1, show‐toc] CPU time usage: 0.581 seconds Real time usage: 0.697 seconds Preprocessor visited node count: 4519/1000000 Post‐expand include size: 105833/2097152 bytes Template argument size: 3214/2097152 bytes Highest expansion depth: 16/100 Expensive parser function count: 4/500 Unstrip recursion depth: 1/20 Unstrip post‐expand size: 208739/5000000 bytes Lua time usage: 0.330/10.000 seconds Lua memory usage: 6238689/52428800 bytes Number of Wikibase entities loaded: 0/400 --> <!-- Transclusion expansion time report (%,ms,calls,template) 100.00% 613.808 1 -total 61.09% 374.994 1 Template:Reflist 39.68% 243.552 39 Template:Cite_book 10.61% 65.139 1 Template:Short_description 6.53% 40.073 1 Template:Spoken_Wikipedia 6.39% 39.218 2 Template:Pagetype 5.36% 32.902 2 Template:Fix 5.16% 31.662 1 Template:POV_statement 4.37% 26.799 7 Template:Cite_journal 4.05% 24.885 3 Template:ISBN --> <!-- Saved in parser cache with key enwiki:pcache:idhash:28900-0!canonical and timestamp 20241122140632 and revision id 1250936930. 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