Along with Singular They and End of Sentence Prepositions, this is one of the ‘rules’ of English Grammar that needs some discussion. As we’ve discovered, many grammar ‘rules’ aren’t just invalid, they are also misleading to new writers. Many began as misinformation and just got passed on—this time we’re going to take close look at one of them: Split Infinitives.
So, what is a split infinitive? An infinitive is a verb of the form ‘to go’, and splitting it involves adding words between the ‘to’ and the verb in question. A famous example is “To boldly go…” where the word ‘boldly’ splits the infinitive ‘to go’. Some infinitives are split by more than one word: “We expect the population to more than double in the next ten years.”
History
Many claim that Robert Lowth mentioned it in A Short Introduction to English Grammar in 1762, but no such comment can be found in any of his writing. In fact, there is nothing in print until 1803, when John Comly said, “An adverb should not be placed between the verb of the infinitive mood and the preposition to, which governs it; as Patiently to wait—not To patiently wait.” Others echoed this new ‘rule’ throughout the rest of the 1800s and into the early 1900s as part of a movement to transfer Latin rules to English. (In Latin, infinitives can’t be split because they are single words e.g., “amare, cantare, audire”.)
Is English Latin?
Some linguists disagreed with this Latinisation of English. (Even Robert Lowth objected to “forcing the English under the rules of a foreign Language.”) Otto Jespersen said “‘To’ is no more an essential part of an infinitive than the definite article is an essential part of a nominative, and no one would think of calling ‘the good man’ a split nominative.” Unfortunately, the 1907 edition of The King’s English concluded: “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.”
Things might have been easier if English had had a controlling body…akin to the:
- Euskaltzaindia for Basque
- Académie française for French
- Foras na Gaeilge for Irish
- Pontificia Academia Latinitatis for Latin
- Ve’e Tu’un Sávi for Mixtec
- Rada Języka Polskiego for Polish
- Bwrdd yr Iaith Gymraeg for Welsh
- or even the Logical Language Group for Loglan.
Unfortunately, English has never had any kind of regulation, so we just have to do with authorities who often disagree.
Currently
Most modern English usage guides have stopped objecting to the split infinitive.
- Oxford Guide: “no such rule” and “never wrong to split.”
- Phillip Howard: “most remembered rule from school” and “great Shibboleth of English.”
- University of Chicago Writing Program: “linguists snickering at it for decades, yet still this false ‘rule’ is taught.”
Our only conclusion can be that this problem is a part of the English language and arguments will continue. As long as you present your ideas clearly, we feel that there is no need to change.