Which Sentence Best Uses A Split Infinitive To Create Emphasis?

Is It OK to Split an Infinitive?

Summary

In a split infinitive, a word is inserted between to and the verb. There is nix grammatically wrong with splitting an infinitive. In fact, doing so may sometimes exist the more natural option.

Examples

We are fortunate to not know what the future holds.
Use this app to regularly change your password.

Infinitives are commonly split by adverbs, which modify verbs. Placing adverbs just before the verb can help clarify meaning.

Example

Our new software allows your car to automatically drive in rush-hour traffic.

It also helps emphasize the adverb.

Examples

Divide infinitive: You don't have to know someone long to truly care about them.
Alternative: You don't have to know someone long to care truly about them.

With adverbs like not, never, soon, and but, splitting the infinitive can help convey exact meaning.

Examples

Maya hopes to never run out of dreams.

to just expect

Tabular array of contents

What is a dissever infinitive?
Is it wrong to split an infinitive?
Accent and pregnant
When do split up infinitives occur?
1. When an intensifier splits the infinitive
2. When not splits the infinitive
3. When just, only, and the like divide the infinitive
Examples from literature
When to not split the infinitive
Separate verbs
Usage guide

What is a carve up infinitive?

An infinitive (to get, to win, to sing) is split when an chemical element, usually an adverb, appears between to and the verb.

Examples

Farley wants to never worry about the hereafter once again.
I would like to amend understand your needs.
We ask everyone to kindly plow off their mobile phones.
It's OK to sometimes break rules, particularly if they don't make sense.

Some purists insist that infinitives should never exist dissever. They would accept the examples above rewritten thus:

Examples

Farley wants never to worry about the future again.
I would like to sympathise your needs better.
Nosotros ask everyone to turn off kindly their mobile phones.
It's OK to break rules sometimes, specially if they don't make sense.

Is it wrong to split an infinitive?

It is fine to split an infinitive in English. The injunction to not split infinitives, which dates back to Victorian times, is based neither on English grammar nor on actual usage. Most people regularly suspension this "rule" without even realizing it. For example, did you notice that an infinitive was divide in the showtime sentence of this paragraph?

Instance

The injunction to not split infinitives is unreasonable.

Some people accept stylistic objections. Peradventure because Latin does non let the infinitive to exist split, they consider a split infinitive inelegant. However, in Latin, the infinitive is ane give-and-take, whereas in English, the infinitive comprises 2 words, a particle plus a verb ( to + split ), which tin hands and meaningfully be split. In fact, sometimes, non splitting the infinitive can lead to ambivalence or loss of intended emphasis.

Accent and meaning

Splitting an infinitive helps emphasize the adverb.

Examples

People tend to immediately go upset if you lot step on their toes.
Tumkin hopes to e'er find gold when he needs it.

Consider the famous introductory spoken language from the TV show Star Trek:

Its continuing mission . . .to boldly go where no i has gone before.

We could rephrase ("to go boldly where no ane has gone before"), only boldly would then lose its emphasis. The narrator does non desire to speak merely of going to new worlds merely about the boldness of these expeditions. Interestingly, emphasizing the adverb can be of import not just in space travel but also on Globe.

Example

Scary: I am going to utterly crush yous.
Less scary: I am going to crush y'all utterly.

Here are some more examples of when you might desire to carve up an infinitive to lay stress on the adverb.

Examples

Make sure to always turn off the engine before you leave the spacecraft.
Exist careful not to inadvertently press the Launch button.
Poco needs to not yell at his crew anymore.
Do you intend to at to the lowest degree endeavour, or are y'all going to merely give up?

Also consider this example in which an editor splits the infinitive, and her sentence sounds perfectly natural and meaningful.

Example

Editors are scribes liberated to not simply record and disseminate information, but think hard nearly information technology, translate, and ultimately, influence it.

Apart from shifting accent, adverb placement tin can directly affect meaning.

Examples

I actually want to clean this place upwards.
conveys determination to clean the place
I desire to really clean this place up.
emphasizes how very make clean the place volition be
Anita secretly likes to lookout man reality shows.
It is a secret that she likes to picket these shows.
Anita likes to secretly watch reality shows.
She likes watching them when nobody else knows she's doing it.

Caution

Before you split an infinitive, think about where yous should place your adverb.

Example

Meaning one: Rita obviously wants to win the match today.
It is obvious that Rita wants to win.
Meaning two: Rita wants to manifestly win the lucifer today.
She wants to win in an obvious manner.

Brand sure to identify the adverb correctly. Sometimes, the split infinitive is the better pick.

Example

Poor: Anita apace wants to stop her piece of work and become dwelling house.
It'southward not the wanting that's quick.
Better: Anita wants to quickly finish her work and become home.

When practise split infinitives occur?

Adverbs like never, non, ever, truly, and shortly often split the infinitive. These adverbs generally appear right before the verbs they modify, both for clarity and accent.

Examples

Nesbit drank an elixir to never go old.
I promise to ever dear you.
Farley hopes to soon detect a chore.
Poco wants to eventually outset his own company.
Maya expects to finally start traveling in February.

When an intensifier splits the infinitive

Y'all may often observe intensifiers like really and truly splitting infinitives.

Examples

Farley hopes to really make a difference this time.
Poco wants to totally revamp the product line.
Exercise you want to truly and completely immerse yourself in the yogic fashion of life?

When not splits the infinitive

When the word not is used, splitting the infinitive can exist necessary both to significant and emphasis.

Example

Carve up infinitive: Farley is running away to Mexico to non get arrested.
Alternative: Farley is running away to Mexico non to become arrested.

The reader expects the "not to" in the alternative to be followed by a "but to"—perhaps Farley is running away to Mexico not to become arrested but to find a cure for his athlete'due south foot.

Here is another such sentence:

Example

Dissever infinitive: Maya goes to therapy to not exist overcome by low.
Alternative: Maya goes to therapy not to exist overcome by depression.
The split up infinitive is preferable as it makes the meaning clearer and also lays emphasis on not.

When simply, but, and the like carve up the infinitive

For clarity, adverbs like simply and just are generally placed right beside the verbs they alter. Thus, you might need to place them within an infinitive to ensure that not merely the emphasis in a sentence merely also its significant is correct.

Examples

I wanted to only surprise y'all, not scare you.
Endeavour to only poke it a fleck and see what happens.
I wanted to simply die when they chosen my name right in that location in front end of anybody.

Examples from literature

Unnecessarily rewording sentences to avert the carve up infinitive can hurt the period of your writing. Here are some examples from literature, where well-respected writers have split the infinitive when doing and then is the more than natural pick.

Examples

Being a stranger, it would be immodest for me to suddenly and violently assume the editorship of the Buffalo Express without a unmarried give-and-take of comfort or encouragement to the unoffending patrons of the newspaper, who are about to be exposed to constant attacks of my wisdom and learning.
— Mark Twain, "Salutatory," The Buffalo Express, August 18, 1869
It seemed that he had caught the fish himself, years ago, when he was quite a lad; not by any art or skill, only by that unaccountable luck that appears to always wait upon a boy when he plays the wag from school.
I take studied, over and again since they came into my easily, all the papers relating to this monster, and the more I have studied, the greater seems the necessity to utterly stamp him out.
I'd like to just become 1 of those pink clouds and put you in it and push you around.
I'm trying in all my stories to go the feeling of the actual life across—not to only draw life—or criticize information technology—merely to actually brand information technology alive.
— Ernest Hemingway in a letter to his father (1925), quoted in Hemingway's In Our Time: Lyrical Dimensions, 1992
I don't know what'south worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to go what you've e'er wanted to be, and feel alone.
We decided to never beloved again . . .
— Charles Bukowski, What Matters Most Is How Well You Walk Through the Fire, published 1999

When to non split the infinitive

In full general, not splitting the infinitive is more common than splitting it. Not every adverb needs to exist emphasized, and adverb placement does not always crusade ambiguity. In other words, y'all don't have to separate the infinitive.

Examples

Farley had no choice but to wait hopelessly in the night.
Maya used to trip the light fantastic toe madly in the rain.
"He was compelled to shiver endlessly in the outskirts, getting only feeble warmth . . ."
— Isaac Asimov, Calculation a Dimension: Seventeen Essays on the History of Science, 1966

Split verbs

A split verb occurs when an adverb is placed between the auxiliary verb and the main verb. Some people pout upon dissever verbs, although such usage is perfectly grammatical and natural in idiomatic speech and writing.

Examples

I will always dearest yous.
Nesbit has finally found a way to play video games while doing his piece of work.
Yous should never worry almost splitting verbs.

Usage guide

Separate infinitives are grammatically acceptable and occur naturally in oral communication and writing. Splitting the infinitive can eliminate ambivalence (Farley is working overtime to not become fired) and help emphasize the adverb (Nesbit is going to totally ace this). Quite frequently, it's simpler and amend to divide the infinitive.

Example

Clear: We need to more than simply apologize; we must make reparations.
Tortured: Nosotros demand more than only to repent; we must make reparations.

Write what sounds natural, and make sure your significant is clear. Finally, recall that many bang-up writers take cheerfully split up the infinitive and written the better for information technology.