What does split infinitive mean?
Definitions for split infinitive
split infini·tive
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word split infinitive.
Princeton's WordNet
split infinitivenoun
an infinitive with an adverb between `to' and the verb (e.g., `to boldly go')
GCIDE
Split infinitive
A simple infinitive with to, having a modifier between the verb and the to; as in, to largely decrease. Called also cleft infinitive. The use of the split infinitive is commonly considered to be ungrammatical, but by most grammarians it is considered acceptible.
Wiktionary
split infinitivenoun
an infinitive with one or more modifiers inserted between the to and the verb
Wikipedia
Split infinitive
A split infinitive is a grammatical construction in which an adverb or adverbial phrase separates the "to" and "infinitive" constituents of what was traditionally called the full infinitive, but is more commonly known in modern linguistics as the to-infinitive (e.g. to go). In the history of English language aesthetics, the split infinitive was often deprecated, despite its prevalence in colloquial speech. The opening sequence of the Star Trek television series contains a well-known example, "to boldly go where no man has gone before", wherein the adverb boldly was said to split the full infinitive, to go. Multiple words may split a to-infinitive, such as: "The population is expected to more than double in the next ten years." In the 19th century, some linguistic prescriptivists sought to introduce a rule proscribing 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.The split infinitive 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.
ChatGPT
split infinitive
A split infinitive is a grammatical construction in English where an adverb or adverbial phrase is inserted between the "to" and the verb of an infinitive. Examples include "to boldly go", "to quickly run", or "to thoroughly understand". The use of split infinitives remains a controversial topic in English language usage debates.
Wikidata
Split infinitive
A split infinitive is an English-language grammatical construction in which a word or phrase, usually an adverb or adverbial phrase, comes between the marker to and the bare infinitive form of a verb. For example, a split infinitive occurs in the opening sequence of the Star Trek television series: to boldly go where no man has gone before. Here, the adverb "boldly" splits the full infinitive "to go". More rarely, the term compound split infinitive is used to describe situations in which the infinitive is split by more than one word: The population is expected to more than double in the next ten years. As the split infinitive became more common in the 19th century, some grammatical authorities sought to introduce a prescriptive rule against it. The construction is still the subject of disagreement among native English speakers as to whether it is grammatically correct or good style: "No other grammatical issue has so divided English speakers since the split infinitive was declared to be a solecism in the 19c [19th century]: raise the subject of English usage in any conversation today and it is sure to be mentioned". However, most modern English usage guides have dropped the objection to the split infinitive.
Matched Categories
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of split infinitive in Chaldean Numerology is: 2
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of split infinitive in Pythagorean Numerology is: 4
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"split infinitive." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 26 Apr. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/split+infinitive>.
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