User Profile
Add Friend
Add Note
Track User
Send Message
Send V-Gift
infinitivesplit's Journal
don't wake me up
Created on 2004-03-14 20:01:05 (#2512520), last updated 2009-01-27
547 comments received, 786 comments posted
Basic Account [Gift]
393 Journal Entries, 0 Tags, 9 Memories, 0 Virtual Gifts, 3 Userpics
Basic Info| Name: | you should know it already |
|---|---|
| Location: | Brooklyn, New York, United States |
BioPersonal: www.myspace.com/infinitivesplit
Promotional: www.myspace.com/werulethestreets
***
The infinitive is the unconjugated, or root, form of the verb. For example, to be in English, être in French, esse in Latin; or to love in English, aimer in French, amare in Latin. Notice how the infinitive in English is two words, but only one word in French or Latin.
When Latin was a high-status language, grammarians used to try to force the rules of Latin onto English, a language with a rather different grammar. One such rule they invented was "do not split an infinitive" -- that is, do not put anything between the to and the rest of the verb. Their reasoning seems to be that, since it is impossible to split the single-word infinitive in Latin, one shouldn't split it in English, either. So, something like to boldly go is beyond the pale, according to these Latin grammarians.
***
"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."
-- Bill Bryson, Mother Tongue, 1990
ConnectInterests (1):
idecidednottoputanythingherejustcause
External Services:
 | infinitivesplit@livejournal.com |
Friends [View Entries] Friends (59):
_swallow, abominus, agentmelo, altclar, anais67, anatsuno, apesonlsd, artnymph29, askheychris, bellyache, blanketdream, bombaygin, bratsunderrated, butt_sex, calculette, cassandraclare, closedistances, dr_aj, drawn2the_stars, dunkedinmilk, eleveninches, emily_spinach, ex_i_amcland189, ex_ohoneohon659, ex_part_time416, frown, glassinthetrees, heartsinchicago, hurleylovesyou, iwalkintodoors, jenwithaheart, jessytai, karabou, kay_taylor, kickthebeat, lanthanide, leestone, likeawhirlwind, lostvanitas, marrymehowie, mostlikely2, museumfreak, myboyrobot, myth, nocolorblue, octoberstory, petitio, quartertosix, rockthecorner, ry_black_attack, sangredulce, smileslie, the_ally_llama, tofty, tradescant, whitecosmo, wickedchildhood, windysky, xandria
Friend of (51):
_swallow, agentmelo, altclar, anatsuno, apesonlsd, artnymph29, bellyache, blanketdream, bombaygin, bratsunderrated, britpoptarts, calculette, closedistances, cyberdivalive, cyborganize, dr_aj, drawn2the_stars, dunkedinmilk, emily_spinach, frown, glassinthetrees, heartsinchicago, hkygal21, holyman, jenwithaheart, jessytai, karabou, kay_taylor, kickthebeat, lanthanide, leestone, likeawhirlwind, lineofthreat, marrymehowie, mostlikely2, museumfreak, myboyrobot, myth, nocolorblue, octoberstory, petitio, quartertosix, rockthecorner, sangredulce, shsuangel, tofty, tradescant, tricksterquinn, whitecosmo, wickedchildhood, xandria
Communities [View Entries] Watching (9):
blog_sociology, cmanthropology, cobra_starship, evalinemusic, fbrsoutheast, forgive_durden, lj_research, nicejewishgirls, postqueer
Member of (23):
applyingtograd, blog_sociology, ciwwaf, cmanthropology, cobra_crew, cobra_starship, evalinemusic, fbrsoutheast, forgive_durden, gymclassheroes, lj_research, ljatlanta, nicejewishgirls, octoberfall, patd, postqueer, powerspacerock, teachforamerica, tfa_quitters, theacademyis, thisprovidence, virtucomm, wranglers
Feeds [View Entries] Watching (2):
