THE ‘SPLIT INFINITIVE’ (OR INVASIVE ADVERB) AS CULTURAL EMBLEM
THE ‘SPLIT INFINITIVE’ (OR INVASIVE ADVERB) AS CULTURAL EMBLEM

Summary/Abstract: The use and forbiddance of the ‘split’ or ‘cleft’ infinitive in modern English is a famous source of controversy, irritation and incomprehension. In reality this particular idiom is more complex than at first appears: it involves a cocktail of issues, grammatical, semantic, rhythmic and aesthetic. I shall attempt to briefly clarify the status of the ‘split’ infinitive, and to show that caution about it is deeply rooted in the historical development both of the English language and of English stylistics.

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