Split infinitive

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confuse mind: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 462; Joined: Wed Jan 19, 2011 1:08 pmFollowed by: 4 members; Thanked: 10 times

by confuse mind » Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:16 am

Does GMAT have a recommendation for/against split infinitives?

Which of the following is the correct/recommended way of writing on GMAT?

The instructor wants the students to quickly solve the puzzle.

The instructor wants the students to solve the puzzle quickly

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:16 am

kartikshah: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 156; Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2012 12:03 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Location: New York, USA; Thanked: 34 times

by kartikshah » Sat Jul 21, 2012 4:57 am

As a general rule, adverbs should be placed as near as possible to the words they modify.
'The instructor wants the students to quickly solve the puzzle.' is correct

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Sat Jul 21, 2012 7:13 am

confuse mind wrote:Does GMAT have a recommendation for/against split infinitives?

Which of the following is the correct/recommended way of writing on GMAT?

The instructor wants the students to quickly solve the puzzle.

The instructor wants the students to solve the puzzle quickly

Aside: An infinitive is essentially "to" + a verb. Examples: to run, to think, to ski, etc.

As a general rule, we shouldn't split infinitives.
"To go boldly" is preferable to "To boldly go"

I don't believe I've ever seen an official GMAT question that tests this distinction. However, I would be very surprised to see a split infinitive as the correct answer in a Sentence Correction question.

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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vk_vinayak: Legendary Member; Posts: 502; Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:36 pmFollowed by: 21 members; Thanked: 99 times

by vk_vinayak » Sat Jul 21, 2012 7:25 am

kartikshah wrote:As a general rule, adverbs should be placed as near as possible to the words they modify.
'The instructor wants the students to quickly solve the puzzle.' is correct

NOPE.

"to solve" is an infinitive and nothing should come between "to" and "solve"

So, therefore The instructor wants the students to quickly solve the puzzle. is wrong.

And, The instructor wants the students to solve the puzzle quickly is correct.

If there is no 'to' then you can put adverb and verb closely.

Ex: I frequently walk to the store. >> Correct
He quickly ran towards the bus >> Correct
His friend asked him to quickly run towards the bus >> Incorrect.

- VK

I will (Learn. Recognize. Apply)

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kartikshah: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 156; Joined: Sun Jul 15, 2012 12:03 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Location: New York, USA; Thanked: 34 times

by kartikshah » Sat Jul 21, 2012 3:41 pm

@ VK_VINAYAK:
Not splitting infinitives is an old rule of grammar and sometimes it leads to awkward constructions. Moreover, most native speakers of English (American and British) would split infinitives in both - informal and formal - speech and writing, if required.

Consider this example:
"Email and ask him to provide a quote immediately."

By not splitting the infinitive here, we are creating miscues. Does the sentence want to say:

"Email immediately and ask him to provide a quote."

OR

"Email and ask him to immediately provide a quote." ?

By splitting the infinitive, it may become possible, at times, to clear this confusion.

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vk_vinayak: Legendary Member; Posts: 502; Joined: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:36 pmFollowed by: 21 members; Thanked: 99 times

by vk_vinayak » Sat Jul 21, 2012 11:55 pm

kartikshah wrote:@ VK_VINAYAK:
Not splitting infinitives is an old rule of grammar and sometimes it leads to awkward constructions. Moreover, most native speakers of English (American and British) would split infinitives in both - informal and formal - speech and writing, if required.

Consider this example:
"Email and ask him to provide a quote immediately."

By not splitting the infinitive here, we are creating miscues. Does the sentence want to say:

"Email immediately and ask him to provide a quote."

OR

"Email and ask him to immediately provide a quote." ?

By splitting the infinitive, it may become possible, at times, to clear this confusion.

Most of the time people, even native, do not adhere to grammar while speaking. But, in GMAT, splitting the infinitive is wrong.

- VK

I will (Learn. Recognize. Apply)

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