Opted Usage

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me.prasanna: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Sat May 09, 2009 3:26 am

by me.prasanna » Mon May 11, 2009 10:57 am

Sentence:

Suffering from his injuries, John opted not to run in the race

A.) opted not to run in the race

B.) opted to not run in the race

Which one is correct A or B

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Sentence Correction | Mon May 11, 2009 10:57 am

abhinav85: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 179; Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2008 4:41 am; Thanked: 2 times

by abhinav85 » Mon May 11, 2009 11:43 am

A is right

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asdf29: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 19; Joined: Tue Mar 10, 2009 10:25 am; GMAT Score:750

by asdf29 » Tue May 12, 2009 12:13 pm

I think they are both correct but have different meanings. Does anyone have any explanations?

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Jose Ferreira: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 99; Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2009 5:14 pmFollowed by: 9 members; Location: NYC; Thanked: 43 times; GMAT Score:800

by Jose Ferreira » Tue May 12, 2009 2:49 pm

Answer A is correct, because B has a "split infinitive."

Any time you put the word "to" next to a verb stem, you have an infinitive:
to jump
to run
to be
to read

One of the more arbitrary rules in English grammar states that we are not allowed to separate the "to" from the verb.

This principle can lead to some conversationally awkward, yet grammatically correct, sentences:
"I promise never to watch that movie again."

Jose Ferreira
Founder and CEO, Knewton, Inc.
https://www.knewton.com/gmat

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