Silently to judge those who split infinitives in thread titles?

[UptheChimney]

Or:

To judge silently those who split infinitives?

I could make up some bollocks theory about what sort of person would split an infinitive in a thread title , but it'd be bollocks, wouldn't it?

[tobysmum77]

yabu split infinitives aren't even incorrect. It's inventing rules for pedants.

[Permanentlyexhausted]

I think to silently judge them would be absolutely fine.

[natwebb79]

I agree with Toby. And I'm a linguist by profession.

[WhereIsMyGin]

Nothing wrong with splitting infinitives.

So YABU.

NEXT!

[Bettercallsaul1]

I await, with bated breath, your views on the Oxford comma, OP!

[aoife24]

Yes, you would. Explain to me why an infinitive should not be split when it eminently can be in English?

[DoJo]

Thread titles in Latin should definitely not include split infinitives. In English, however, they are fine.

[Bettercallsaul1]

Ita vero, Dojo.

[JeanneDeMontbaston]

Silently to judge much more elegant. The thread title sets my teeth on edge.

I think the OP knows split infinitives are bollocks, somehow.

If we're being really daft, it'd be even more proper to judge them in silence, adverbs being considered infra dig.

[QuacksLikeADuck]

Hi OP, I thought it best to read up on split infinitives before replying. But after consulting Wikipedia I have to say that if it's good enough for Star Trek then it's good enough for me!

"To boldly go... "

[tobysmum77]

I dunno jeanne I once had the miafortune to work in a role that required correct English.... With someone who really did think split infinitives were incorrect and she was always pulling me up on it

[FishWithABicycle]

YABU
Infinitives can't be split in Latin.
Some very silly dead WASP guys thought that therefore we shouldn't split them in English.
Pointless pedantry.

[Bakeoffcakes]

What's an infinitive?

[Andrewofgg]

Constat, Dojo et Bettercallsaul1.

[Andrewofgg]

FishWithABicycle How do you know that the pedant was a Protestant?

[Ohanarama]

I got downgraded on my dissertation for split infinitives

[JeanneDeMontbaston]

Why wouldn't he be, andrew?

Codified English gramar broadly postdates the Reformation, surely?

toby - meh, 'correct' as a concept annoys me too. Especially when, even from a prescriptive point of view, it's wrong!

[JeanneDeMontbaston]

• or grammar.

[HugeFurryKnittingBalls]

I think only an english graduate would have a clue what a split infinitive was. I grew up in the 70's which was evidently a desert in terms of grammar. I can just about put a comma in the right place and I'm fairly sure I know where an apostrophe belongs but beyond that I'm obviously a numbskull.

Fancy explaining a split infinitive to those of us who are curious or is it like being a lawyer where you don't actually want the plebs to know?

[JugglingFromHereToThere]

Something with "to" at the beginning Bakeoff ?
eg. to do
to go

etc. etc.

[Pipbin]

Up with this I will not put.

[Bartlebee]

I'm an English grad and atrocious pedant, but I catch myself splitting infinitives.

[JeanneDeMontbaston]

huge.

In Latin, the words 'to go' or 'to walk' or whatever are always one word (eg. 'ambulare,' meaning 'to walk').

For centuries, people had taught Latin grammar as a second language, so it was all codified and there were rules. So when they came to write rules for English (which everyone had just learned normally as a first language), they nicked them from Latin, and said that since in Latin it's all one word, in English the two words 'to walk' should never be separated.

It's bonkers.

But that's why you're meant to write 'Silently to judge' or 'To judge silently' not 'To silently judge'.

[JeanneDeMontbaston]

My grandpa used to say 'up with this I will not put'.

[SconeRhymesWithGone]

And you probably think it's incorrect to begin a sentence with a conjunction, OP.