On September 8, 1966, one of the most influential TV shows of all time debuted. interstellar travel is still remembered for its memorable characters, imaginative plot, and daring disregard for the proper treatment of the infinitive of the verb “go”.
For a long time, conjugated infinitives like “to bold go” were considered inappropriate—although some usage experts have questioned whether the infinitive is conjugated. . There’s no logical reason for this rule, and most modern manuals say it’s best to break up a rule for obvious reasons.
Let’s talk about interstellar travelaffects the way we treat split prototype. William Shatner’s voiceover at the beginning of each episode says the mission of the spaceship enterprise is “to boldly go where no one has been.”
Be brave….
ONE split prototype is an English phrase in which an adverb or other word is placed between ARRIVE and a verb, as in “to really begin” or “to finally understand.” The dichotomous infinitives don’t draw criticism as they used to, but they were previously considered inappropriate.
The problem arose when Old English became Middle English. You can’t conjugate an infinitive in Old English, because it’s a much more inflectional language—for example, the verb “to split” would be written as a single word, with a specific ending specifying that it is the infinitive. As our language evolved, it removed many of its variant endings. We know that at least some writers from the 14th century had the habit of placing words in the middle of a ARRIVE and the infinitive of the verb, although it is not so common.
The rule against infinitive, like many of our more irrational rules, comes from a desire to adhere more closely (or, if you prefer, “more closely”) to the conjugation. structure of Latin. As in Old English, Latin infinitives are written as single words: there are no split infinitives, because a single word is difficult to separate. Some linguists have pointed out that English does not conjugate its infinitive, since this word ARRIVE not really a part of the original, but just a subsection of it.
For reasons that are not entirely clear, split prototype went through a period of hibernation from the 16th to 18th centuries, and has essentially disappeared from use. Since most people ignored the infinitive, the grammarians of the time didn’t pay much attention to this problem. But as the 18th century drew to a close, people began to wonder “why can’t I put adverbs wherever I want to put them?” and soon a real plague was unleashed on our language. The defenders of the language gathered their forces and began to fight for the sanctity of the original form.
The earliest current record we have of someone who issued an ordinance on split prototype appeared in 1803, in John Comly’s Easy English grammar for teachers and students: “An adverb should not be placed between a verb of the infinitive and a preposition ARRIVE that governs it.” Comly, and the grammarians who followed him in the 19th century, did not call it split prototype, since that particular term hasn’t been invented yet. No one seems to have come up with the name until 1890, when an anonymous writer in The Scots Observer reviewed a novel in which “The archetypal split (‘to solemnly curse’) is a captain’s gem in the carcanet.” However, a few years before this incident, a petitioner Another anonymous complaint offered satire against placing adverbs and other words in unhealthy places, using language that was so pompous and poetic that it necessitated a full reprint.
Splitting The Infinitive A gnawing evil that has plagued our fine old English language for years, has recently revealed itself in a way fitting to warn all concerned about preserving preserve the form and spirit of the noblest living language. That evil is characterized by the phrase that we have placed at the beginning of this paragraph. It includes what we do not hesitate to call the evil habit of interjecting the indicative words between ARRIVE, the sign of the infinitive and is the main part of the verb, like “run quickly,” “listen attentively,” instead of the appropriate forms “run fast,” “listen attentively,” or “quickly.” run,” “listen attentively.” —Clericus, New York MissionaryJanuary 13, 1887
Oddly enough, even though “let go bold” is almost always the first example that comes to mind whenever a person is asked to give an example of a split prototypeit didn’t seem to attract much attention when Star Trek first aired.
The former hard line against split prototype has recently been softened, and most modern manuals say that you can split an infinitive to clarify the meaning. Since clarity is the usual reason for separation, this advice just means that you can separate them whenever you need to.
Categories: Usage Notes
Source: vothisaucamau.edu.vn
