GrammarPhile Blog

Understanding Gerunds and Infinitives

Posted by Kelly Creighton   Nov 30, 2017 7:30:00 AM

Gerunds and infinitives are often confused in writing and in everyday speech, even though they seem very different at first glance. Here’s what you need to know, so you can avoid mistakes in your writing.

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Topics: infinitives, gerunds

Rule Breaker: Never Split an Infinitive(?)

Posted by Phil Jamieson   Jan 30, 2013 5:30:00 AM

You split a banana with ice cream, fudge sauce, and whipped cream. You split an infinitive by inserting a modifier--an adverb, usually--between the to and the verb, as in "I want you to carefully read over these instructions." The notion that this incision is grammatically unsound was first set forth in the mid-1800s, and it finds its basis in Latin, a language in which the infinitive is a one-word verb form.

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Topics: split infinitive, infinitive, infinitives

Split Infinitives

Posted by Julie DeSilva   Mar 27, 2012 5:30:00 AM

Split infinitives have often been the source of much debate among teachers, grammarians, and those who wish to use the most proper of speech. It has been said that an infinitive should never be split.

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Topics: split infinitive, infinitives

Using Infinitives in Corporate Documents

Posted by Phil Jamieson   May 11, 2010 5:30:00 AM

Infinitives are used in many of the corporate communications we review. But what is the best way to use them? Let's take at look this week.

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Topics: business writing, infinitives

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