A Split over Split Infinitives

by Gilda Raetze

It’s been said that there are as many writers who are fond of split infinitives as there are editors who are not. Some writers find them useful for making a dramatic point or for giving a more poetic flow to a sentence, while many editors find them irritating.

A fine example of this writer/editor confrontation is attributed to George Bernard Shaw who they say was fond of using "splits." It all came to a head when an editor dared to correct him in print. Shaw felt so violated over this attack on his brain child that he fired off a scathing letter demanding the man’s resignation. He stated his case perfectly with this closing statement: "and it is of no consequence should he decide to go quickly or to quickly go."

I guess I am relating this incident to show clearly or to clearly show that I, too, think it is of no consequence. I see it as one of those fine, old-fashioned grammar rules that you can either have fun with or with which you can have fun. Whatever turns you on.