Do you find split infinitives objectionable?
I notice whenever I write anything that my first draft is invariably filled to the brim with split infinitives. You know, like "to readily walk down the path." Upon proofreading, I religiously root them out, but because I'm so used to them, find I often miss a few.
I think I fall prey to splitting infinitives under some unconscious desire to keep the adverb close to verb proper. In other words, as though the "to" is distinct from the second word of the verb form. To put it still another way, it's as if I see "to walk" as two separate and unrelated words (parsing them at an atomic level) rather than accepting the pair as one complete unit.
I suspect our rule in English is a carry-over from Latin. In that language, it is impossible to split an infinitive. For example, "ambulare" means "to walk". It is one word, one part of speech, one genetic whole, and simply can't be divided.
But English is not Latin. It's crazy to think that a rule from one language automatically ought to apply to another. Just like that dumb business of "never end a sentence with a preposition." The chief offenders "by," "with," "to," etc. are generally built into the object in Latin by dint of the case system, so again, it's impossible to end the sentence so ignobly. Thus some idiotic Victorian took this as a reasonable paradigm to copy in English. Of course, that's nonsense. A very telling comment on those days of the Widow of Windsor, don't you think?
I think "good grammar" is important. (Actually, I hate that phrase. To my mind, grammar is a description, not a prescription. A more fitting rendition would be "good usage.") It shows a respect for accuracy in generating language from thought, and suggests a love of beauty. Indeed, I wonder if aesthetics isn't at the very heart of good usage.
But splitting infinitives? Is that really an abomination? Once again I ask, how do you feel about it? I'm willing to be convinced otherwise.
Next essay: Adjective or Adverb?
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