You may not have realized it, but a grammar war has been raging for at least a few hundred years in universities and editorial boards across North America and parts of Europe.

This type of war obviously doesn’t involve weapons like bombs or guns, although some would argue that a hatchet has been the weapon of choice for more than one participant in this war.

You’ll understand what I mean by this later.

The grammar war that I’m referring to here revolves around the infinitive verb in the English language: the particle “to” + the verb.

Some people believe that the word “to” should never, ever be separated from the verb by a modifier (usually an adverb) because the two words – together – form the verb. Let’s call these people the traditionalists. Other people think that the rule is antiquated. Let’s call this group the modernists.  The modernists argue that splitting an infinitive is not a grammatical crime because famous writers such as Mark Twain, Henry James,  George Bernard Shaw used them frequently.   The traditionalists think that the act of splitting the infinitive creates awkwardness and confusion, not to mention the fact that a person runs the risk of creating ambiguity or not communicating what they intended to say.

Both parties have dug in their heels for years, asserting that they were both on the right side of the law.

George Bernard Shaw got so angry when an editor decided to take matters into his own hands and correct all of the split infinitives in his column that he wrote to The Chronicle’s publisher.  He wanted the editor fired immediately and replaced by an “intelligent Newfoundland dog.” Enter the hatchets.

Personally speaking, I think these types of feuds are counterproductive.  We should avoid them at all costs.

Could it be that both the infinitive and the split infinitive are perfectly acceptable in different contexts?

Perhaps I’m too naïve, but I believe that my suggestion is neither revolutionary, nor too far-fetched.

Look around, people, English is such a flexible and fluid language.  A sensible middle ground exists.

Of course, everyone wants to communicate correctly.  What I am saying is that we can communicate correctly by using both the infinitive and the split infinitive, when appropriate.   The key is knowing when to use them and how to use them.  Writers should also be keenly aware of  their audiences.  Are they writing for a formal academic journal? Or, are they writing a newspaper column? Perhaps you might like to unsplit that infinitive in more formal circumstances.

Even the Economist Magazine recently decided to lift the age-old ban on split infinitives from its revised style guide.

Excellent decision, I say.  Use the lightsaber to split that infinitive, when the conditions are right to do so.

And May the Fourth Be With You!