THE SPLIT INFINITIVE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20314, 13 August 1931, Page 11

THE SPLIT INFINITIVE.

TO TH* BDITOB Of THS PBEBB g; r) j -was very pleased to note in your correspondence columns this morriin<r that at least one reader of your cl<Tar and concise definition of the "Split Infinitive" has shown appreciation of your effort to enlighten those in doubt as to the proper use ot the infinitive mood and the misplacing ot their adverbs. Not only public men and educationalists may find inspiration and benefit from the lesson so lucidset forth, but it should be ot no smaU assistance to those who affect cultured speech (or writing) without some knowledge of the rules of grammatical Fiialish As a colonial, born of English parentage, I am extremely sensitive to the carelessness and uiaccuiacy of modern English as spoken by manj people who should know better. It ts o+iiitmiH insult to our beautiful SI„SJr™S» Ma? I, »> "O'l 1 - iiisz affords me greater pleasure than to bear English spoken by people of culture and refinement who possess some sensibility of the language they are sneaking and surely there is nothing more characteristic of the refined Englisli man and woman than the cultured intonation of their speaking voices and authority !«. »«: "We have the richest language that ever a country has accreted, yet we use it as f it were the poorest. We hoard up our infinite wealth of words between the covers of dictionaries, and m or speech dole out- the worn, b™.™ ?StiTo™rS . w I°can Uy no claim to jmythmg hit'tiPr than a primary education, I hold that

every man has two educations, one that is given to him as a foundation, and another, of equal importance, that he gives to himself. I think, Sir, a little further correspondence on this subject would be a welcome change from hedgehogs and pyramids.—Yours, etc., A.M.J. August. 12th, 1931.