How to use adverb

Question

Hello, thanks for your help. I would like to know the way you use the adverb "certainly."

Are they the right usage of it? If they are not, would you tell me the correct way. Thank you in advance!

(1) a. John wanted to certainly post the letter.

b. John wanted Mary to certainly post the letter.

(2) John remembered to certainly post the letter.

(3) What she wanted was for him to certainly post the letter.

(4) What she remembered was for him to certainly post the letter.

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

AnonymousHello, thanks for your help. I would like to know the way you use the adverb "certainly."
Are they the right usage of it? If they are not, would you tell me the correct way. Thank you in advance!

(1) a. John wanted to certainly post the letter.
b. John wanted Mary to certainly post the letter.
(2) John remembered to certainly post the letter.

(3) What she wanted was for him to certainly post the letter.
(4) What she remembered was for him to certainly post the letter.

There is a general rule of style not to put an adverb in the middle on an infinitive (after "to" and before the main verb). Some strict grammarians, in fact, strongly state that it is wrong.

In this case, it is especially incorrect, because "certainly" does not modify the verb "post."

It modifies the main verb.

X a. John wanted to certainly post the letter. Wrong.

These are OK:

John certainly wanted to post the letter.

Certainly John wanted to post the letter.

Anonymous · Answer

Thank you for your kind and quick reply!

Is it O.K. to see that we cannot use an adverb within the infinitival clause in general? Or, in this case, is the ungrammaticality caused by the confliction between the meaning of "certainly" and "post"?

By the way, I found an interest example from a book, which admit the usage of "For Mary to be probably responsible for the accident was considered by the DA." Is this a special case?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

AnonymousIs it O.K. to see that we cannot use an adverb within the infinitival clause in general? Or, in this case, is the ungrammaticality caused by the confliction between the meaning of "certainly" and "post"?

You can use an adverb to modify an infinitive, but put it after the infinite, not between the "to" and the verb.

John certainly wanted Mary to post the letter quickly. (quickly modifies post, certainly modifies wanted.)

Anonymous"For Mary to be probably responsible for the accident was considered by the DA."

This is OK - the problem would be this one:

For Mary to probably be responsible for the accident was considered by the DA.

In the Star Trek series, they deliberately went against the grain:

To boldly go where ...

But then, lots of people violate this rule.

It is not uncommon for an adverb to modify an infinitive.

The doctors advise you to go slowly when starting an exercise program.

Anonymous · Answer

I'm really sorry for my late reply. I was so tired that I went to bed earlier.

Your suggestion is very interesting to me. In formal sentences, why shouldn't we use adverbs between "to" and the "infinitival verb"!? I'd really love to search for the reason, added to the fact that people sometimes ignore that rule purposely. In order to attract the attention of others by stlylistic effect? Anyway, thanks for your insightful indication!

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Here is some information on the "split infinitive"

http://oxforddictionaries.com/page/grammartipsplitinfinitive

CalifJim · Answer

Anonymouswhy shouldn't we use adverbs between "to" and the "infinitival verb"!

Because you will fail my English class if you do.

You have to be a native speaker - maybe even a special kind of native speaker - to understand how ignorant split infinitives sound.

Anonymousthe reason, added to the fact that people sometimes ignore that rule purposely.

Ninety-nine percent are not "ignoring the rule purposely". They don't even know there's a rule. They just haven't been exposed to good models of English speech and writing, and they mindlessly imitate the only models they have.

CJ

Anonymous · Answer

"You have to be a native speaker - maybe even a special kind of native speaker - to understand how ignorant split infinitives sound."

That's from the Wikipedia: "There was frequent skirmishing between the splitters and anti-splitters until the 1960s. /wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw wrote letters to newspapers supporting writers who used the split infinitive, and /wiki/Raymond_Chandler complained to the editor of /wiki/The_Atlantic_Monthly about a /wiki/Proofreading who changed Chandler's split infinitives:
"By the way, would you convey my compliments to the purist who reads your proofs and tell him or her that I write in a sort of broken-down patois which is something like the way a Swiss-waiter talks, and that when I split an infinitive, *** **** it, I split it so it will remain split, and when I interrupt the velvety smoothness of my more or less literate syntax with a few sudden words of barroom vernacular, this is done with the eyes wide open and the mind relaxed and attentive. The method may not be perfect, but it is all I have."

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