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Question

I look forward to hearing from you soon and have an opportunity to personally discuss the position with you.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I look forward to hear~~ing~~ from you soon and (to) have an opportunity to ~~personally~~ discuss the position with you.

Some people find it bad form to have a split-infinitive.
I feel like I am still missing something because this sentence bothers me. Oh well.

Mister Micawber · Answer

MeathawkI look forward to hearing from you soon and (to) have an opportunity to personally discuss the position with you.Some people find it bad form to have a split-infinitive.I feel like I am still missing something because this sentence bothers me.

That's because your English is wrong again, Meathook. Actually. the original poster's sentence is almost correct:

I look forward to hearing from you soon and having an opportunity to personally discuss the position with you.

There is nothing wrong with split infinitives. From the American Heritage Dictionary:

The split infinitive has been present in English ever since the 14th century, but it was not until the 19th century that grammarians labeled and condemned the usage. The only rationale for condemning the construction is based on a false analogy with Latin. The thinking is that because the Latin infinitive is a single word, the equivalent English construction should be treated as if it were a single unit. But English is not Latin, and distinguished writers have split infinitives without giving it a thought. Noteworthy splitters include John Donne, Daniel Defoe, George Eliot, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, William Wordsworth, and Willa Cather.

Anonymous · Answer

Mister MicawberI look forward to hearing from you soon and having an opportunity to personally discuss the position with you.

This was the other way I was thinking of correcting it. It was either I switch the to into an infinitive phrase or a prepositional phrase.

Mister Micawber · Answer

MeathawkThis was the other way I was thinking of correcting it.

In the future, choose the correct option at once if you wish to help.

Anonymous · Answer

Mister MicawberIn the future, choose the correct option at once if you wish to help.

Why is the prepositional phrase correct and the infinitive phrase incorrect?

Fivejedjon · Answer

Anonymous Why is the prepositional phrase correct and the infinitive phrase incorrect?

Because 'look forward' is followed by a preposition. The preposition happens to be 'to', just as with 'rely' the preposition happens to be 'on'. Prepositions can be followed by nouns and gerunds but not by bare infinitives.

ps. Why have you gone anonymous?

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