In the world of grammar rules, we’ve all heard that “split infinitives” are as unappealing as split ends. But what does that mean, anyway? What is an infinitive and why should I care? My grammar book defines the infinitive as a plain form of a verb plus “to.” Infinitives and infinitive phrases serve as adjectives, adverbs or nouns. Example: To design a mall is to create an artificial environment. (two noun phrases) Malls are designed to make shoppers feel safe . (adverb phrase) The environment supports the impulse to shop . (adjective) A split infinitive puts an adverb between the two parts of the infinitive. For example, Star Trek’s famous line: “ to boldly go where no one has gone before.” Or: She decided to generously pour scotch into the stew. It really is not wrong to split your infinitives, but when in doubt, don’t. Take a closer look at your sentence. Does it read better splitting the infinitive or not? My example about the stew would read better as: She decide...