Quiz: Writing for business — split infinitives

Which is correct? Organizations are using Web-based mechanisms to _________ towards cloud computing environments. a. move incrementally b. incrementally move

Answer: a

Explanation:
According to formal standards, to move — like to go, to be, to see — is an infinitive and should not be split by another word.

Yes, Trekkies, this does mean that to boldly go is not strictly grammatically correct. (Bones might say: “Dammit, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a grammarian.”)

All things being equal, you should keep your infinitives together. However, sometimes following this standard will make a sentence awkward — in which case you have my permission to boldly ignore the rule.