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Fri 18 Jul, 2014 08:26 am
Will it cause a change in nuance when we rewrite "but which turns out on closer inspection to be either kin selection or reciprocal altruism" into "but which on closer inspection turns out to be either kin selection or reciprocal altruism"?
That is, will this change of the position of the preposition lead to the change in meaning?
Context:
Chagnon is not a supporter of group selection, and nor am I.
There are formidable objections to it. A partisan in the controversy,
I must beware of riding off on my pet steed Tangent, far from the
main track of this book. Some biologists betray a confusion
between true group selection, as in my hypothetical example of the
god of battles, and something else which they call group selection
but which turns out on closer inspection to be either kin
selection or reciprocal altruism (see Chapter 6).
@oristarA,
In terms of meaning, the two sentences are identical and equally understandable. However, the first version contains what is known as a 'split infinitive' (splitting up the verb phrase 'turns out...to be' with the prepositional phrase 'on closer inspection). There are some purists who frown on this usage although it is quite common and easily understood by everyone. But, in either case, there is no change in nuance.
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