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Sun 11 May, 2014 07:31 am
They say we should never split the verb. So in formal writing, should I always write (1) instead of (2)? BTW, I know the passive voice should be avoided, but in scientific articles it's not always possible. Thanks.
(1) He also was elected president.
(2) He was also elected president.
(1) The mistakes quickly were corrected.
(2) The mistakes were quickly corrected.
Edit: in the second case, I suppose "The mistakes were corrected quickly" works well, but sometimes there is too much distance between the verb and the adverb when the adverb is placed after the verb.
@Doubtful,
Doubt, I know nothing about verb splitting but there's a possible difference in meaning. For instance
Quote:(1) He also was elected president.
might mean that several others had also won the post through a process of election, whether serially or somehow simultaneously
Quote:(2) He was also elected president.
might be interpreted to mean that he had been elected to several other posts in the organization as well
@McTag,
Why, thank you Mac. A little encouragement is a rare treat. It isn't everyday…..