Most infinitives in other languages are one word, but English infinitives take a to before the verb – to be, to go. This is why it’s the only language that can split its infinitives – by inserting an adverb between to and the verb as in ‘to boldly go’– much to the dismay of some purists, who point out that although the infinitive is made up of two words, those two words represent a single idea