One of the unique aspects of the English language involves the difference between purpose and activity.
Although the same root word is often used for both descriptions, it gets slightly modified to indicate to the listener or reader what happened during the exchange.
When looking at the sharing vs. share debate, “sharing” indicates the activity. It is a present-tense description that promotes a specific exchange.
“I am sharing my candy with you today.”
If you use “share,” it indicates the purpose of the action. It doesn’t sound natural in the active context, which means the sentence must switch to passive language while adding an infinitive.
“I am happy to share my candy with you today.”
It would be inappropriate to say “thanks for share” in writing or conversation.
“Thanks for Sharing” or “Thanks for Share” Which Is Correct?
“Thanks for sharing” is the appropriate phrase to use when someone offers a portion of what they have to you. It could be food, a beverage, information, or anything tangible that gets exchanged. “Thanks for share” would only serve as a skip phrase for those who use SEO for keyword marketing.
When you look at the differences between share vs. sharing, the first word indicates that only a portion of something is allotted to another individual or entity.
Sharing indicates that the event took place. The term “share” suggests that someone or something had to be there for the allocation to change hands.
That’s why it would be inappropriate to say, “thanks for share.” It needs a modifier because of the structure.
You could say, “Thanks for the share.” That statement would be similar to “thanks for sharing,” although the tense is slightly different. The first option refers to a past incident, even if it is recent, while the second is an observation of the present moment.
Both statements reflect gratefulness for the action of sharing. It just depends on the grammar of the sentence to determine which option should get used in everyday conversations or writing.
Context also plays a role. You would say, “Thanks for the share!” when someone posted a link you’d previously placed on social media or another website.
Although the expression remains the same, the actions taken to generate the response are slightly different. In this situation, the thankfulness would be for something given to others on your behalf.
In the former situation, the thankfulness expression is a result of receiving something from another person.
What Is an Infinitive and Why Does It Matter?
An infinitive is a verb. It just has a different structure than others that you see in sentences because it functions to express an opinion, the purpose of an action or object, or answer why questions.
The infinitive in the English language functions as a noun, adverb, or adjective when added appropriately to a sentence.
Almost all infinitive inclusions start with the word “to,” which is why they are easy to recognize (see that?). It uses the base verb, which is the simplest form of the action to use as a description in the dictionary.
Here’s a fun example of how an infinitive with “share” can get used as a noun.
“I love to share.”
In this sentence, the verb is not “share.” It is love!
Who or what receives the action of that love? When you see the infinitive, it is specific: “to share.”
That means “to share” is the direct object of the sentence. It serves as a noun that expresses an opinion. You could replace it with virtually any other action, thought, or product.
- “I love to type.”
- “I love to drink.”
- “I love to eat.”
- “I love to sit.”
- “I love to think.”
Although it isn’t always appropriate to start a sentence with an infinitive, it is possible to do so under a few circumstances. Using the sharing vs. share example, here’s another short sentence to review that fits this expression.
“To share is quite important.”
When reviewing this example, “is” becomes the verb of the sentence. Look at who or what is essential in the expression, and the infinitive “to share” becomes noticeable.
The one difference between the two examples (“I love to share” vs. “To share is quite important”) is that the latter one also serves as the sentence’s subject. The first uses “I” as the subject.
What Is a Split Infinitive, and Is It Important?
A split infinitive is a construction that adds an adverb before the action taking place in the sentence. Using “share” as the example, you could say “to lovingly share” as a split infinitive. Most people get taught to avoid having split infinitives in their writing and conversation.
The idea is that if your sentence structures look professional, readers will believe that you are.
No one knows why it became taboo to use split infinitives. At one point, discussions were held by grammar enthusiasts about proper adverb placement within sentences. Is it better to have clarity with the description so that the reader gets to the point to boldly go to the next adventure?
Would it be better to share that information by itself before going boldly?
Although each writer and speaker create a voice for themselves, it is still considered “better” to avoid split infinitives whenever possible. When you introduce an adverb into the equation, you end up having a dual thought instead of a singular idea.
That inclusion makes it harder for some people to follow along with the text or conversation.
Here’s an example of a regular infinitive.
“He agreed to share the candy until it was all quickly eaten.”
You can compare it to a split infinitive to see if it makes a difference.
“He agreed to quickly share the candy until it was all eaten.”
What sentence sounds the best out of those two? It depends on the one you feel is the least awkward.
That’s why understanding the difference between “thanks for sharing” and “thanks for share” is crucial for accurate conversations.
