A common problem for writers is how to use the infinitive form of a verb. The infinitive is the form of any verb that is “infinite:” for example, “to eat.” It is actually one phrase that cannot be broken up. In Latinate languages, this is easy to understand because the form is literally one word. “Comer” in Spanish means “to eat” in English.
Many editors are lamenting the increase in split infinitives, but I find more widespread that people don’t understand that it is one phrase in other contexts. I often see people mistakenly writing things such as, “This study is aimed to understand….”
The reason such phrases need to be edited lies not only in the sacred bond of the infinitive (“to understand” is one item), but also in the distinction between transitive and intransitive verbs. Transitive verbs can be done to other objects. Intransitive can be done on their own.
The verb “aimed” needs a preposition. Aiming something to the moon (correct) is different than aiming it to understand (incorrect). The moon is an object, and “to” in that sentence is its own preposition. “To understand” is an action, and “to” in that sentence is part of a single verb that has two words: the infinitive.