ENGLISH
REFERENCE

as to how

fixed phr..
C1 Advanced Oxford

fixed phr.. you use this to introduce a question or a topic about the way something happens.

fixed phr.. a complex prepositional or conjunctive construction used to introduce an indirect question or a clause concerning the manner or method of an action.


SIMPLE

There is no information as to how the accident happened.

CONTEXTUAL

The committee remains undecided as to how the new budget should be allocated across departments.

COMPLEX

Speculation persists among historians as to how the ancient civilization managed to transport such massive stones without modern machinery.

Usage

often follows nouns like 'question', 'doubt', or 'uncertainty' to specify the nature of the problem.

Teaching tip

explain that 'as to' functions like 'about' or 'concerning', and 'how' introduces the manner; it is more formal than using 'how' alone.

Pitfall

The question as to how should we proceed.The question as to how we should proceed.the clause following 'as to how' must use statement word order, not question word order.

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