ENGLISH
REFERENCE

the extent to which

fixed phr..
C1 Advanced Oxford

fixed phr.. the degree or amount that something is true or happens.

fixed phr.. a complex relative construction used to introduce a clause that specifies the degree, scale, or limit of a particular phenomenon or condition.


SIMPLE

The extent to which we succeed depends on our hard work.

CONTEXTUAL

Researchers are currently investigating the extent to which social media usage affects the sleep patterns of teenagers.

COMPLEX

The report fails to acknowledge the extent to which historical economic policies have contributed to the current housing crisis in urban centers.

Usage

usually functions as the subject or object of a sentence to discuss measurable impact or degree.

Teaching tip

encourage students to use this as a more formal alternative to 'how much' when writing academic essays or reports.

Pitfall

the extent which it happensthe extent to which it happensthe preposition 'to' is grammatically required because something happens 'to' a certain extent.

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