AS TO (MEANING)

Question

The nine step model guides us (or those who find balancing quality and quantity challenging as to not sacrifice one for the other..) to make a decision in a timely manner, with all of our facts to reach a solution best suited for the need.

Would you please clarify the following questions.

(1) What is the meaning of 'as to' in this sentence?

(2) What are other meanings of 'as to'?

(3) What will be the meaning of this sentence, if we remove comma before 'with all'.

Crux_online · Accepted Answer

Rishonly(1) What is the meaning of 'as to' in this sentence?

I have to start by pointing out that "...as to not sacrifice...." splits the infinitive "to sacrifice".

That said, you could probably substitute "in order not to sacrifice" for what is there now.

Rishonly(2) What are other meanings of 'as to'?

There are probably quite a lot. It is extremely colloquial.

Here are the two most likely meanings in common use:

as to = "in order to", as used above.
as to = "regarding", as in "now as to the meeting on Friday..."

Rishonly(3) What will be the meaning of this sentence, if we remove comma before 'with all'.

No change. In fact the comma probably should be removed. (The use/overuse/abuse of commas is a lively discussion all its own these days!).

C

MrPedantic · Answer

<The nine step model guides us (or those who find balancing quality and quantity challenging as to not sacrifice one for the other..) to make a decision in a timely manner, with all of our facts to reach a solution best suited for the need.>

It's not an entirely satisfactory piece of writing. The last clause is deeply peculiar. The sense seems to be:

<The nine-step model guides us (or those of us who find it a challenge to balance quality and quantity in such a way that we do not sacrifice one for the other) to make decisions in a timely manner, taking into account all the facts, in order to reach the most appropriate solution.>

I don't hold my version up as a model of style, by the way.

MrP

PS: Interesting that you find "as to" informal, Crux. In BrE it has a slightly formal air. Another AmE/BrE difference, perhaps.

Rishonly · Answer

Thanks Crux and MrP.

CalifJim · Answer

Or if you absolutely had to include "as (not) to", you could modify MrP's

or those of us who find it a challenge to balance quality and quantity in such a way that we do not sacrifice one for the other
to
or those of us who find it a challenge to balance quality and quantity so as not to sacrifice one for the other

which also, incidentally, solves the split infinitive objection heard earlier in this thread.

CJ

AS TO (MEANING)

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