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HifaMo Posted 12 years ago
Grammar

how broad definition is

The variety shown in these nine articles illustrates how broad definition is of this rapidly growing field.

Is it correct to put the verb 'to be' before the word 'definition'?

The variety shown in these nine articles illustrates how broad is definition of this rapidly growing field.

Thank you
  

Top answer

Your versions require "definition" to be uncountable, which I find a strain, especially in the second version. These are all possible: a) The variety shown in these nine articles illustrates how broad the definition of this rapidly growing field is . b) The variety shown in these nine articles illustrates how broad the definition is of this rapidly growing field.

— GPY

  • Your versions require "definition" to be uncountable, which I find a strain, especially in the second version.
  • These are all possible: a) The variety shown in these nine articles illustrates how broad the definition of this rapidly growing field is .
  • b) The variety shown in these nine articles illustrates how broad the definition is of this rapidly growing field.
  • c) The variety shown in these nine articles illustrates how broad is the definition of this rapidly growing field.
  • (a) feels the most colloquial, but, generally speaking, the greater the gap between the bolded words, the greater the tendency to want to convert it to either (b) or (c).
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1 Answers
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Your versions require "definition" to be uncountable, which I find a strain, especially in the second version.

These are all possible:

a) The variety shown in these nine articles illustrates how broad the definition of this rapidly growing field is.
b) The variety shown in these nine articles illustrates how broad the definition is of this rapidly growing
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