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This sentence is form my text book: "And the final uncertainty as to just where he was burried?" I just thought that "as to "can be replaced by "is". Please tell me why they use "as to" Thank you !!

Elduende_ph · Accepted Answer

I understand your difficulty.

English isn't my native or first language, either. And to think Chinese is such a pictographic language!

Anyway, did you quote the entire sentence here? It just seems...broken off from something larger.

If you don't mind could you put the paragraph where it came from to help me know the context?

It will help me answer your question better. Thanks.

Elduende_ph · Answer

Hi Candy,

Here are my short answers to your questions. Don't bother with my earlier, longer response, which might be confusing. Maybe you or other posters can refer to them, as further, more circuitous explanations of the short answers.

Candy: Please tell me why they use "as to"

Me: I think "as to" is used as a preposition in this sentence. A preposition that means "with regard to" or "about."

Candy: I just thought that "as to "can be replaced by "is"

Me: I think if the sentence was shortened or truncated by the speaker, he or she can replace "as to" with "is" but I don't think that would be "proper" grammatically. Why? Because I don't think one is allowed to replace a preposition with a verb.

Unless there's a rule somewere that you can do such a thing.

My longer answer is below, for anyone who dares or bothers to read it:

Hi Candy,

In the sentence you quoted, I think "as to" is being used to mean "with regard to" or "about."

If I was the one writing the sentence, I would use "is" but not to replace "as to." Instead, I would place it before "as to."

For example:

"And the final uncertainty is as to just where he was buried?"

If the phrase "as to" is unfamiliar to you, then we could rephrase the sentence in two ways:

1) "And the final uncertainty is with regard to just where he was buried?"

2) "And the final uncertainty is about just where he was burried?"

In these sentences, the entire phrase "with regard to just where he was buried?" [or alternatively, "about just where he was buried?"] is the predicate. The subject is "the final uncertainty."

In asking the question, "The final uncertainty is as to [or "with regard to" or "about"] where he was buried?"

I think the response would be, "Yes"

But I think it would also depend on the context. I think you can use "is" to replace "as to" if the question had been somehow truncated or shortened by the speaker, as in:

"And the final uncertainty IS [ "is" replacing "as to"] just where he was buried?"

In which case the response would be, "Yes it, is."

So what's the difference between using "is" to replace "as to" compared to adding "is" ahead of "as to"?

I think it my justification for prefering to add "is" ahead of "as to" rests on the definition of "as to" that I'm using here.

I'm looking at "as to" as a preposition. And I'm using "is" in my sentences as a verb form of the verb "be."

I just read it again and my head is spinning! Whoa...language can be psychedelic...

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