difficulties to judge

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "difficulties to judge" is not correct in standard written English.
A more appropriate expression would be "difficulties in judging." Example: "There are many difficulties in judging the effectiveness of the new policy."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

Indeed, amusic individuals fail to recognize a familiar tune without the aid of the lyrics, are unable to detect when they sing out-of-tune, and have severe difficulties to judge if two melodies are the same or different, especially on the pitch dimension.

Plosone

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

59 human-written examples

The assessment of species diversity in relatively large areas has always been a challenging task for ecologists, mainly because of the intrinsic difficulty to judge the completeness of species lists and to undertake sufficient and appropriate sampling.

Ecological Informatics

The use of different and inhomogeneous procedures leads to an inherent difficulty to judge what is the best performing model, or more generally, to evaluate relative forecasting performances.

Earth, Planets and Space

Among the 60 cases, 3 were excluded based on the difficulty to judge the location.

BioMed Research International

Those concerns, and the difficulty of trying to judge decades-old accusations, are outweighed by the need to afford victims a measure of justice, the demands of public safety, and the injustice of rewarding any group for covering up sexual abuse of children.

The New York Times

Tells how Mrs. Morton, a librarian in her 50s, began to suffer from vertigo; gives her own descriptions of the frightening symptoms--the shaking floors, tilting buildings, difficulty in focussing, inability to judge spacial relationships, etc.

The New Yorker

On the practical side, many have pressed the difficulty of getting people to judge themselves and others impartially; others have worried that, while we have an interest in convincing others to conform to morality, we ourselves rarely have any reason, really, to conform; still others have thought that the sort of freedom morality assumes is not available to humans as they actually are.

SEP

This adaptability and reluctance to judge, this difficulty absorbing the past of those one loves, this skepticism about community and nation define the period.

The New York Times

I find it hard to judge the difficulty of PD clues when writing them; one is concentrating so much on creating clues that read well and are fair that the degree of difficulty seems almost irrelevant.

The Guardian

They were modulated by task difficulty (semantic distance was easier to judge with triplets of the Near across-category condition), but not by the spatial location of the semantically-close outer picture.

Plosone

I think the biggest difficulty was that I had to judge my own friends.

Unicef

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When expressing difficulty in making a judgement, prefer using the construction "difficulties in judging" or "difficulty judging" for grammatical correctness. For example, instead of "difficulties to judge", write "difficulties in judging the impact".

Common error

Avoid using "to" after "difficulties" when referring to the act of judging. The correct preposition is "in". Therefore, it is more appropriate to say, "There are difficulties in judging the situation" rather than "difficulties to judge the situation".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "difficulties to judge" functions as a noun phrase followed by an infinitive. However, this construction is grammatically incorrect. As Ludwig AI points out, it should be "difficulties in judging" or "difficulty judging".

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

33%

News & Media

33%

Formal & Business

33%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "difficulties to judge" aims to convey challenges faced during an evaluation or assessment. However, as Ludwig AI indicates, this phrasing is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is "difficulties in judging" or "difficulty judging". While "difficulties to judge" appears sporadically across various sources, it is not considered standard English.

When aiming for clarity and grammatical accuracy, opt for alternatives such as "challenges in assessing", "problems evaluating", or "issues with appraising", depending on the specific context. By using the correct preposition ("in") or choosing a suitable alternative, you ensure that your writing remains clear, professional, and grammatically sound.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

challenges in assessing

Replaces "difficulties" with "challenges" and "judge" with the more formal "assessing".

problems evaluating

Substitutes "difficulties" with "problems" and "judge" with "evaluating", suggesting a more structured analysis.

issues with appraising

Uses "issues" instead of "difficulties" and "appraising" to imply a formal or expert judgement.

hard to evaluate

Focuses on the subjective experience of finding something difficult to evaluate.

complexity in determining

Emphasizes the intricate nature of the task of determining something.

obstacles in discerning

Highlights the impediments to clearly understanding or discerning something.

trouble ascertaining

Replaces "difficulties" with "trouble" and uses "ascertaining" for a more precise or factual determination.

predicaments in deciding

Suggests difficult situations encountered while trying to make a decision.

inability to adjudicate

Implies a lack of the capacity or authority to make a formal judgement.

complications in rating

Highlights complexities that arise during a rating or ranking process.

FAQs

How can I correctly use the phrase "difficulties to judge" in a sentence?

The phrase "difficulties to judge" is grammatically incorrect. A better option is to use "difficulties in judging" or "difficulty judging". For example, "There are difficulties in judging the quality of the evidence".

What's the difference between "difficulties to judge" and "difficulties in judging"?

"Difficulties to judge" is not considered standard English. The correct and commonly used phrase is "difficulties in judging". The preposition "in" is necessary for grammatical accuracy. Alternatively, consider "challenges in assessing".

What are some alternative ways to express "difficulties to judge"?

Instead of "difficulties to judge", consider using phrases like "hard to evaluate", "problems evaluating", or "issues with appraising". The best choice depends on the specific context.

Is it ever correct to use "difficulties to judge"?

While some instances of "difficulties to judge" may appear in various texts, it is generally considered grammatically incorrect. The phrase "difficulties in judging" is the preferred and more widely accepted option.