difficulty to adapt

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "difficulty to adapt" is not correct in standard written English.
A more appropriate expression would be "difficulty in adapting." Example: "Many people experience difficulty in adapting to new environments, especially when moving to a different country."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

Wiki

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

12 human-written examples

A vulnerable system has difficulty to adapt to change, whereas a resilient system can adapt easily to change.

European Journal of Futures Research

However, the biomonitorization in these systems is still at its infancy due to the difficulty to adapt the sensors to microfluidic OC systems.

Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical

Porcine torovirus (PToV) is associated with swine gastroenteritis, but its pathogenesis is uncertain because there is limited information regarding PToV due to its difficulty to adapt in vitro.

Journal of Virological Methods

On the other hand, five subjects (four of them experienced 2D first) reported the discomfort with the emotional movie because they had difficulty to adapt to dynamic changes in color of the video.

Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences

VanDerWerff commented on the difficulty to adapt such an evolution from page to screen, but concluded that "Clarke and Lloyd more than seal the deal here".

Wikipedia

These results feed the debate on species boundaries in bacteria, on the strength of biological barriers to regulate DNA exchange, and confirm the difficulty to adapt a bacterial species concept that would be based on genomic coherence between members of a same species sharing an exclusive common gene pool [39].

Plosone

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

47 human-written examples

"Pinot Noir is already experiencing difficulties to adapt its traditional [territory] to produce fine and elegant wines".

BBC

As GNSS requirements are driven by aeronautical needs, the railway community encounters difficulties to adapt them for train positioning purposes.

European Transport Research Review

They reported more psychological distress during delivery and during the perinatal period and more difficulties to adapt to the child's needs.

The Journal of Headache and Pain

In order help Chinese students mitigate the difficulties to adapt American instructional settings, Chinese international high schools could benefit from inviting American colleagues to visit Chinese schools and help Chinese educators to implement course designs.

Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education

This population reached the highest degree of adaptation at the stationary state (see Table 1) and resembles specialist organisms that perform optimally under a narrow range of very well established conditions, but have difficulties to adapt when these conditions are modified [51].

Plosone

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When expressing the idea of facing problems while adapting, use the construction "difficulty in adapting" for grammatical correctness. For example: "Many people experience difficulty in adapting to new cultures".

Common error

Avoid using "difficulty to adapt". The correct and more accepted form is "difficulty in adapting".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "difficulty to adapt" functions as a noun phrase followed by an infinitive, describing a challenge or problem associated with the process of adaptation. Although Ludwig provides examples, Ludwig AI indicates that is not a correct way to formulate such sentence. Related constructions often use a prepositional phrase instead.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

69%

News & Media

15%

Wiki

15%

Less common in

Encyclopedias

1%

Formal & Business

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The expression "difficulty to adapt" is used to describe challenges in adjusting to new circumstances. Despite its prevalent usage across diverse contexts like science, news and media, and encyclopedias, Ludwig AI marks it as grammatically incorrect suggesting the more appropriate "difficulty in adapting". While understood, using the suggested alternatives may enhance clarity and grammatical precision. Always consider audience and writing context.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

difficulty in adapting

This alternative corrects the grammatical structure by using the preposition "in" before the gerund "adapting".

struggle to adapt

This option replaces "difficulty" with "struggle", emphasizing the effort required to adjust.

challenge to adapt

Using "challenge" highlights the problematic aspect of adapting.

challenges in adapting

This emphasizes the challenges encountered during the adaptation process.

hard to adapt

This simplifies the phrase to a more direct expression of the difficulty.

find it difficult to adapt

This alternative uses a more verbose structure to convey the same meaning.

have a hard time adapting

This uses a more idiomatic expression to indicate difficulty.

encounter problems adapting

This phrase highlights the problematic aspect of adapting.

adaptability challenges

It focuses on adaptability as a trait rather than the action.

face obstacles in adapting

This alternative emphasizes the barriers encountered during the adaptation process.

FAQs

Is "difficulty to adapt" grammatically correct?

No, the grammatically correct way to express this idea is "difficulty in adapting". The preposition "in" is required before the gerund "adapting".

What's the difference between "difficulty to adapt" and "difficulty in adapting"?

"Difficulty to adapt" is considered grammatically incorrect, while "difficulty in adapting" is the correct and widely accepted form. The latter uses the correct preposition and gerund.

What can I say instead of "difficulty to adapt"?

You can use alternatives such as "struggle to adapt", "challenge to adapt", or "hard to adapt" depending on the context.

How can I use "difficulty in adapting" in a sentence?

Here's an example: "Many students experience difficulty in adapting to university life due to the increased academic demands and social pressures."