Used and loved by millions

Since I tried Ludwig back in 2017, I have been constantly using it in both editing and translation. Ever since, I suggest it to my translators at ProSciEditing.

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak quote

Justyna Jupowicz-Kozak

CEO of Professional Science Editing for Scientists @ prosciediting.com

MitStanfordHarvardAustralian Nationa UniversityNanyangOxford

difficulty to establish

Grammar usage guide and real-world examples

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "difficulty to establish" is not correct in standard written English.
A more appropriate phrase would be "difficulty in establishing." Example: "There is a difficulty in establishing a clear timeline for the project."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

13 human-written examples

Finally, this work stresses factors that can explain the difficulty to establish robust predictive relationships with remote sensing data.

Moreover, the corresponding problem becomes more complicated: first, W 1, p ( R N ) is not a Hilbert space when p ≠ 2 ; secondly, the weak continuity of operator A i ( u ) = | ∇ u | p − 2 ∂ u / ∂ x i in W 1, p ( R N ) is difficulty to establish.

However any experimental studies have not been curried out previously, and this was partly due to the difficulty to establish unicellular cultures and determine the photosynthetic properties for the chrysophytes snow algae.

Science

Plosone

This highlighted the difficulty to establish a regular nephrology care in very elderly.

The reason for this might be the difficulty to establish optimal conditions for inducing protein expression in phosphate-limited cultures.

This is mainly due to the difficulty to establish a quick collaboration with zebrafish lab working on SCRIB.

Science

eLife
Show more...

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

46 human-written examples

Therefore, some difficulties to establish therapeutic guidelines persist.

Literature has evidenced behavioral and socio-emotional problems in preterm children, as well as long-term difficulties to establish and maintain social relationships in preterm population.

However, the difficulties to establish porcine pluripotent stem cells including embryonic stem cells and integration-free iPSCs limit the production of porcine NPCs through traditional cell differentiation approaches (Wu et al., 2009; Rasmussen et al., 2011; Liu et al., 2012c; Fan et al., 2013).

In the end, what institutions have in common is far more important than difficulties to establish firewalls to maintain privacy and integrity.

News & Media

Huffington Post

In rodents, despite the large fossil record, the lack of postcranial identifiable bones and the difficulties to establish relationship between cranial and postcranial remains in multi-species deposits, frequently limit the weight estimates to those derived from the teeth and other cranial parameters, while they constrain the approach to other body parameters.

Science

Plosone
Show more...

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Prefer "difficulty in establishing" as it is grammatically correct and widely accepted. For example: "There is a "difficulty in establishing" clear guidelines."

Common error

Avoid using "difficulty to establish" because it's grammatically incorrect. Opt for "difficulty in establishing" or alternatives like "challenge to establish".

Antonio Rotolo, PhD - Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Antonio Rotolo, PhD

Digital Humanist | Computational Linguist | CEO @Ludwig.guru

Source & Trust

76%

Authority and reliability

2.8/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Linguistic Context

The phrase "difficulty to establish" functions as a noun phrase followed by an infinitive, aiming to describe an obstacle or problem associated with the action of establishing something. As Ludwig AI points out, it is not considered grammatically correct.

Expression frequency: Common

Frequent in

Science

61%

News & Media

13%

Formal & Business

8%

Less common in

Wiki

5%

Encyclopedias

0%

Social Media

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "difficulty to establish" is used, it's grammatically incorrect; the correct form is "difficulty in establishing". Ludwig AI analysis indicates that the phrase appears most often in scientific and news-related content. For more formal writing, using the corrected phrase or alternatives like "challenge to establish" is advisable. Remember to prefer "difficulty in establishing" or alternatives such as "challenge to establish", to maintain grammatical correctness and clarity.

FAQs

How can I correctly use the phrase "difficulty to establish"?

While "difficulty to establish" is sometimes used, it is grammatically incorrect. The correct form is "difficulty in establishing". For example: "There is a "difficulty in establishing" a clear timeline."

What's a grammatically sound alternative to "difficulty to establish"?

A grammatically sound alternative is to use "difficulty in establishing". This uses the correct preposition "in" followed by the gerund form of the verb.

Are there synonyms for "difficulty to establish" that I can use?

Yes, you can use synonyms such as "challenge to establish", "hard to establish", or "problem establishing" depending on the context.

What makes "difficulty to establish" grammatically incorrect?

The phrase "difficulty to establish" is incorrect because it requires the preposition "in" after "difficulty" when followed by a verb. Therefore, the correct form is "difficulty in establishing".

ChatGPT power + Grammarly precisionChatGPT power + Grammarly precision
ChatGPT + Grammarly

Editing plus AI, all in one place.

Stop switching between tools. Your AI writing partner for everything—polishing proposals, crafting emails, finding the right tone.

Source & Trust

76%

Authority and reliability

2.8/5

Expert rating

Real-world application tested

Most frequent sentences: