how it was going

USAGE SUMMARY

The part of the sentence "how it was going" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to ask a question about the progress of an activity. For example: "I hadn't heard from him in a few weeks, so I called to see how it was going."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Stevenson had asked him how it was going.

The New Yorker

That was how it was going to be.

The New Yorker

"I knew how it was going to end," he added.

The New York Times

MADONNA -- How it was going to destroy our marriage, whatever.

The New York Times

"I didn't know how it was going to turn out.

The New York Times - Sports

I couldn't see how it was going to help me".

The Guardian

I knew how it was going to go.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

I knew exactly how it was going to end.

The Guardian

I was tempted to tell him how it was going.

The New Yorker

"I knew this was how it was going to happen.

The Guardian - Sport

"He didn't know how it was going to turn out".

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "how it was going" to inquire about the progress or state of something, especially when following up on a previous situation or project. For example, "I checked in to see how it was going with the renovations."

Common error

Be mindful of context. Ensure that "how it was going" clearly refers to a specific event, project, or situation. If the context is unclear, rephrase to provide more clarity: instead of "I asked how it was going", specify "I asked how the project was going".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "how it was going" functions as an interrogative clause. It is commonly used to inquire about the state, progress, or condition of a previously mentioned event, situation, or project. As Ludwig suggests, it is often used to follow up on something.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Science

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "how it was going" is a versatile and commonly used interrogative clause to inquire about the progress, state, or condition of an event, situation, or project. Ludwig AI confirms its grammatical correctness and usability in written English. The phrase is predominantly found in News & Media sources and maintains a neutral register, making it suitable for various communication scenarios. For more formal contexts, alternatives such as "what the status was" might be more appropriate. Ludwig provides many real-world examples of this expression from reliable sources.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

how it was progressing

Focuses specifically on the advancement or development of a situation.

what was happening

Describes the events or activities taking place at a specific time.

how things were proceeding

Similar to 'progressing' but can also refer to the manner of the progression.

how things were shaping up

Implies a sense of things taking form or preparing for an outcome.

how it was turning out

Emphasizes the final result or consequence of a situation.

what the status was

More formal; directly asks about the current state or condition.

what the situation looked like

Focuses on the perceived state or appearance of a situation.

how things stood

Describes the condition of a situation at a particular moment.

how it all played out

Emphasizes the unfolding of events and the final outcome.

how the cookie was crumbling

Idiomatic expression for the way events were unfolding, often negatively.

FAQs

What's a similar way to ask "how it was going"?

You can ask "how it was progressing", "what was happening", or "how things were shaping up" depending on the specific context.

When is it appropriate to use the phrase "how it was going"?

It's appropriate when you want to know the status or progress of a specific event, task, or situation that's already underway or has been previously discussed.

Is "how it was going" formal or informal?

The phrase is generally considered neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts, although more formal alternatives like "what the status was" exist.

Can "how it was going" be used to discuss past, present, or future events?

The phrase typically refers to events in the past or present. To discuss future events, you would use "how it is going to go".