to a substantial extent

USAGE SUMMARY

"to a substantial extent" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe the amount to which something applies, such as "This policy applies to a substantial extent to all citizens of the country."

✓ Grammatically correct

Science

News & Media

Academia

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

56 human-written examples

And no wonder, for it came, to a substantial extent, from scientists themselves.

The Washington Post

Backbone carbonyl oxygens and nitrogens are to a substantial extent involved in our dataset.

Computational Biology and Chemistry

Immigration is one area where the President can deliver, to a substantial extent, on his incendiary words, without Congress.

The New Yorker

The productivity of a work force depends to a substantial extent upon the successful management of its payment system.

Encyclopedia Britannica

When you compete in an innovation ecosystem, you must expect and plan for delays, compromises, and disappointments that are, to a substantial extent, outside your control.

Harvard Business Review

The jury's verdicts also found a power and intent on the part of the petitioners to exclude competition to a substantial extent in the tobacco industry.

Cornell University

To a substantial extent, their testimony was devoted to lengthy, and, to the layman, seemingly expert, scientific expositions on the origin [p622] of life.

Cornell University

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

4 human-written examples

The theory of convex functions has progressed to quite a substantial extent.

Journal of Inequalities and Applications

Taken as a whole, a wealth of protein kinase biochemistry knowledge is available, yet it is clear that a substantial extent of our understanding in this field remains to be discovered which should yield many new opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Bioorganic Chemistry

NV accounts for a substantial extent of disease and potential economic loss, particularly to the health service where a large proportion of outbreaks occur.

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Thus, the proteins encoded in the microsporidian gene cluster share a substantial extent of sequence conservation with the other S2 sequences.

Genome Biology and Evolution

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When using "to a substantial extent", ensure that the remaining portion not covered by the statement is also considered, to provide a balanced perspective.

Common error

Avoid using "to a substantial extent" when the impact is near complete or negligible. Choose a more appropriate phrase that accurately reflects the magnitude.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "to a substantial extent" functions as an adverbial modifier, indicating the degree or scope to which a statement or action applies. Ludwig AI confirms its correctness and usability, showcasing its role in modifying verbs, adjectives, or clauses.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

45%

News & Media

25%

Academia

15%

Less common in

Formal & Business

5%

Encyclopedias

5%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "to a substantial extent" serves as a valuable tool for expressing a significant yet incomplete degree of impact or applicability. Ludwig AI validates its grammatical correctness and widespread usability across various domains, particularly in science, news, and academia. Its function is to qualify statements, providing nuance and precision. While versatile, it's essential to use the phrase judiciously, ensuring that it accurately reflects the magnitude being described and avoids overstatement. Related phrases like "to a considerable degree" or "significantly" can serve as suitable alternatives depending on the desired level of formality and emphasis.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

to a considerable degree

Changes "extent" to "degree" maintaining the meaning and level of formality.

to a significant degree

Substitutes "substantial" with "significant", emphasizing the importance of the degree.

to a large degree

Replaces "substantial" with "large", simplifying the phrasing while retaining similar meaning.

to a marked extent

Uses "marked" instead of "substantial" to highlight the noticeable nature of the extent.

to a great extent

Employs "great" in place of "substantial", offering a less formal alternative.

to a noticeable degree

Highlights the perceptibility of the impact by using "noticeable" instead of "substantial".

to a tangible extent

Indicates that the extent is concrete and measurable, rather than abstract.

appreciably

Uses a single adverb, "appreciably", to replace the entire phrase, indicating a noticeable impact.

significantly

Replaces the phrase with the single adverb "significantly", focusing on the importance of the impact.

considerably

Substitutes the phrase with "considerably", conveying a notable amount or degree.

FAQs

How can I use "to a substantial extent" in a sentence?

Use "to a substantial extent" to indicate that something is true or applicable in a significant but not complete way. For example, "The new regulations will affect the industry "to a substantial extent"".

What are some alternatives to "to a substantial extent"?

Alternatives include "to a considerable degree", "significantly", or "to a large degree", depending on the context.

Is "to a substantial extent" formal or informal?

"To a substantial extent" is generally considered a formal phrase suitable for academic, professional, and neutral contexts.

What's the difference between "to a substantial extent" and "completely"?

"To a substantial extent" indicates a significant but incomplete impact, while "completely" implies a total or absolute effect. Use "to a substantial extent" when something is largely but not entirely true.