trial on how

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "trial on how" is not correct in standard written English.
It may be intended to refer to an examination or evaluation of a method or process, but it lacks clarity and proper structure. Example: "The trial on how to improve customer service was conducted over several weeks."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

1 human-written examples

In deciding against the companies in the compensatory stage of the lawsuit, which became essentially a trial on how big tobacco companies did business for decades, the jury had found that the industry committed fraud and conspired to sell a defective and dangerous product.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

He left open the possibility that Makaeff might have to pay some opposing attorneys fees and costs — although that would be figured out after a trial, depending on how the case shakes out.

Los Angeles Times

The focus of this trial was on how framing of the benefits of taking antihypertensive medication for people with hypertension affects their decisions about whether or not to start taking medication.

Plosone

Males participated in 7.1±2.8 extra-pair trials depending on how many females had ranked them highest or lowest.

Plosone

The next largest category was the design and conduct of the trial, particularly focusing on how to improve recruitment and the ethical conduct of trials.

BMJ Open

But much of the trial will focus on how much should be paid to Apple and in what form.

The New York Times

In scrupulous and sometimes numbingly technical fashion, an agent for the Internal Revenue Service offered the most specific details yet today in the Federal tax-fraud trial of Albert J. Pirro Jr. on how the government analyzed his tax returns.

The New York Times

The sentencing phase of the trial has focused on how much damage the Wikileaks revelations caused.

BBC

Looking back on the Simpson trial, Clark reflected on how technology might've changed things.

Huffington Post

The disagreement depended on the reporting of data in the trial reports and on how much room was left for decision in the review protocols.

British Medical Journal

(Carer, B03) "The things that [case manager] had to offer were perhaps something that I would have found very useful at the beginning of my mum's Alzheimer's and not so much [now] because I've learnt by trial and error on how to deal with it".

BMC Health Services Research

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Instead of using the phrase "trial on how", opt for alternatives like "study on how" or "investigation into how" to maintain grammatical correctness and clarity.

Common error

The phrase "trial on how" often results from incorrectly combining the noun "trial" with a preposition. Ensure you structure your sentence to clearly indicate what is being tested or evaluated, such as "a trial to determine how" or "a trial focusing on how".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "trial on how" is often intended to introduce the subject of an evaluation or test. However, according to Ludwig, this phrasing is not grammatically correct. It's generally used to describe the focus of a study or experiment, albeit in a less precise manner.

Expression frequency: Rare

Frequent in

Science

50%

News & Media

50%

Formal & Business

0%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "trial on how" is generally considered grammatically incorrect in standard written English. As Ludwig AI indicates, it's better to opt for alternatives like "study on how", "experiment on how", or "investigation into how". These alternatives provide greater clarity and adhere to grammatical conventions. While the intention behind "trial on how" is often to define the focus of an evaluation or experiment, its non-standard usage can lead to confusion. Reliable sources, such as The New York Times and scientific publications, have used the phrase, but it's advisable to use clearer, more grammatically sound alternatives.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

experiment on how

Replaces "trial" with "experiment" to emphasize a scientific approach and improves grammatical flow.

study on how

Uses "study" instead of "trial" to suggest a more formal investigation.

investigation into how

Substitutes "trial" with "investigation" for a more in-depth exploration.

research on how

Replaces "trial" with "research" to denote a systematic inquiry.

analysis of how

Uses "analysis" to focus on a detailed examination of a process.

assessment of how

Replaces "trial" with "assessment" to emphasize evaluation.

examination of how

Substitutes "trial" with "examination" for a closer inspection.

exploration of how

Uses "exploration" to suggest a broad investigation of a topic.

test of how

Replaces "trial" with "test" to indicate an evaluation of effectiveness.

probe into how

Substitutes "trial" with "probe" for a deeper, more investigative approach.

FAQs

What are some alternatives to "trial on how"?

Instead of "trial on how", consider using phrases like "study on how", "experiment on how", or "investigation into how" for improved clarity and grammatical correctness.

Is the phrase "trial on how" grammatically correct?

No, the phrase "trial on how" is not considered grammatically correct in standard English. It's better to use more precise and structured alternatives such as "study on how" or "experiment on how".

How can I use "trial" correctly when describing a process or method?

To use "trial" correctly, structure your sentence to clearly indicate the purpose or focus of the trial. For example, use phrases like "a trial to determine how..." or "a trial focusing on how..."

What's the difference between "trial on how" and "study on how"?

"Trial on how" is generally considered ungrammatical. "Study on how" is a more appropriate phrase, suggesting a formal investigation or examination of a process or method.