understood about how

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "understood about how" is not correct in standard written English.
It is awkward and unclear, and it would be better to rephrase it for clarity and grammatical accuracy. Example: "I understood how the process works after the explanation."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

Science

Academia

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

However, little is understood about how patterns and tactics interact.

Journal of Systems and Software

Little is understood about how embryos satisfy this demand.

Princeton University

However, little is understood about how mechanical forces may influence fibrin dissolution.

Stanford University

In fact, very little is understood about how these organisms live and breathe.

Cornell University

However, little is understood about how site preparations affect longleaf pine (Pinus palustris P. Miller) seedlings planted on wet sites.

Forest Ecology and Management

The Earth teems with life, but surprisingly little is understood about how life began and took hold.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Yet, little is understood about how individuals learn about and navigate multivalent valid group styles within a single setting.

Harvard University

However, it is not fully understood about how and to what degree stormwater runoff or baseflow exerts impacts on beach water quality.

Water Research

Far less is understood about how more-common species, that are less dependent on interior forests, use both forested and non-forested habitat in fragmented landscapes.

Biological Conservation

It follows that cells undergoing mesenchyme-to-epithelium transitions must reorganize their microtubule network extensively, yet little is understood about how this process is orchestrated.

Developmental Biology

Little is understood about how diseases swap between species, or the conditions that make it easy for them to do so.

The Economist

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Prefer the concise form "understood how" to improve grammatical correctness and clarity. For example, instead of "little is understood about how", say "little is understood how".

Common error

Avoid using "understood about how" because the inclusion of "about" is redundant and weakens the sentence. Using just "understood how" maintains clarity and grammatical correctness.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "understood about how" functions as part of a clause expressing a lack of complete knowledge or comprehension. However, it's grammatically incorrect due to the unnecessary inclusion of "about", as noted by Ludwig.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

Science

38%

Academia

32%

News & Media

30%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "understood about how" is frequently used across various domains like science, academia, and news media to indicate a lack of complete understanding about a process or mechanism. However, Ludwig identifies it as grammatically incorrect. The redundancy of "about" makes the phrase awkward. For grammatical correctness and clarity, it's best to use the shorter and more direct form "understood how" or choose alternative phrases like "grasped how" or "comprehended how". These alternatives provide clearer and more grammatically sound ways to express the same idea.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

Understood how

This shortens the phrase by removing "about", which is often unnecessary and grammatically incorrect.

Grasped how

This offers a more active verb conveying a clear understanding of a process or concept.

Comprehended how

This word indicates a complete and thorough understanding.

Figured out how

This implies a problem-solving approach to understanding something.

Learned how

This term highlights the process of gaining knowledge or skill.

Realized how

This suggests a sudden awareness or understanding of something.

Became aware of how

This phrase highlights the gaining of consciousness or perception.

Discovered how

This indicates finding out something previously unknown.

Recognized how

This suggests acknowledging or identifying a method or process.

Appreciated how

This term implies a deep understanding and valuing of a process or method.

FAQs

What is a more grammatically correct alternative to "understood about how"?

A more grammatically sound alternative is to simply use "understood how". Removing "about" corrects the grammatical issue.

In what contexts is "understood about how" typically used?

Although grammatically questionable, "understood about how" appears across diverse fields including science, academia, and news media, often when discussing processes or mechanisms.

Is there a difference in meaning between "understood about how" and "understood how"?

While some might perceive a subtle difference, "understood how" is generally preferred for its grammatical accuracy. The meaning remains largely the same, focusing on comprehension of a process.

How can I improve my writing to avoid using "understood about how"?

Opt for clearer and more direct phrasing like "grasped how", "comprehended how", or simply "understood how". These alternatives maintain the intended meaning without the grammatical awkwardness.