Tip #173: As to whether to use as to whether, don’t

We’ve been addressing precision of language quite frequently in this blog because it really does make a difference in producing more effective technical writing and the professional image that you want audiences to associate with you and your brands.  Precision of language involves more than just using the right words; one must also avoid unnecessary words.

The phrase as to whether provides an excellent example.  Consider the sentence in the cropped graphic above, and then consider the suggested corrections below (yes, there is more than one possibility here to improve the sentence, and all are equally valid).

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Whether the design changes led to the accident is still unknown; the data assembled to date are inconclusive.

No one knows whether the design changes led to the accident; the data assembled to date are inconclusive.

Because the data assembled to date are inconclusive, whether the design changes led to the accident is still unknown.

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Notice how these sentences avoid the clumsiness and lack of clarity the example sentence in the cropped graphic displays.  That’s because any phrase starting with as to usually provides either a redundancy in meaning or a lack of meaning altogether.  Either way, the words as to in a phrase do not contribute to clarity and should therefore not be used.  In this way, writers can promote both clarity and conciseness, the two hallmarks of more effective writing.

So as to whether to use as to whether, don’t.  Strive for that precision of language that will communicate your messages more effectively to your audience.  Your audience will then in turn associate you and your brands with the professionalism you want to cultivate in your image.