I wonder which of the following is correct.
It is believed to still be efficiently solvable.
and
It is believed to be still efficiently solvable.
-
1Possible duplicate of Position of adverbs Specifically, one of the answers there sdays 2.the adverb "still" is placed before the action verb but after the be verb .in negative sentences,still comes before the auxiliary.– FumbleFingersDec 31, 2018 at 12:53
-
1Out of those two choices I would favor Door #3: "It is still believed to be efficiently solvable."– RobustoMay 30, 2019 at 14:05
-
@Robusto: I would argue that your construction subtly changes the meaning: It is still believed to be efficiently solvable implies that there are those who believe it was never efficiently solvable, while OP's 2 versions implies that everyone believes that, at some point, it was efficiently solvable (even if it is no longer).– ZackMay 30, 2019 at 14:29
-
@Zack: I take your point. If the intended meaning is that the solvability window is in danger of closing, then my Door #3 doesn't work. But that is only true in that one instance. In the more likely case that still governs the belief, Door #3 works better.– RobustoMay 30, 2019 at 14:34
-
@Robusto: Fair enough. And I think your construction certainly sounds better. :)– ZackMay 30, 2019 at 14:35
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
I disagee with @RogerK - sentence #1 is best:
It is believed to still be efficiently solvable.
First, it's 100% correct. No problem there. Second, it avoids the "be still" combo in the other sentence. And that's a little weird sounding, to be honest. All those b's one after another, and the expression "be still" is a thing too, so the reader needs to unconsciously disambiguate.
Regardless, I'd do whatever I could to substitute that passive voice "It is believed..." for active voice: Who believes this? In a weak research paper, passive voice is often used to cover up a lack of research...
