Author Topic: The difference between "How true (was, is) it?" as theses sentences  (Read 2132 times)

Joe Carillo

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Question asked by Aryan Khazin‎ in the Forum's Facebook Gateway (June 24, 2017):
 
Hello there, can someone tell me? What is the difference between the theses sentences "How true was it?" and "How true is it?"? Which one is a statement and which a question? Thanks in advance!

My reply to Aryan Khazin:

The first sentence, "How true was it?" is clearly a time-based question where the speaker recognizes that the parameters of the question may have changed in the interim, such that its truth isn't permanent and immutable, as in the statement that "Candidate X was not yet 100%" ready to campaign when he was nominated as the lead candidate for the country's top elective position." Such questions are not suitable thesis material because the answer is time-sensitive, making the job of defending it very difficult if not outright untenable.

In contrast, the second sentence, "How true is it?", is a question where the thesis postulates an unchanging or immutable answer over a considerably long period of time, as in the thesis statement that "The Earth revolves around the Sun in an elliptical orbit." This is the kind of thesis statement that lends itself to viable proof and defense, and so it is the kind that's more likely to be accepted in academe for a masteral or a doctoral dissertation.

Rejoinder by Aryan Khazin:

Thank you so much! It was really helpful!