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adverbs - "However" vs. "how ever": one word or two?


I am writing a paper and stumbled upon this sentence of mine.



"The output remained consistently poor however the data was/were analysed".


"The output remained consistently poor how ever the data was/were analysed".



I LOOKED for answers ONLINE ONLY TO GET FURTHER CONFUSED.



I want the readers to understand that no matter how you analyze the data, the output would remain poor.




Answer



Here you're using however as an adverb, meaning no matter how or in whatever way. Since you said that your intention is "no matter how you analyze the data, the output would remain poor", however is the correct choice.


When one uses how ever, "ever" usually takes the role of an intensifier -- it increases the strength of the statement being made with "how".


For example,



How ever did you fix the car?



is an expression of surprise or shock at the car being fixed, and could be rephrased as



How did you ever fix the car?



Both of these statements are stronger than



How did you fix the car?



which suggests only interested curiosity rather than a burning question.


Using "how ever" here in your sentence would not be standard English, since you wouldn't substitute how all by itself and still have a grammatically standard sentence. Use "however".


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