Academic English #26. It

‘It’s a matter of~’ is an English expression often used to convey that something is “ultimately a matter of ~” or that “the essence is ~.”

In academic presentations, discussions, and Q&A sessions, American scholars use it very often when emphasizing a specific concept or summarizing a conclusion.

It is especially often used with expressions of emphasis such as "the very beginning," "the very last time," and "the very next day," and it has the effect of succinctly pointing out the essence of a situation.

Five example sentences

1. In the end, it comes down to how it was designed from the very beginning.

It's a matter of the very beginning — how the system was designed from day one.

2. In the end, it comes down to the time when that data was last updated.

It’s a matter of the very last time the data was updated.

3. In the end, it was a matter of what we did the very next day.

It’s a matter of the very next day and the actions we took then.

4. In the end, this is less a technical issue than a matter of philosophical approach.

It’s a matter of philosophy more than pure technique.

5. Essentially, it’s a matter of how early the intervention took place.

It’s a matter of how early the intervention occurred.