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my gut tells me i need to say ‘in any way’ in ‘associative means you can parenthesise terms in any way’, but why? what about the following sentences? what exactly are the rules?

any way

Michael, You must know by now that research can be slanted any way to make a point.
Forbes

They are outliers blessed with a freakish talent that can be expressed any way – devastating in a single over or a day and a half of batting.
The Guardian

The Unibox, a tall, square van enclosed in transparent panels, can be used "any way you please," Honda said, "as a cafe, for example, or even as a listening room".
NYT

Seafood dishes, such as trout, salmon and sole, can be prepared "any way you like it".
HuffPo

in any way

But it doesn't hang together in any way that matters.
New Yorker

Because Christianity can be interpreted in any way you like.
Independent

And, as we all know, data can be interpreted in any way.
NYT

It's just a really fun way for girls to feel like they can be sexy in any way that they want to be.
The Guardian

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When you need to choose in such cases , a good rule of thumb is to pick whichever word sounds better."any way" is vague , while "in any way" is specific to the action described by the verb.Generally adding "in" in a phrase points to something specific since "in" describes something with a inner structure.

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    Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.
    – Community Bot
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 7:17
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    That works for an experienced language user who's built up an intuition, but not for a learner if they haven't yet.
    – Divizna
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 7:21
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    does ‘associative means you can parenthesise terms in any way’ sound better with or without ‘in’, and why might that be?
    – potato
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 8:08
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    -1 On this site, we expect answers that could be verified by reference to authoritative sources. "Whichever word sounds better" cannot be attributed to an authoritative source. Also, the OP asked for rules, and your answer doesn't include any.
    – gotube ♦
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 16:34
  • You stopped reading at "sounds better".
    – Cerise
    Commented Oct 6, 2023 at 19:07

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