I have a question about the usage of according to. I wrote this sentence:"These permits were issued according to the proper process." and some of my English native speaker friends said according to was not correct here. They told me to change it to "in accordance with".
But aren't they the synonyms?I always thought according to = in accordance with = be pursuant to = in compliance with.https://www.thesaurus.com/browse/according%20to
And longman and oxford also says according to means following or in agreement with https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/according-to:
- in a way that agrees with a system or plan, or obeys a set of rules
The game will be played according to rules laid down for the 1992 Cup.
Everything went according to plan, and we arrived on time.
And I also found some examples from the New York Times as follows:
However, to become a proponent of truth, trials must be conducted according to the strictest standards of due process.
But war is not conducted according to the requirements of due process
.... if lesser (i.e. non-Piracy) charges are to be pressed, which must be done according to the civilian court process of that victim vessel's country.
Could you please help me with this?