This area of science as complicated as it is.
What does it mean? All instances I have found on the Internet have something at the end, e.g. “Buying gifts for men isn’t nearly as complicated as it is for women,” “It isn’t even a quarter as complicated as it is made out to be.”
May I suggest that in my sentence it means that the area of science is complicated but it’s because it has to be this complicated, by no means we can make it simpler.
Answer
As J.R. says, this is a fragment as it stands.
Perhaps what you heard was
This area of science is complicated as it is.
As it is means as things presently stand or in the current circumstances when it modifies an entire clause:
As it is, we’re going to lose money this month.
When it modifies a noun or (noun phrase) it means in its present state
The business community, as it is, is nervous.
In this particular case it modifies complicated. That is a “predicate adjective” which in effect modifies the subject, area of science, so the it in as it is refers to that subject: the phrase bears the second sense, in its present state
This area of science is complicated in its present state.
Very likely the speaker is addressing a new discovery or approach which makes this area of science even more complicated than it is now.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Graduate , Answer Author : StoneyB on hiatus
