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I want to express

'The world is so hard to live in, that some people give up their lives.'

as an interrogative form, so that I can emphasize the meaning of it. Please let me know if this sentence is too redundant and awkward or if there is a better and clear expression:

How much is the world so hard to live in, that some people give up their lives?

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  • Can you give some context about why you are re-phrasing this? I attempted a couple of answers but deleted them because it didn't seem right. Are you asking "Why" is the world like this? "How" (in what circumstances) could the world come to this? What are you asking?
    – seventyeightist
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 21:04
  • 'How much hard'...maybe? I thought 'how' can only means 'in what way or manner'. So I used 'how much' to mean 'in certain degree or level.' oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/how
    – Student412
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 21:34
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    By "interrogative form" do mean "A sentence that asks whether this is true", or do you mean "A sentence that asks to what extent this is true"?
    – Acccumulation
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 21:35
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    "A sentence that asks to what extent this is true". And I wanted to emphasize it, not to be answered. like 'It's a tough day, isn't it?'
    – Student412
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 21:38
  • Or I should just study English more. It was such a complicated idea for me to deliver, in my English level.
    – Student412
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 21:44

1 Answer 1

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"Is the world so hard to live in that some people give up their lives?"

Or based on your edit "How hard is the world [to live in] that some people give up their lives?" but that would normally be more of a rhetorical question.

Or even more abstractly "How could it be [the case that] the world is so difficult to live in that..." etc.

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  • Most readers would understand "hard" as "hard to live in" in that context.
    – seventyeightist
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 21:27
  • But if you are asking "how much?" you could say something like "How difficult is the world [or: "could the world be?"] that... etc.
    – seventyeightist
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 21:37
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    Maybe that's the expression I was looking for. I've realized 'much' was redundant.
    – Student412
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 22:00
  • Are you asking "to what extent"? (on a scale of e.g. not much..a bit.. a lot etc) -- if you aren't asking about a "quantity" then you are right that "how much" is redundant.
    – seventyeightist
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 22:07
  • @seventyeightist --Wouldn't "give up on their lives" be better?
    – Victor B.
    Commented Feb 22, 2019 at 22:25

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