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I would like to write a sentence similar as follows but after a Google search, I noticed using the verb to reach could make the sentence sound unnatural. So which verbs can I use instead of the verb to reach?

It took centuries to reach to high standard of living we have today.

It took centuries to reach to high (level) quality of life we have today.

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  • should I use " to accomplish" ?
    – Mrt
    Sep 19, 2018 at 21:52
  • No, you accomplish a task.
    – Lambie
    Sep 19, 2018 at 22:13

3 Answers 3

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Question: A verb for "high standard of life" or " high quality of life"

Answer: There is no verb for that idea.

However, I will correct the phrase to: high standard of living. One has a standard of living.

Please note: In Romance languages, the noun for life is used. But not in English.

With the phrase correction:

It took centuries to achieve the high standard of living we have today.

have can be enjoy.

It took centuries to achieve the high quality of life we have today.

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We seem to have established in the comments that the problem is not with reach, but with reach to. (Secondarily, you should use the indefinite article here, thus a high standard of living or a high quality of life.)

Collins provides various definitions of reach, all based around the idea of arriving at a place or stage, or close enough (literally or metaphorically) to touch; that position is identified by the direct object. Something you reach to is something you are stretching or expanding toward.

The ship reached port with barely half its cargo.

By the time you reach death, you will have walked the equivalent of five trips around the earth.

The old man's beard reaches to his waist.

We reach to the stars because we are bold.

If you think of a society attaining a high standard of living or a high quality of life as a point on a journey, or as a level of achievement, then reach a high standard of living or reach a high qualify of life is perfectly fine, as would many synonyms signifying achievement; a society might attain, realize, or achieve a high standard of living; it might make or manage it if the situation is tenuous, or secure it if you're confidence in the permanence of that state.

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It can be conveyed, if only through descriptors...

Stating one lives "in opulence" or "in luxury" suggests the highest standards of quality of life.

Likewise saying one has a "first-class" education or is suffering "first world problems" are both common euphemisms to suggest quality of life. "Modern" and "contemporary" both carry similar connotations, though not mapped quite as directly. "Healthy", "plentiful", "bountiful", "post-scarcity", "posh" are all similar indicators.

I'm not familiar with a specific verb that direct addresses the definition you provide, though.

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