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How A; so A; how much A!
An exclamatory statement at the end of a sentence, often shows a sense of 'wow', 'surprise', or 'being upset' at A
読どく書しょっ て 、 なんて 楽たのし い ことか 。 
What fun it is to read!
好
18点
どこ に いる だ ろ う ？ 何 時 間 待 た せ て い る こと か 。 
Where are you? You know how long you've made me wait?
好
9点
その ラ イ ブ の チ ケ ッ ト を 取 れ た ら ど ん な に うれしい こと か 。 
How wonderful it would be if I could get that live ticket!
好
20点
何 度 彼 女 と 話 そ う と した こと か 。 で も 、 緊 張 の あまり 何 も 言 え な か っ た 。 
How many times did I try to talk to her? But I was so nervous I couldn't say anything.
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13点
この 花 は なんと きれいな こと か 。 
How pretty is this flower!
好
11点
その 部屋 は なんて 寒 か っ た こと か 。 
How cold it was in the room!
好
2点
彼 女 の ス ピ ー チ は なんて 上手 い ことか 。 
How very good her speech is!
好
2点
私 は 両 親 のこと で どれほど 悩 ん だ ことか 。 
It's my parents, so I worried so much.

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Getting the sentences
Construction
(Elements in parentheses are optional.)
AVerb: Casual, past (た)
 
AVerb: て-form いる
 
Aい-adjective
 
Aな-adjective な/だった
 
ANoun である/だった
 
 
ことか
Basic Examples:
がんばったことか (How hard (I) tried)

しっていることか (how (well) (I) know)

ちいさいことか (how small)

きれいなことか (how pretty)

Where this grammar is found


User notes
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Josefutaro
Level: 74
(4 months ago)

【ことか】Conveys a sense of deep emotion. Means the emotion is so intense that it is difficult to specify its degree or amount.

「日本語文型辞典」(2015) p. 121

0
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火曜
Level: 17
(8 years ago)
新完全マスタ N2 文法 (p. 117) sets out this pattern with ～ことだろう as a possible alternative to ～ことか
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火曜
Level: 17
(8 years ago)
For anyone working through 新完全マスター, this grammar point is listed there as ～ことだ。
It's explained in the same way, used at the end of a sentence to show surprise, strong impression/emotion, sarcasm; preceded by い・な adjectives.

That book also adds that it can also be preceded by special adjectives such as 困った.

Examples of other special adjectives (don't conjugate and are only used as noun modifiers) would be とんだ (surprising, awful, terrific), すぐれた (excellent, fine, superb), 大した (great, fabulous).
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マイコー
Level: 207
(13 years ago)
Sentences that end with this often include 'question words' to give a meaning of 'how much' or 'so much'
どんなに (how much)
何回も (question word + counter) (how many times.....?)

Usually, the exact degree of how much or how often isn't spelled out in the sentence, which gives it the feeling of a question in that the statement is so strong that it can't be measured. Check out the model sentences for examples of this.
6

Discussion about this grammar
aileen
Studying: JLPT 2級
Level: 1, 好 : 72
In the second example:
何時間待たせていることか. You know how long you've made me wait?

Should this be "You know how long you've been making me wait?"
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好
1点
14 years ago
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 207, 好 : 9,272
Fixed!
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好
0点
14 years ago
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fareastfurfaro
Grammar mod. Level: 1, 好 : 525
I feel like a number of these examples may be used incorrectly. Also, I'm trying to find examples of ことか showing repetition but I'm not seeing it in either of my books, JGram or this sentence library. If it does exist, I think a separate page should be created showing something the one I am currently searching for. This ことか shows something that is so great, the speaker has a hard time believing it. Like "How awesome that is!" "How unfortunate!" or something. For example:

初めての孫が生まれたとき、母がどんなに喜んだことか。(ALC)

The constructions may be the same, I'd add:

なことか

My book also mentions な-である and 名詞-である constructions but I don't know how to use them.

Finally, it appears to be a written grammar form.

Sorry, that's long but it took like 20 minutes to dig all that up so I hope it helps.
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好
1点
13 years ago
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 207, 好 : 9,272
I updated the definition, usage patterns, and added a helpful little usage note. I see that a lot of users are using it in the general question form. I wouldn't say ことか can really be split out to another grammar pattern marking it a question - it's simple the か attached to a sentence that happens to end in こと, don't you think?

I'm open to suggestions as to where to move those. Maybe for the sake of avoiding confusion, it would be better to add a grammar point (although I wouldn't consider doing it if those sentences weren't in there) and move them over. What do you think?
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好
0点
13 years ago
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fareastfurfaro
Grammar mod. Level: 1, 好 : 525
Yeah sorry, they may be using it correctly, but not according to this particular definition. I know the phrase ことか but I don't think that deserves it's own pattern either.

Now that they are already in here though maybe it wouldn't hurt to make a page for it. Either that or somehow mark them and ask the author to adjust it to the definition listed above.
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好
0点
13 years ago
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 207, 好 : 9,272
Sending messages to everyone; would you mind commenting on those bottom three for me? I'll take the top few :). どうぞよろしく！
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好
0点
13 years ago
Lang_learner
Years Studied: 2 years
Studying: Grammar and vocabulary
Level: 1, 好 : 61
Is this grammar casual? If not please set me straight, Thanks in advance! :)
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0点
10 years ago
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IJamLegend
Years Studied: 三年間ばかり勉強しています。
Studying: anything that catches my eye
Level: 1, 好 : 59
Is this like an embedded question? Could you say it in the middle of a sentence? e.g. その花がきれいなことか知ってる？Would this mean "do you know how pretty that flower is?"?
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0点
8 years ago
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 207, 好 : 9,272
This is just at the end, I believe. For embedded questions, try this out: https://www.renshuu.org/grammar/38/%E3%81%8B%E3%81%A9%E3%81%86%E3%81%8B (If that link doesn't work and you're not in renshuu 3.0 beta, search for かどうか in the grammar dictionary.
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好
0点
8 years ago
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IJamLegend
Years Studied: 三年間ばかり勉強しています。
Studying: anything that catches my eye
Level: 1, 好 : 59
ah, cool, thanks ^_^ I've got かどうか down already, I think, but revision is key! Thanks again, helpful admin is helpful. EDIT: just checked this page out: http://www.renshuu.org/index.php?page=grammar/individual&id=38 and there's an error in the example for な adjectives, it says あんぜんかどうか instead of あんぜんなかどうか
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8 years ago (Edited 8 years ago.)
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マイコー
Site admin
 Level: 207, 好 : 9,272
That's correct - the な get's dropped from na-adjectives.
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0点
8 years ago
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IJamLegend
Years Studied: 三年間ばかり勉強しています。
Studying: anything that catches my eye
Level: 1, 好 : 59
Oh, sorry, I didn't notice that there was a minus and it was red :( I'll pay more attention next time. ;D
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好
0点
8 years ago (Edited 8 years ago.)



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