How + ADJECTIVE (is that) !

One could argue that there is a big difference between B1 and C2 English Grammar or vocabulary.  Yet, in the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 62 in the category of CLAUSES/phrases/exclamations is defined as:

‘How’ + adjective.

Similarly, if the above structure is followed by a clause it is still B1.  However, in the English Vocabulary Profile, a very similar phrase and meaning is listed:

How strange/stupid/weird, etc. is that? = C2 said to mean that something is strange/stupid, etc.


A search in the NOW corpus for:

how _JJ _VB that ?

1 HOW COOL IS THAT? 726
2 HOW CRAZY IS THAT? 152
3 HOW GOOD IS THAT? 138
4 HOW GREAT IS THAT? 121
5 HOW AWESOME IS THAT? 105
6 HOW AMAZING IS THAT? 102
7 HOW TRUE IS THAT? 96
8 HOW SAD IS THAT? 91
9 HOW STUPID IS THAT? 63
10 HOW FAIR IS THAT? 61
11 HOW LIKELY IS THAT? 53
12 HOW EASY IS THAT? 51
13 HOW RIDICULOUS IS THAT? 51
14 HOW SWEET IS THAT? 48
15 HOW CUTE IS THAT? 47
16 HOW BAD IS THAT? 47
17 HOW WEIRD IS THAT? 46


To search in iWeb for how + adjective, we can use:

How _JJ !

1 HOW EXCITING! 1276
2 HOW FUN! 799
3 HOW COOL! 563
4 HOW CUTE! 498
5 HOW WONDERFUL! 427
6 HOW BEAUTIFUL! 291
7 HOW SWEET! 282
8 HOW CONVENIENT! 264
9 HOW TRUE! 231
10 HOW INTERESTING! 230
11 HOW FUNNY! 224
12 HOW SAD! 219
13 HOW RUDE! 216
14 HOW LOVELY! 206
15 HOW NICE! 199
16 HOW EMBARRASSING! 195
17 HOW AWESOME! 180
18 HOW STRANGE! 161
19 HOW CLEVER! 151
20 HOW AWFUL! 139
21 HOW ROMANTIC! 130
22 HOW AMAZING! 121
23 HOW RIDICULOUS! 119
24 HOW REFRESHING! 119
25 HOW FRUSTRATING! 112
26 HOW PERFECT! 103
27 HOW IRONIC! 101
28 HOW ADORABLE! 99
29 HOW BORING! 94
30 HOW PRETTY! 88
31 HOW ANNOYING! 85
32 HOW TERRIBLE! 84
33 HOW TIMELY! 80
34 HOW STUPID! 79
35 HOW ABSURD! 73
36 HOW HORRIBLE! 68
37 HOW DELIGHTFUL! 67
38 HOW CREATIVE! 64
39 HOW APPROPRIATE! 63
40 HOW TRAGIC! 63
41 HOW GREAT! 61
42 HOW DELICIOUS! 58
43 HOW SCARY! 56
44 HOW THOUGHTFUL! 56
45 HOW NEAT! 54
46 HOW ODD! 54
47 HOW DISAPPOINTING! 53
48 HOW SMALL! 52
49 HOW FASCINATING! 50
50 HOW QUAINT! 49
51 HOW ORIGINAL! 47
52 HOW FITTING! 46
53 HOW SILLY! 45
54 HOW EASY! 44
55 HOW FANTASTIC! 41
56 HOW BIZARRE! 40
57 HOW FOOLISH! 39
58 HOW INSPIRING! 37
59 HOW INCREDIBLE! 36
60 HOW PATHETIC! 35
61 HOW MERRY! 34
62 HOW WEIRD! 32
63 HOW DISGUSTING! 31
64 HOW FABULOUS! 29
65 HOW SIMPLE! 28
66 HOW SPLENDID! 28
67 HOW GORGEOUS! 28
68 HOW GOOD! 28
69 HOW CHARMING! 27
70 HOW CRUEL! 27
71 HOW LUCKY! 26
72 HOW EXTRAORDINARY! 26
73 HOW PRECIOUS! 24
74 HOW CRAZY! 24
75 HOW USEFUL! 24
76 HOW GENEROUS! 23
77 HOW MARVELOUS! 21
78 HOW NOVEL! 21
79 HOW SPECIAL! 21
80 HOW SHOCKING! 19
81 HOW HUMILIATING! 18
82 HOW INTRIGUING! 18
83 HOW DREADFUL! 17
84 HOW CONFUSING! 17
85 HOW UNFAIR! 17
86 HOW INSULTING! 16
87 HOW FORTUNATE! 16
88 HOW BRILLIANT! 16
89 HOW UNIQUE! 16
90 HOW DEPRESSING! 15
91 HOW HANDY! 15
92 HOW UNFORTUNATE! 15
93 HOW POWERFUL! 14
94 HOW SMART! 14
95 HOW NAIVE! 14
96 HOW MARVELLOUS! 14
97 HOW THRILLING! 14
98 HOW GLORIOUS! 13
99 HOW LAME! 13
100 HOW CLEAR! 13


A2 vocabulary:

amazing, awesome, brilliant, clear, cool, crazy, fantastic, horrible, lovely, lucky,

perfect, pretty, simple, special, strange, terrible, true, useful, wonderful

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