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Tutto ciò è assurdo e sorprendente.

Tutto ciò è assurdo e sorprendente.
All that is absurd and surprising.
From Lesson 246:The abstract demonstrative pronoun (ciò)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Tutto ciò è assurdo e sorprendente.

Why use ciò here instead of quello?
Ciò is an invariable pronoun that means "this" or "that" when referring to an abstract idea, a situation, or a previous statement, rather than a physical object. You could also use quello here, but ciò is very common for abstract concepts and sounds a bit more refined.
What is the difference between saying Tutto è assurdo and Tutto ciò è assurdo?
Tutto alone means "everything" in a broad sense ("Everything is absurd"). Adding ciò makes it "all this" or "all that," pointing directly to a specific situation or set of facts you were just discussing.
Could ciò be used if we were talking about physical things, like a pile of broken machines?
No, ciò is strictly for abstract ideas or concepts. If you were pointing to physical objects, you would use a regular demonstrative pronoun like questo or quello (for example, Tutto questo è assurdo).
Why does assurdo end in -o but sorprendente ends in -e, since they both describe ciò?
Ciò is treated as masculine singular. Assurdo is a standard adjective that changes its ending to match gender and number, so it takes the masculine singular -o. Sorprendente is a type of adjective that ends in -e for both masculine and feminine singular words, so it keeps the -e ending here.

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