I would like to ask how to interpret the "もの" or "もん" in the phrase
"どうしたものでしょうか" or "どうしたもんか". Does it have any specific meaning or serve a
grammatical function? I know the phrases have the same meaning as "どうすればいい?",
but I am curious about this もの, though.
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2018-10-18T09:03:51.580
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2018-10-18T23:28:09.343
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meaning
How to interpret the "もの" in どうしたものでしょうか
ものだ after a verb has several special functions, and one of them is to describe
an advice based on common sense.

  * [Difference between sentence final ものだ and ことだ](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/6372/5010)
  * [The meanings of ものだ](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/43083/5010)

So どうしたものでしょうか is like どうするべきでしょうか. Basically it's seeking for what an
ordinary person would do in a similar situation. That said,
どうしたものか/どうしたものでしょうか has been established as a set phrase said when someone is
at a loss, and you may not have to take it as a genuine question and answer
it.
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2018-10-18T23:46:05.273
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answer