The Basics: How to Use "So" and "Such"
Look at this sentence: Audrey was so beautiful woman.
Does the grammar look correct to you? If you think so, then you need to study the rules of so and such again because the sentence is wrong!
Let's review the basic grammar rules for so and such:
Examples:
- "This test is so hard."
- "Jack can run so fast."
- "The movie was so sad (that) Peter cried.
In both of these sentences, so comes before an adjective (i.e. the words "hard" and "sad").
Meaning: The meaning of the word "so" in the 1st and 2nd sentences is similar to "very." "This test is so hard" is similar to "This test is very hard." In the 3rd sentence, "so" tells you how sad the movie was. How sad was it? Sad enough to make Peter cry. That is the extent (the level of sadness). The movie was "so sad that Peter cried." That is how sad it was.
Examples:
- "Lisa is such a beautiful woman ."
- "I don't want to swim in such dirty water.
- "Doug is such a fool."
"Such" in these sentences has the same meaning as "so" from the sentence "This test is so hard." But you cannot use "so" if a noun comes after it. This is a rule. That is why we use "such." The nouns in the above sentences are woman, water, and fool. Woman and fool are countable singular nouns, so the sentences also need an article ("a"). Water is an uncountable noun, so it does not need an article (a/an or the).
"So" can come before a noun IF the adjectives many/much/few/little also come before the noun. These sentences are correct:
- "There are so many balloons!" (balloons = countable noun, so we use "many")
- "Mike drank so much beer." (beer = uncountable noun, so we use "much")
- "He has so few friends." (friends = countable noun, so we use "few")
- "We have so little time." (time = uncountable noun, so we use "little")
This is a special case.
These are the basic differences in how we use so and such for intermediate or upper-intermediate grammar. Of course, there are other ways to use so and such that are more advanced as well. I hope this has been helpful.
- Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com
Do you think you understand?
Let's see! Take the test:
This has been a bad summer. There have been rainy days. Yesterday, it was rainy and cold. I tried to take the bus to school, but the bus was full that I couldn't even get on. So I decided to walk to school. I didn't have an umbrella so I got wet. I got wet that I had to change into my gym clothes when I finally got to school. I felt like an idiot in my gym clothes at school, but they were the only dry clothes I had. The weather can make life difficult sometimes.
Answers
This has been such a bad summer. There have been so many rainy days. Yesterday, it was rainy and cold. I tried to take the bus to school, but the bus was so full that I couldn't even get on. So I decided to walk to school. I didn't have an umbrella so I got wet. I got so wet that I had to change into my gym clothes when I finally got to school. I felt like such an idiot in my gym clothes at school, but they were the only dry clothes I had. The weather can make life so difficult sometimes.
thank you…your explanation is very easy to undersatnd
Thanks so much it is real the best methot for learning of language
Thank you. your explanation was easy to understand.
ok, very goog, is a manner practice of understand thamkyou for the information now put differencialy
its was such usefull explanation . thank you so much
it was such A useful explanation ! :)
Simple and to the point:-) really appreciate it
This is really helpful your explanation is really easy to understand
it too hard when i was study it
but….. when i do all this it ,it make me knew that it was so easy
it is very good for all students are studying to find of their knowledge
It is really good and your explanation is easy to understand. But, I think u should add the example because it can make me Know how many I understand from it.
Thank you so much for explanation such a topic.now i am abe to understand about so and such.
Thanks a lot for explanation that is so easy to understand
Such a good lesson :)
“so good a lesson” is also another version of this phrase
Your explanation is easy to understand, so I and other people able to catch the meaning. I hope you will share knowledge any more.
Thank you very much
Tnx ! It Is Very Easy To Understand
It is well explained. Thanks
Thanks alot your explanaition is so strightfoward
Thank your exersices are very good to practice and understand
It’s a nice lesson in fact,I could understand it so easily.The difference between So & Such had been a entangled confusion for me for a long timw until I read this lesson.Thank you for this lesson!!
Its a nice page for understanding of “so”and”such”
can we use so a few cups of tea?
No — you can say ‘so few cups of tea’. Remember, never use ‘a’ with a plural noun (cups)
I wish I had a teacher like you!
what is the answer of that ( Mark is ……… nice little boy (so – such a )
‘such a’ because ‘boy’ is a noun.
The article is short & to the point which makes understanding concepts easy.Thanks. It has helped me to teach my son correctly when to use SO & SUCH.A great revision for me too.
i dont remember how i ended up on this web page, but im sorry that my language is so hard
How did I do, good or bad?
If you are asking about the quiz, then click on the ‘answer’ link (below the quiz) to see how you did. I’m sure you did well though.
Thank you sir.. it’s the way to teach.. Teaching suits on you.
Thanks,it is so clear to explain who to use so and such and I understand very well.This programme it’s useful for anyone who need to learn grammar
I’ve had the three fist questions and so far it has been very helpful for me .
Thank you.
Really appreciateable..very easy to way understand.
Easy To Understand, Thanks For Your Efforts To Device #Such An Explanation. It Is #So Easy Now.
:) (Just change the spelling of ‘device’ to ‘devise’ and it’s perfect!)
is it right: such+adjictive+a/an+noun ???? Could you help me to find this structure
such + (a/an) + adjective + noun. Sometimes the article (a/an) is not needed if the noun is uncountable or plural. For example, ‘He has such nice eyes / I’ve never had such expensive wine.’
It annoys the he’ll out of me when people use the phrase “It was so fun” and then look at you as if you are stupid when you say the correct grammar is “It was such fun”
‘Fun’ can also be an adjective so I’d say both are acceptable.
It is such a good explanation. thank you
It is such a beautiful lesson to study
Correct! (And thank you)
Thank you, for clearing my doubts #so_easily
Audrey was so beautiful.
He is so nice, man.
Would any of these be correct?
Thanks !
Yes, as long as you have the comma before ‘man’, then both are fine.
Your examples are helpful. Thank you for improving my grammar.
Thank u very much ..
But why did you put ( so many ) before rainy days??
‘days’ is a countable noun, so we use ‘many’.
This was really helpful to me.
Thank you so much,it is such a easy way of understanding grammar.
This was really helpful thanks a lot
THANKS