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So and such
B1 B1 grammar · lesson 16 of 23
So and such make adjectives and nouns stronger, and with ‘that’ they show a result. Choosing the right one depends on the word that comes next.
So or such?
Both words mean very or really, and add emotion. They are stronger than very and are very common in speaking, especially when we are surprised, happy or annoyed. The difference between them is the word that comes after them.
| Word | Followed by | Example |
|---|---|---|
| so | adjective | The film was so good. |
| so | adverb | He speaks so quickly. |
| such a / an | (adjective +) singular noun | It was such a good film. |
| such | (adjective +) plural or uncountable noun | They are such nice people. It was such awful weather. |
The weather is so hot today.
It’s such a hot day.
Your children are so polite.
You have such polite children.
Why are you driving so fast?
Leo is such an interesting person.
So many, so much, so few, so little
Before many, much, few and little, we use so, not such.
- There were so many people at the concert.
- I’ve got so much work to do.
- Exception: we say such a lot of: We had such a lot of fun.
Result: so… that, such… that
We use so/such… that to show a result. The first part gives the reason, and the that part tells us what happened because of it. In speaking, that is often left out.
The box was so heavy that I couldn’t lift it.
It was such a good book that I read it in one day.
She spoke so quietly (that) nobody heard her.
There was so much traffic that we missed the start.
Common mistakes
✗ It was so a beautiful day.
✓ It was such a beautiful day.
✗ She is such kind.
✓ She is so kind.
✗ He has a such big house.
✓ He has such a big house.
✗ There were such many cars.
✓ There were so many cars.