Grammar studies/Description & emphasis
DESCRIPTION & EMPHASIS / PIECE OF PISS

So and Such

Two ways to say "bloody hell, that's extreme!" with proper grammar!

AT A GLANCESOPut it into practice ↗
01 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

The Intensifiers That Make Everything More Dramatic

So and Such are the drama queens of English grammar - they make everything more intense, more extreme, more... well, dramatic. Get them wrong and you'll sound like you can't express how bloody amazing or terrible something is.

The Basic Pattern:

SO + adjective/adverb

SUCH + (adjective) + noun

Both mean "very" but with more drama!

02 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

SO (The Adjective Intensifier)

So + adjective:

  • "The film was so boring!" (Extremely dull)
  • "She's so clever!" (Very intelligent)
  • "This coffee is so hot!" (Burning temperature)
  • "I'm so tired!" (Absolutely knackered)

So + adverb:

  • "He drives so slowly!" (Painfully slow)
  • "She sings so beautifully!" (Like an angel)
  • "Time passes so quickly!" (Flies by)
03 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

SUCH (The Noun Intensifier)

Such + (adjective) + noun:

  • "It was such a boring film!" (Extremely dull movie)
  • "She's such a clever girl!" (Very intelligent person)
  • "We had such a good time!" (Fantastic experience)
  • "He's such an idiot!" (Complete fool)

Such + uncountable nouns:

  • "We had such fun!" (Great enjoyment)
  • "There was such noise!" (Tremendous racket)
  • "I have such respect for her!" (Deep admiration)
Structure Example Meaning
so + adjective so beautiful very beautiful
so + adverb so quickly very quickly
such + a/an + adj + noun such a beautiful day a very beautiful day
such + adj + plural noun such beautiful flowers very beautiful flowers
04 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

So/Such... That (Result Clauses)

Showing results with "that":

  • "The film was so boring that I fell asleep." (Cause and effect)
  • "It was such a good film that I watched it twice." (Result)
  • "She speaks so quietly that I can't hear her." (Consequence)
  • "He's such a good cook that everyone loves his food." (Outcome)
05 / THE RULE & EXAMPLES

Common Mistakes (Don't Cock This Up)

Wrong vs Right:

  • "Such beautiful!" → "So beautiful!"
  • "So a good film!" → "Such a good film!"
  • "Such quickly!" → "So quickly!"
  • "So good weather!" → "Such good weather!"
06 / YOUR TURN

Practice Exercises (So Dramatic!)

Exercise 1: Choose So or Such

1. The weather is hot today!
2. It was a difficult exam.
3. She drives carefully.
4. We had a wonderful time.
5. The music is loud!
6. He's a nice person.

Exercise 2: Complete with So/Such + That

1. The film was I left early.
2. It was I read it in one day.
3. She speaks I can't understand.
4. They're everyone likes them.
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Brilliant! Now you can be so dramatic with such perfect grammar!