So vs Such — and so much / so many
B1 Upper-Intermediate
Intensifiers & Quantity
What do they mean?
- so intensifies an adjective or adverb: so cold, so slowly.
- such intensifies a noun phrase: such a mess, such terrible weather.
- Cause–result Both often introduce a result with that: so/ such … (that) …
- “Like this/that” sense They can also mean “to this degree”: Is it really so urgent? • How could you make such a mistake?
Core patterns
| Pattern | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| so + adjective/adverb (+ that …) | degree of a quality or manner | You’re so stubborn. • He drove so slowly (that) traffic built up. |
| such a/an + (adjective) + singular countable noun (+ that …) | intensified noun (one item) | She’s such a brilliant actor. • It was such a terrible day (that) we went home. |
| such + (adjective) + plural/uncountable noun (+ that …) | intensified noun (more/uncountable) | We had such awful weather. • He tells such funny stories (that) everyone laughs. |
| so much / so many + noun (+ that …) | large quantity | They wasted so much food. • There were so many people (that) we left. |
that is optional in speech. If the result is clear, you can omit it.
Quantity set: much/many, little/few
- so much + uncountable: so much money / time / furniture
- so many + plural countable: so many fans / emails / ideas
- so little + uncountable: so little space • so few + plural: so few tickets
- Before pronouns/determiners use of: so many of them, so much of my time.
In everyday English, such a lot of (BrE) ≈ so much/many: We had such a lot of homework.
Exclamations & word order
- Exclamations It’s so late! • Such a surprise!
- No noun after so: not *so beautiful dress* → such a beautiful dress.
- such needs a noun unless it’s a set expression: such nonsense, such fun (uncountable nouns).
Comparatives & register
- Comparatives so much better / so much more interesting / so many more options.
- Tone so much/so many often express excess or complaint: so many forms to fill in! but can be positive too.
Formal fronting (literary): So crowded was the train that we stood.
Natural examples
- Why are you so impatient?
- He’s so good (that) he gets bored playing me.
- It was such a fun party that we stayed till midnight.
- They brought such delicious food that nothing was left.
- You spend so much time on your phone.
- We had so many messages (that) we needed help replying.
Common pitfalls to avoid
- ❌ *so + adjective + noun* → ✔ use such (a) + adjective + noun: such a nice person.
- ❌ *such a + plural/uncountable* → ✔ such + plural/uncountable (no a): such terrible conditions, such good advice.
- ❌ *so many + uncountable* / *so much + plural* → ✔ so many people, so much water.
- ❌ Forgetting of before a determiner/pronoun: say so many of my friends, not *so many my friends*.
Exercises:
So vs Such; So much/So many
Complete the sentences with so, such (a), so much, so many.
1
I like my uncles. They are
nice people.
2
I was surprised that he looked
young at his age.
3
They have
money that they don't know what to do with it.
4
The game was
boring that I almost fell asleep.
5
people went to the show that there weren't enough chairs.
6
We had a really good time. It was
pity that you couldn't come.
7
The food at the hotel was
awful that I didn't eat it.
8
I've never eaten
awful food.
9
She works
hard that she always looks tired.
10
I couldn't believe what happened. It was
shock!
So vs Such; So much/So many
Choose the correct option to complete the sentences below.
1
The weather was ____ cold that we cancelled the picnic.
A.
B.
C.
D.
2
It was ____ an interesting talk that nobody looked at their phone.
A.
B.
C.
D.
3
She has ____ patience with kids.
A.
B.
C.
D.
4
There were ____ people at the concert that we couldn’t see the stage.
A.
B.
C.
D.
5
They made ____ noise that the neighbours complained.
A.
B.
C.
D.
6
He’s ____ talented musician that he won first prize.
A.
B.
C.
D.
7
The soup was ____ salty.
A.
B.
C.
D.
8
They told ____ unbelievable story that everyone listened in silence.
A.
B.
C.
D.
9
We had ____ good time at the festival.
A.
B.
C.
D.
10
There are ____ traffic jams lately that it takes me hours to get home.
A.
B.
C.
D.
So vs Such; So much/So many
Rewrite the sentences using so, such (a), so much, so many.
Rewrite the sentence using so / such (a/an) / so much / so many. Type only the underlined part.
1
It was a beautiful day. We decided to go to the beach. ⇒ It was that we decided to go to the beach.
2
I was tired. I couldn’t keep my eyes open. ⇒ I was that I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
3
He ate many biscuits. He got indigestion. ⇒ He ate that he got indigestion.
4
I've got a lot of work to do. I don’t know where to start. ⇒ I’ve got to do that I don’t know where to start.
5
It was horrible weather. We spent the day indoors. ⇒ It was that we spent the day indoors.
6
He gave us a convincing excuse. We all believed him. ⇒ He gave us that we all believed him.
7
We had a lot of fun at the party. We are organising a new one. ⇒ We had at the party that we are organising a new one.
8
She speaks French very well. You think it’s her native language. ⇒ She speaks French that you think it’s her native language.
9
There were a lot of people in the queue. We left. ⇒ There were in the queue that we left.
10
The coffee was extremely hot. I burned my tongue. ⇒ The coffee was that I burned my tongue.