Explanation
Exercises
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

PatternUseExample
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:
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2
3

So vs Such; 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

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 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.