Hello, my lovely English learners! Welcome back to my blog. Today, we are looking at how to use ‘so.’ ‘So, how do I use so?’ I hear you cry. By the end of this grammar lesson, you will have a full understanding. Let’s go!
‘So’ has multiple definitions and is used in various grammatical structures. Let’s take a look at these step-by-step.
Rule 1.
SO + ADJECTIVE
Today I am so tired.
(Today I am very tired.)
Yesterday morning was so windy.
(Yesterday morning it was very windy.)
The food was so good in that restaurant last night.
(The food was very good.)
COMMON MISTAKE:
Yesterday it was such cold.
☑Yesterday it was so cold.
Rule 2.
SO + MANY/FEW + COUNTABLE NOUN
many = a big amount few = a small amount
There were so many people at the party.
I ate so many slices of toast for breakfast.
So few students did their homework.
I don’t know why so few people like Marmite.
COMMON MISTAKES:
There were so much people at the party.
☑There were so many people at the party.
I had so few informations.
☑I had so little information.
Rule 3.
SO + MUCH/LITTLE + UNCOUNTABLE NOUN
much = a big amount little = a small amount
I waste so much time on YouTube.
Athletes get so much exercise day -to -day.
I can’t believe your holiday cost so little money.
Since having kids, my wife and I have so little time together.
COMMON MISTAKE:
I have not so many time.
☑I don’t have so much time.
⇑
Rules 1,2, and 3 are important for the next formation.
Rule 4.
Rules 1,2,3 + (that) + RESULT
Yesterday I felt so sick, (that) I didn’t go to work.
(What’s the result of my sickness? I didn’t go to work.)
The food was so awful, (that) I complained to the chef.
(What was the result of the bad food? I complained to the chef?)
I received so many boxes of chocolate on my birthday, (that) I gave a lot of them to my family.
(What was the result of receiving so many boxes of chocolate? I gave them away.)
The employee spent so much money on the company credit card, (that) the boss sacked him.
(What was the result of spending too much money? The employee got sacked.)
Rule 5.
SO = THEREFORE
‘Therefore’ is used to give a result. ‘Therefore’ is more formal than ‘so’.
I felt really ill so I decided to stay home.
(What is the result of my illness? I stayed home.)
The shopping centre didn’t have what I needed so I went on Amazon.co.uk.
(What was the result of the shopping centre not having what I needed? I went on Amazon.)
We realised that we didn’t love each other anymore so we broke up.
(What was the result of no more love? We broke up.)
Which one is more formal: SO or THEREFORE?
Answer: THEREFORE
Rule 6.
SO = ‘me too’
USED WITH: have, be and do
A: I love listening to the rain before I fall asleep.
B: So do I. (Me too)
A: I’m Italian.
B: So am I. (Me too.)
A: I’ve been to Barcelona before.
B: So have I. (Me too)
Gary joined a gym and so did Anna.
REMEMBER: If you want to say ‘I am the same’ in a negative sentence, we use NEITHER.
A: I haven’t been to Barcelona before.
B: Neither have I.
Me neither (informal).
COMMON MISTAKE:
A: I don’t like going to the gym
B: Me too. Me neither. Neither do I.
Rule #7
SO = to informally connect information/a story
USED at the beginning of a sentence
So, what happened after you called your landlord and complained?
Last week, I saw this beautiful coat in a shop, but it was too expensive. So, I decided to call my parents and ask them if they could buy it for me as an early birthday present.
The restaurant was incredibly romantic; there were candles, roses and everything. So, after about 30 minutes, he got down on one knee, and proposed!
