Difference between SO and SUCH

Don’t you know the difference between SO and SUCH yet? Still unsure how to use SO and SUCH? That’s not good, eh? Let me explain it to you in a couple of minutes!

Still don’t know the difference between SO and SUCH? Still don’t know how to use SO and SUCH? That’s really bad, isn’t it? Well, that’s what I’m here for, to explain the difference between SO and SUCH and to tell you exactly how to use these two words that, although similar, are used differently. Come on, let’s get to it.

Difference between SO and SUCH

SO and SUCH have many meanings, but the usual one is to a great extent or high degree. Furthermore, to make matters worse, both SO and SUCH are used in the «so/such … that» structure, where «that» is followed by a consequence or result of the previous sentence. For example:

I was so tired that I couldn’t be bothered to go out. = Estaba tan cansado que no podía molestarme en salir.

So tired –> I couldn’t be bothered…

There was such noise at night that I found it impossible to fall asleep. = Había tal ruido de noche que me resultaba imposible quedarme dormido.

Such noise –> I found it impossible…

Due to these similarities, it’s normal that sometimes we don’t know how to use SO and SUCH. Sometimes, the difference isn’t so clear when you’re learning English. But I’m going to explain it to you in detail.

How to use SO

The word so normally appears in the following structures:

• so + adjective + (that) + clause

We use so followed by adjectives:

She was so angry with him that she didn’t talk to him for a whole week.

This book is so interesting that I can’t put it down for a minute.

•  so + adverb + (that) + clause

We use so followed by adverbs:

The man spoke so quickly that I couldn’t quite understand what he was saying.

That guy was driving so fast that he lost control when trying to turn.

• so + few/many/little/much + noun + (that) + clause

We use so followed by nouns only when we use the quantifiers few/many/little/much:

There were so few people that the place seemed almost empty. (countable noun)

There were so many people that I found it difficult to breathe. (countable noun)

Rachel had so little money that she couldn’t catch the bus. (uncountable noun)

The tsunami had caused so much damage that the city had to be rebuilt.

(uncountable noun)

How to use SUCH

The word such normally appears in the following structures:

• such + (adjective) + uncountable/plural noun + (that) + clause

We use such with uncountable or plural nouns:

There are such bad politicians in Spain that the country is now facing a deep crisis.

(plural noun)

He felt such guilt for what he’d done that he ended up committing suicide.

(uncountable noun)

• such + a/an + (adjective) + singular noun + (that) + clause

We use such a/an with singular countable nouns:

The Alhambra in Granada is such a spectacular monument that everyone should visit it at least once.

• such + a lot of + (adjective) + uncountable/plural noun + (that) + clause

We use such a lot of with uncountable or plural nouns:

Some people have such a lot of money that they could afford to buy a different car every day. (uncountable noun)

There were such a lot of people that I could hardly breathe. (countable noun)

As you can see, SO and SUCH can be synonyms, but they are not used in the same structures. It’s that simple! 😊

SUMMARY: Difference between SO and SUCH

• SO is used with adjectives, adverbs and nouns with few/many/little/much.
• SUCH is used only with nouns.

Well? How do you feel? Speechless, right? 😂 If you found it useful, hit the share button hard and tell everyone that you have finally understood this very important grammatical point. And don’t forget to follow KSE Academy on Facebook Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube. 🙂