So and Such: The Grammar Gameshow Episode 14

Hello and welcome to today’s Grammar Gameshow!

I’m your host, Will!

It rhymes with thrill!

And of course, let’s not forget Leslie,

our all-knowing voice in the sky.

Hello everyone!

Tonight we’re going to ask you three questions about…

‘So’ and ‘such’!

Those two little intensifiers

that allow us to modify adjectives and nouns!

OK! Now, let’s meet our contestants!

Hi all. My name’s Mark!

And contestant number two?

It’s nice to meet you. I’m Selene!

It’s nice to meet you Mark.

Oh… thanks.

It’s nice to meet you too.

I love your blouse.

Oh thanks!

It’s really…

kind of you to say.

Yes, yes… alright.

Enough fraternising.

Nice to see you again Mark.

OK. Let’s get going and don’t forget

you can play along at home too.

Our first round is a find-the-mistake round.

Look at these sentences

and tell me why they are incorrect!

How was your holiday?

It was such sunny!

It was so a sunny place!

Oh...

I’m sorry…

after you.

No, no, no, no... after you.

No… after you.

Good grief!

Mark. It was you.

They’re the wrong way around.

Don’t we use ‘so’ with adjectives

and ‘such’ with noun phrases?

Leslie?

Well done!

We can use ‘so’ and ‘such’

to emphasise something that we are talking about.

We use ‘so’ to emphasise an adjective

and ‘such’ to emphasise a noun phrase.

It was so sunny.

It was such a sunny place.

Good job. Here’s a bonus question:

If the thing we emphasise using ‘so’ and ‘such’

causes a reaction, what structure do we need to add?

We use a ‘that’ clause.

Leslie?

Absolutely right!

We can add a ‘that’ clause to a ‘so’ or ‘such’ phrase

to say that the thing we are emphasising

is the reason that something happened!

Well done, Selene.

OK. It’s time for a quick-fire round.

Complete these 'so' and 'such' phrases

with a ‘that’ clause.

The day was so sad…

…that I couldn’t believe it when I met Mark.

Correct!

She’s such a kind person...

…that you can always ask her for help.

Correct!

Yes…quite.

I met someone so attractive…

…that I can’t resist how I feel.

Correct!

Focus on the game, please!

There was such chemistry…

…that I couldn’t control myself.

Correct.

Alright, stop it now.

You’re making everyone ill!

Two points each.

OK. On to our second round.

How can we use ‘so’ and ‘such’

to emphasise a great quantity of something?

Please, after you…

I couldn’t possibly...

As if I could go before you, Selene.

Selene!

We combine them with ‘much’ and ‘many’.

How about an example?

Selene has such many points that I could never win.

That answer was totally wrong.

Was it?

I’m sorry I seem to have lost focus.

Stop it!

Leslie?

When we want to emphasise the quantity of something

we can combine ‘so’ with ‘much’ or ‘many’.

‘Much’ is used for uncountable nouns

- so much love -

and ‘many’ is used for countable nouns

- so many hugs.

However, we cannot combine 'such'

with either 'much' or 'many'.

That form does not exist.

Alright loverboy.

Minus eight points to you.

Mark!

Selene!

Oi!

Look at me!

On to our last question.

Look at these two short dialogues

and tell me what the difference is between ‘so’,

‘such’ and ‘very’.

You are very late.

I’m sorry I’m so late. I missed the bus.

We had a very good time.

Why do you think you had such a good time?

Oh, third time! I’m sorry.

It must be destiny.

You’re making the audience sick!

Selene, you go!

Well,

all three are being used to emphasise something, so...

I’m not sure.

Maybe Marky knows...

he’s so clever.

His name’s Mark!

Thanks Seleney.

In the first line of each dialogue,

the speaker introduces a new idea.

In the second, the person emphasises the same idea…

so it's something to do with new information

and known information.

Leslie?

Well done…

Marky.

‘So’, ‘such’ and ‘very’ can emphasise,

but we usually use ‘very’ when giving new information

and ‘so’ or ‘such’ to emphasise information

that is already known.

Well done. Have seven points between you.

Oh, no. You can have them Selene.

No, you can have them Mark.

No, you.

No, you.

Oh, let it end already.

Well, that brings us to the end of today’s

Grammar Gameshow.

Let’s count out the points.

And the winner is…

up to you.

Mark...

Selene…

one of you has to lose.

Who’s it going to be?

I’ll lose…

let her win.

No…

Mark you can’t!

My darling…

It's a far better thing I do,

than I have ever done before.

Alright.

You chose.

Watch out for the elephants!

It looks like we’ll need another contestant.

And Selene, well done to you.

Here’s what you’ve won.

It’s a tandem bicycle!

Perfect for taking long rides with your lover.

I’ll never love again!

We’ll see you again next week,

where you can play for another prize.

Thanks for joining us.

Say goodbye, Leslie.

Ciao, Leslie

See you next time.

Wave Selene.

Wave and smile!