So and Such | ESL Master

The Basic Difference

Use so with an adjective or adverb alone.

Use such with a noun (or adjective + noun).

Pattern	Example
`so + adjective`	`The story was so stupid.`
`so + adverb`	`Everything happened so quickly.`
`such + noun`	`They are such nice people.`
`such + adjective + noun`	`It was such a stupid story.`

I did not like the book. The story was so stupid.

I did not like the book. It was such a stupid story.

Everything happened so quickly.

I like Liz and Joe. They are such nice people.

With a singular countable noun, use such a.

It was such a big dog.

She is such a good teacher.

That was such a strange experience.

Do not use a such.

Correct	Incorrect
`such a big dog`	~~a such big dog~~
`such a long way`	~~a such long way~~

You can add that to show a result. In everyday English, we often leave out that.

I was so tired (that) I fell asleep in the armchair.

It was such nice weather (that) we spent the whole day on the beach.

Pattern	Example
`so + adjective + that`	`He was so nervous that he could not speak.`
`such + a/an + adjective + noun + that`	`It was such a good film that we watched it twice.`

so and such can also mean “like this” or “to this degree.”

I did not realise it was so old. (= as old as it is)

How can you say such a thing? (= a thing like this)

I have not seen her for so long.

I have not seen her for such a long time. (Not: ~~so long time~~)

I did not know it was so far.

I did not know it was such a long way.

There was so much traffic.

There was such a lot of traffic.

There is no such word in the dictionary. (= this word does not exist)

Mistake	Better	Why
It was a so stupid story.	It was such a stupid story.	Use `such` with adjective + noun, not `so`.
They are so nice people.	They are such nice people.	Use `such` before a noun (people).
I haven’t seen her for so long time.	I haven’t seen her for such a long time.	Use `such a` with countable time expressions.
There is not such a rule.	There is no such rule.	Use `no such` (not `not such`).

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Everything is ___ expensive these days, isn't it?

Use so with an adjective or adverb alone: so tired, so quickly.

Use such with a noun (with or without an adjective): such people, such a stupid story, such nice weather.

Use such a with singular countable nouns. Do not use a such.

Add that to show a result: so tired that I fell asleep, such a good time that we stayed late. In everyday English, that is often left out.

Remember: no such (not not such), such a long time (not so long time), and so much / so many with nouns.