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Did Boromir say ‘[The ring] is so a small thing’ or ‘such a small thing’? Learn how to use ‘so’ and ‘such’ with Lord of the Rings! This is part 1 of ‘so’ and ‘such’ materials. Part 2 is here: link.

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Theory - A2

Why do we use them?

We use ‘so’ and ‘such’ to add emphasis and make a sentence sound stronger. ‘So’ and ‘such’ have a similar meaning to ‘very’. In the sentence ‘Frodo is so brave’, the adverb ‘so’ makes the adjective ‘brave’ sounds stronger.

How do we use them?

Read the quotes from The Lord of the Rings to find out!

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Exercise 1

Fill in the gaps using either ‘so’ or ‘such’ and watch the clips to check your answers.

  • ”... a little thing.”
  • ”Please, it's ... a burden. Will you not help him?”
  • ”Fat hobbit is always ... polite.”
  • ”I'm ... sorry Sam. I’m ... sorry.”
  • ”... a beautiful verse.”
  • ”... bright, ... beautiful. Our precious.”
  • ”It's ... quiet.”
  • ”What kind of army would linger in ... a place?”
  • ”Clever hobbits to climb ... high.”

Exercise 2

Paraphrase the following sentences. Change every ‘so’ into ‘such’ and every ‘such’ into ‘so’. For example, ‘The waterfall is so pretty’ can be changed into ‘This is such a pretty waterfall.’ And vice versa.

  1. Sam is such a good friend.
  1. Frodo is so brave.
  1. Sauron is so evil.
  1. Saruman is so powerful.
  1. The Ents are such slow creatures.
  1. Pippin is such a good singer.
  1. Rivendell is such a stunning place.
  1. Galadriel is so wise.
  1. The journey was so long.
  1. Mithril was such a strong metal.
 
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Exercise 3

Let’s take a look at a completely different clip. Listen to what the character says and finish the sentence for her.

"I just do this. I always have to pick the smartest guy or the most talented guy. Why can't I just pick someone like you?" "Thanks" "You know what I mean. I mean like the sweetest guy. Joey you're just so... so...”

Are you ready for more?

There’s more to this topic than what I’ve just shown you. If you feel that you understand this topic, let’s take it to the next level! Check out those materials: link

You’ll learn why you should say ‘thank you so much’ and many more!