Have you considered the many meanings of the word so in English? We know that as an adverb so can mean ‘very’, as in: ‘the restaurant was so busy’, and we know so can be used as a conjunction of result, as in: ‘the restaurant was busy, so we went to the park instead.’

But what about the multiple other uses of so in English? Here are 15 uses of so to consider:

15 Uses of So in English

Download the PDF version here:

Direct download: https://purlandtraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/15-Uses-of-So-in-English-1.pdf

1. To emphasise an adjective or adverb  –  ‘Their house was so big!’ / ‘He was running so fast.’

2. To emphasise a comparative adjective  –  ‘The sea was so much calmer than before.’

3. To show the result of an action  –  ‘It started to rain, so I went home.’

4. To show purpose  –  ‘I left work early so that I could see you.’

5. To show addition  –  ‘I was late, and so was Tim.’

6. To replace a verb phrase  –  ‘Did he get the book?’ ‘I think so.’

7. To replace an adjective  –  ‘He was upset, but she was even more so.’

8. To replace a conditional clause  –  ‘The car won’t start.’ ‘If so, we need a mechanic.’

9. To say that something is true  –  ‘It’s raining.’ ‘Yes, that is so.’

10. To emphasise a verb  –  ‘Please don’t complain so!’

11. To give yourself time to think  –  ‘So… er, what did you think of the film?’

12. To express surprise  –  ‘So! That’s where you put my chocolate!’

13. To represent the approximate size of something  –  ‘The cupboard was so high by so wide.’

14. To say that you don’t care  –  ‘Mum is angry with you.’ ‘So?’ / ‘So what?’

15. To make different idioms  –  ‘The play was only so–so.’ = unexceptional

– – – –

More English Idioms with the word SO