so...that vs such...that

這兩個句型的意思是一樣的,都表示主詞是如此的...以至於...。至於要用so還是such,請注意三個重點。

  1. such與so後面要接的單字詞類:
    在這種句型中,such是形容詞--形容詞只能修飾名詞(描述名詞的特色)--所以,後面要接名詞或名詞片語; so是副詞--副詞可以修飾形容詞與副詞--所以,後面要接形容詞或副詞。
  2. 名詞是可數或不可數,單數或複數
  3. 名詞前面有many, much, few跟little嗎?

下面,我們先分別解說這兩個句型,再詳述so跟such的判斷重點。

so...that 子句

這個句型有兩種:

  • S be so 形容詞 that 子句
  • S V so 副詞 that 子句

如何判斷so後面要接副詞或形容詞呢?通常,學生是用動詞來判斷so後面接形容詞或副詞:當動詞是be動詞時,就接形容詞; 當動詞是普通動詞時,就接副詞。然而,有些普通動詞後面卻要接形容詞,導致學生搞不清楚,要選擇形容詞還是副詞。很多學生選擇將每一個要用形容詞的動詞背起來,但是,這樣的方法,費時又容易在考試時,因為緊張而出錯。其實,可以用下面介紹的方法來判斷:如果是描述主詞特色,因為主詞一定是名詞,就要用形容詞; 如果描述動詞特色,就要接副詞。

  1. I was so tired that I couldn't help falling asleep.
    描述主詞的情緒,用形容詞tired
  2. She sang so well in the competition that she won the first place. 
    描述動作做得好,用副詞well
  3. The hamburger smells so good that I can't wait to have a bite.
    描述主詞的狀況,用形容詞good

such 名詞(片語) that 子句

這個句型只有一種:

  • S be such 名詞 that 子句

請記得,如果名詞是複數或不可數名詞,其前面的形容詞是完整名詞片語的一部份。這樣的情況,一定用such,不可以用so。請不要一看到形容詞,就選擇用so,這樣會導致錯誤。

下面四個例句中,將完整的名詞片語用底線標示出來後,其前面都沒有單獨存在的形容詞:

  1. He is such a good teacher that all his students like him very much.
  2. Johnny is such a boy that we don't know how to get along with him.
    這句話中,因為boy前沒有使用形容詞,所以,要看前後文,來判斷文意
  3. It is such sweet drink that children enjoy it very much.
  4. They are such nice girls that everyone likes to play with them.
such...that和so...that用法例句

如何判斷要使用so或such

大部分的人都知道,so後面要接形容詞,such後面接名詞。當句子中只有形容詞或名詞時,很容易分辨要用so或such。例如:
The little girl is so cute that all her family like her a lot.
John is such a boy that everyone in his class likes to play with him.

當句子後面有形容詞,也有名詞時,有些學生就不知如何是好了。其實,只要將完整的名詞片語找出來,就能判斷要使用so還是such了。在以下三個句子裡,完整的名詞片語用底線標示出來。
Mary is a cute girl.
They are tall boys.
It is red water.
我們可以看到,複數名詞跟其前面的形容詞構成完整的名詞片語,形容詞不可以單獨存在,這樣的句子前要用such。

而如果在完整的名詞片語前有單獨存在的形容詞,就要用so。例如:
Mary is so patient a teacher that almost all her students do well at school.

抓住重點了嗎?只要先將完整名詞片語畫出來,如果其前面有單獨存在的形容詞,就用so; 沒有,就用such。

  1. They are such tall boys that they are asked to join the school basketball team.
    因為boys是複數,形容詞是完整的名詞片語的一部份,所以用such
  2. It was such expensive drinking water that I was reluctant to buy it.
    因為water是不可數名詞,形容詞是完整的名詞片語的一部份,所以要用such
  3. She is such a hard-working student that she is always the top five percent of her class.
    因為studnet是單數可數名詞,完整的名詞片語要從a開始一直到student。因為名詞片語前面沒有留下形容詞,所以要用such
  4. She is so hard-working a student that she is always the top five percent of her class.
    這個句子和上一句相同,studnet為單數可數名詞,完整的名詞片語要從a開始到student。在完整名詞片語a student前面,有單獨存在的形容詞hard-working,所以,要使用so

so...that...句型的特殊情況

上面我們說到,在判斷時的另一個重點是,複數或不可數名詞,就用such。但是,在複數可數名詞前,如果有many跟few這兩個量詞,則要用so。同理,在不可數名詞前,如果出現much跟little,也不可以用such,而要用so。請特別注意這個情況。

  1. She has so much money that she doesn't need to work.
    雖然money不可數,但是前面出現much,所以用so
  2. There are so many beautiful girls at the party that every boy is excited.
    girls是複數名詞,但是其前面出現many,所以不能用such,要用so
  3. There was so little water left in the bottle that I was unwilling to share it with her.
    water雖然是單數名詞,但其前面出現little,所以,使用so

如果你有其他文法上的疑惑,可以到我們『英文文法』專頁,看看有沒有文章探討相關文法問題。

so和such用法分別

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Barshai Huang

分享英文教學二十多年來的經驗,協助你掌握單字用法、文法、句子結構與寫作,找到自然有效的英文學習方法。