Examples of how to use the word “such” in a sentence. How to connect “such” with other words to make correct English sentences.
such (det, pron): used before a noun or noun phrase to add emphasis; of a particular or similar type
Use “such” in a sentence
| It’s hard to work efficiently in such noisy environment. |
| I will do my best to ensure that such mistakes do not occur in future. |
| There’s no excuse for such behavior. |
| He is an expert at solving such problems. |
| As far as I know, there is no such function. |
| Such toys have a bad influence on children. |
| It’s normal to feel tired after such a long trip. |
| I’ve never seen such a thing. |
| Why did you say such a thing? |
| He told such a strange story that nobody believed it. |
| There is no evidence to support such a theory. |
| Why did he do such a thing?
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1. There’s no such thing as bad publicity. 
2. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
3. I know no such thing as genius, it is nothing but labour and diligence.
4. Animals are such agreeable friends — they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. George Eliot
5. Animals are such agreeable friends —they ask no questions, they pass no criticism.
6. Glory, honour, wealth, and rank, such things are nothing but shadows.
7. There is no such thing as darkness; only a failure to see.
8. aws are generally found to be nets of such a texture, as the little creep through, the great break through, and the middle-sized are alone entangled in.
9. We didn’t reckon for having such bad weather.
10. We are averse to such noisy surroundings.
11. How can they justify paying such huge salaries?
12. We hadn’t bargained on such a long wait.
13. I will not tolerate such gross interference.
14. Such actions were regarded as commonplace during the war.
15. I can hardly imagine such a scene.
16. We are glad he has made such great progress.
17. He made much of such a little matter.
18. Don’t be in such a hurry.
19. What induced you to do such a foolish thing?
20. Such decisions are outside the remit of this committee.
21. Her death seemed such a senseless waste of life.
22. She has such a kind[http://Sentencedict.com], friendly personality.
23. It was the first of many such occasions.
24. It’s wicked of them to say such things.
25. I’ve never heard such a load of garbage!
26. We lead such a humdrum life/existence.
27. We would vigorously oppose such a policy.
28. Every kind of peaceful cooperation among men is primarily based on mutual trust and only secondly on institutions such as courts of justice and police.
29. Die? I should say not, dear fellow. No Barry more would allow such a conventional thing to happen to him. John Barry more, American actor, J.
30. If we only had some God in the country’s laws, instead of beng in such a sweat to get him into the Constitution, it would be better all around.
We often use ‘so’ and ‘such’ to mean ‘very’ or ‘really’. It makes the sentence stronger and shows that there is a high level of something.
We use ‘so’ before an adjective or adverb (without a noun).
- She was so beautiful (= she was very beautiful).
- He ran so quickly (= he ran very quickly).
- The food was so delicious (= the food was really delicious).
- The children spoke French so well (= the children spoke French very well).
We use ‘such’ before a noun or an adjective + a noun. If there is ‘a’ or ‘an’, it goes after ‘such’.
- She was such a beautiful woman (= she was a very beautiful woman).
- NOT: ‘she was a so beautiful woman’.
- NOT: ‘she was a such beautiful woman’.
- He got such a good time in the race (= he got a very good time in the race).
- It was such delicious food (= it was really delicious food).
- The children spoke such good French (= the children spoke really good French).
When we use ‘such’ directly with a noun, it’s often a noun that shows our opinion.
- He’s such a genius! (= he’s a real genius / he’s very clever).
- You’re such a teacher! (= you act in a typical way for a teacher).
We don’t use a word like ‘this’ or ‘those’ or ‘your’ or ‘his’ before ‘so’ and ‘such’. ‘So’ and ‘such’ come directly after the verb.
- NOT: This so beautiful city. (Instead say ‘this city is so beautiful’.)
- NOT: Your so helpful friend. (Instead say ‘your friend is so helpful’.)
We can use ‘so… that…’ and ‘such… that…’ to show that there is a certain result. (We can’t use ‘very’ or ‘really’ in this way.)
- It was so cold that the pond froze (= because it was very cold, the pond froze).
- She felt so tired that she fell asleep on the train (= because she was very tired, she fell asleep on the train).
- It was such an expensive meal that he didn’t spend any money for the rest of the month (= because it was a very expensive meal, he didn’t spend any money for the rest of the month).
- They have such a lot of books that they need to store some of them in the garage (= because they have really a lot of books, they need to store some of them in the garage).
We can drop ‘that’ when we use ‘so’ and ‘such’ in this way.
- It was so cold the pond froze.
- She felt so tired she fell asleep on the train.
- It was such an expensive meal he didn’t spend any money for the rest of the month.
- They have such a lot of books they need to store some of them in the garage!
We can use ‘so’ and ‘such’ to mean ‘to this level’ or ‘as … as this’.
- He isn’t usually so late (= he isn’t usually as late as this).
- I don’t often drink such a lot of coffee (= I don’t often drink as much coffee as this).
We use ‘so’ before ‘much / many / little / few’ with and without a noun. This shows that the amount is really a lot or really little. As usual, we use a plural noun after ‘many’ and ‘few’ and an uncountable noun after ‘much’ and ‘little’.
- I ate so much.
- I ate so much cake.
- He had so many.
- He had so many books.
- Why did you eat so little?
- He had so few friends that he was very lonely.
We can use ‘such’ before ‘a lot (of)’. Again, such comes before ‘a’. (We sometimes see ‘such a little + noun’ but that is when ‘little’ is just a normal adjective: ‘this is such a little flat’.)
- He has such a lot of books.
- I ate such a lot of cake.
Try an exercise about ‘so’ and ‘such’ here.
Other Uses of So and Such
Here are a few more idiomatic uses of ‘such’ and ‘so’ that are slightly different from what we have already seen.
Such + noun = a certain type or kind of (this is quite formal)
- I’d never heard such music before. (= I’d never heard this kind of music before.)
No such + noun = the noun doesn’t exist
- Ghosts? There’s no such thing!
As such (formal) = in the normal meaning of the word. We usually use this in the negative (‘not as such’)
- We’re not going to have dinner as such, but there will be plenty of snacks. (= we’re not going to have a normal dinner, but …)
- A: Is Lucy your boss now? B: Not as such (= not exactly) but she does work for the same company.
Such as = for example / like
- A: We should get a film for tonight. B: Such as? (= please give an example of a film)
- Cities such as London are becoming more powerful politically (= cities like London …).
And such / and so on = and more similar things
- He likes winter sports – snowboarding and skiing and such.
- He likes winter sports – snowboarding and skiing and so on.
So = a certain amount / size
- It was so big (= it was the size I’m showing you with my hands).
- There’s only so much time (there’s only a certain amount of time).
So = something that has already been said
- A: Is dinner ready? B: I hope so (= I hope that dinner is ready)
- Is that so? (= is that right?)
Or so = approximately
- I think there were fifty people or so at the party (= I think there were approximately fifty people at the party).
See also the page about ‘neither’ and ‘either’ (coming soon!) for more about ‘so’.
Try another exercise about ‘so’ and ‘such’ here.
The reason we need an article here is the noun needs a determiner, and your question is basically how do I know when I need a determiner.
The basic test for if a noun needs a determiner is this: is the noun countable, and is it singular? If the answer is yes to both of those questions, then you need to use a determiner. Now, it might take a while to count every work or art, but you can count every work of art. Notice in the previous sentence the word «every» was functioning as the determiner (determiners can be many different adjectives, but the most common are the articles—a, an, and the). It was specifying which of the works of art that I was talking about. Another example might be the word «cow». It’s incorrect to say «Cow eats grass», but «The cow eats grass», «A cow eats grass», «Every cow eats grass» and «Cows eat grass» (remember, plural words do not need determiners) are all correct.
Simple, isn’t it? Well, the English language being the English language couldn’t leave something simple, could it?
There are of course exceptions to the above guideline:
Plural nouns do not need determiners (as demonstrated earlier)
Proper names do not need determiners e.g., «Bob eats grass» is correct and «A Bob eats grass» is questionable usage (I’m sure if I thought about it for long enough I could come up with a legitimate reason to use that construction, but for the most part, no.)
Uncountable nouns (also known as mass nouns) do not need determiners and if you use any with one (an example of such being «information») you should only avoid the ones that imply singularity, such as «a» or «an». To clarify, one can say «the information is incorrect» but not «an information is incorrect», because there’s no such thing as «an information».
One final note: notice how in all of these exceptions I said «does not need». You can still use determiners with most of the exceptions, you just don’t have to.
Let’s get back to your sentence, «work of art» is a countable, singular noun, so it needs an article in front of it.
Oh, and there are of course some nouns that can actually go both ways: that is, it’s entirely defensible to use them either with or without a determiner.
Practically all of this post is a paraphrase of the article posted by Grammar Girl entitled «When to Use Articles Before Nouns» (I highly recommend searching Google for the name of the article along with Grammar Girl because she’s a much better writer than I) because I couldn’t remember for the life of me the actual reasons why—and I can’t post a link to just send you there
The Basics: How to Use «So» and «Such»
Look at this sentence: Audrey was so beautiful woman.
Does the grammar look correct to you? If you think so, then you need to study the rules of so and such again because the sentence is wrong!
Let’s review the basic grammar rules for so and such:
so + adjective
Examples:
- «This test is so hard.»
- «Jack can run so fast.»
- «The movie was so sad (that) Peter cried.
In both of these sentences, so comes before an adjective (i.e. the words «hard» and «sad»).
Meaning: The meaning of the word «so» in the 1st and 2nd sentences is similar to «very.» «This test is so hard» is similar to «This test is very hard.» In the 3rd sentence, «so» tells you how sad the movie was. How sad was it? Sad enough to make Peter cry. That is the extent (the level of sadness). The movie was «so sad that Peter cried.» That is how sad it was.
such + adjective + noun
Examples:
- «Lisa is such a beautiful woman .»
- «I don’t want to swim in such dirty water.
- «Doug is such a fool.»
«Such» in these sentences has the same meaning as «so» from the sentence «This test is so hard.» But you cannot use «so» if a noun comes after it. This is a rule. That is why we use «such.» The nouns in the above sentences are woman, water, and fool. Woman and fool are countable singular nouns, so the sentences also need an article («a»). Water is an uncountable noun, so it does not need an article (a/an or the).
Exception: so + [many/much/few/little] noun
«So» can come before a noun IF the adjectives many/much/few/little also come before the noun. These sentences are correct:
- «There are so many balloons!» (balloons = countable noun, so we use «many»)
- «Mike drank so much beer.» (beer = uncountable noun, so we use «much»)
- «He has so few friends.» (friends = countable noun, so we use «few»)
- «We have so little time.» (time = uncountable noun, so we use «little»)
This is a special case.
These are the basic differences in how we use so and such for intermediate or upper-intermediate grammar. Of course, there are other ways to use so and such that are more advanced as well. I hope this has been helpful.
— Matthew Barton of Englishcurrent.com
Do you think you understand?
Let’s see! Take the test:
This has been a bad summer. There have been rainy days. Yesterday, it was rainy and cold. I tried to take the bus to school, but the bus was full that I couldn’t even get on. So I decided to walk to school. I didn’t have an umbrella so I got wet. I got wet that I had to change into my gym clothes when I finally got to school. I felt like an idiot in my gym clothes at school, but they were the only dry clothes I had. The weather can make life difficult sometimes.
Answers
This has been such a bad summer. There have been so many rainy days. Yesterday, it was rainy and cold. I tried to take the bus to school, but the bus was so full that I couldn’t even get on. So I decided to walk to school. I didn’t have an umbrella so I got wet. I got so wet that I had to change into my gym clothes when I finally got to school. I felt like such an idiot in my gym clothes at school, but they were the only dry clothes I had. The weather can make life so difficult sometimes.
Related Material
- The Difference between So and Too
Study these examples:
1 I didn’t enjoy the book.
The story was so stupid.
We use so + adjective/adverb:
so stupid so quick so nice so quickly
2 I didn’t enjoy the book.
It was such a stupid story.
We use such + noun: such a story such people
We use such + adjective + noun: such a stupid story such nice people
Note that we say such a … (not ‘a such …’)
So and such make the meaning of an adjective (or adverb) stronger:
* It’s a lovely day, isn’t it? It’s so warm. (= really warm)
* He’s difficult to understand because he speaks so quickly.
Compare so and such in these sentences:
* I like Tom and Ann. They are so nice.
You can use so … that …:
* The book was so good that I couldn’t put it down.
* I was so tired that I fell asleep in the armchair.
You can leave out that in sentences like this:
* I was so tired (that) I fell asleep.
* We enjoyed our holiday. We had such a good time. (= a really good time)
* I like Tom and Ann. They are such nice people. (not ‘so nice people’)
You can use such … that …:
* It was such a good book that I couldn’t put it down.
* It was such lovely weather that we spent the whole day on the beach.
* It was such lovely weather (that) we …
We also use so and such with the meaning ‘like this’:
* I was surprised to find out that the house was built 100 years ago. I didn’t realize it was so old. (as old as it is)
* I expected the weather to be much cooler. I didn’t expect it to be so warm.
* I’m tired because I got up at 6 o’clock. I don’t usually get up so early.
* I didn’t realize it was such an old house.
* The house was so untidy. I’ve never seen such a mess. (= a mess like this)
Note the expression no such…
* You won’t find the word ‘blid’ in an English dictionary because there is no such word. (= this word does not exist)
We say: so long but such a long time:
* I haven’t seen her for so long I’ve forgotten what she looks like.
so far but such a long way:
* I didn’t know it was so far.
so much, so many but such a lot (of):
* Why did you buy so much food?
* I haven’t seen her for such a long time. (not ‘a so long time’)
* I didn’t know it was such a long way.
* Why did you buy such a lot of food?
EXERCISES
101.1 Put in so, such or such a.
1. He’s difficult to understand because he speaks _so_ quickly.
2. I like Tom and Ann. They’re _such_ nice people.
3. It was a great holiday. We had _such a_ good time.
4. I was surprised that he looked — well after his recent illness.
5. Everything is — expensive these days, isn’t it?
6. The weather is lovely, isn’t it? I didn’t expect it to be — nice day.
7. I have to go. I didn’t realize it was — late.
8. He always looks good. He wears — nice clothes.
9. It was — boring film that I fell asleep while I was watching it.
10. I couldn’t believe the news. It was — shock.
11. I think she works too hard. She looks — tired all the time.
12. The food at the hotel was — awful. I’ve never eaten . awful food.
13. They’ve got — much money, they don’t know what to do with it.
14. 1 didn’t realize you lived — long way from the city centre.
15. I can’t decide what to do. It’s — problem.
101.2 Make one sentence from two. Use so or such.
1. She worked hard.
2. It was a beautiful day.
3. I was tired.
4. We had a good time on holiday.
5. She speaks English well.
6. I’ve got a lot of things to do.
7. The music was loud.
8. I had a big breakfast.
9. It was horrible weather.
a. You could hear it from miles away.
b. You would think it was her native language.
c. We spent the whole day indoors.
d. She made herself ill.
e. I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
f. I didn’t eat anything else for the rest of the day.
g. We decided to go to the beach.
h. I don’t know where to begin.
I. We didn’t want to come home.
1. _She worked so hard she made herself ill._
2. It was, such a beautiful day we decided to go to the beach._
3. I was —.
4. —.
5. —.
6. —.
7. —.
8. —.
9. —.
101.3 Use your own ideas to complete these pairs of sentences.
1 a. We enjoyed our holiday. It was so _relaxing._
b. We enjoyed our holiday. We had such _a good time._
2 a. I don’t like London very much. It’s so —.
b. I don’t like London very much. It’s such —.
3 a. I like Ann. She’s so —.
b. I like Ann. She’s such —.
4 a. I wouldn’t like to be a teacher. It’s so —.
b. I wouldn’t like to be a teacher. It’s such —.
5 a. It’s great to see you again! I haven’t seen you for so —.
b. It’s great to see you again! I haven’t seen you for such —.
101.1
4 so 5 so 6 such a
7 so 8 such 9 such a
10 such a 11 so 12 so .. such
13 so 14 such a 15 such a
101.2
3 I was so tired (that) I couldn’t keep my eyes open.
4 We had such a good time on holiday (that) we didn’t want to come home.
5 She speaks English so well (that) you would think it was her native language. or She speaks such good English (that) …
6 I’ve got such a lot of things to do (that) I don’t know where to begin. or I’ve got so many things to do (that) …
7 The music was so loud (that) you could hear it from miles away.
8 I had such a big breakfast (that) I didn’t eat anything else for the rest of the day.
9 It was such horrible weather (that) we spent the whole day indoors.
101.3 Example answers:
2 a. It’s so oppressive.
b. It’s such an oppressive place.
3 a. She’s so friendly.
b. She’s such a friendly person.
4 a. It’s so exhausting.
b. It’s such an exhausting job.
5 a. I haven’t seen you for so long.
b. I haven’t seen you for such a long time.