WARNING: we are discussing proper English and NOT colloquial English. English speakers break the rules all the time and yes, you will hear people break this one BUT only in certain settings and for certain purposes.
"Don't leave me hanging." Have you ever heard that phrase? It's common in American English and basically means, "Don't leave me waiting for something." We don't want people waiting for us to finish.
And that is EXACTLY what we do when we misuse "SO".
A: I am SO hot.
B: Yeah?
A: Huh?
B: You said you were so hot.
A: I am.
B: And...?
A: Huh?
B: You're so hot what?
A: Huh?
B: AAAAAAAARGH!
B Jumps up, turns over table and runs from the room screaming obscenities.
When we say "so" in a sentence like above, we are setting up an expected example.
"I am so hot I didn't wear pants to work."
"She is so confused that she brushed her teeth with hair gel."
"We are so hungry we could eat a horse."
In each of these sentences, we use "so" as an indefinite adverb of degree, which means it needs something in the sentence to work with.
"Very", on the other hand, is an intensifier which does not need such a companion. If you tell me "I am very hungry." "very" tells me that you are more than just hungry. It intensifies the meaning. Too often I hear students use "SO" when they should use "VERY".
Ok, ok, there are those who say that we should avoid "very" as well but I don't think it's so bad for learner of English as a Second Language. When you get ready to start writing your English language novel we'll go over why it should be avoided but for now let's just make sure we keep everybody happy with no one wondering when we're going to finally finish our sentence!
For more on this, try this explanation, which goes a little deeper, especially about the dreaded "very". Like I said, you can use "very" all day long with me. It's a lot better than the common alternative.
"Don't leave me hanging." Have you ever heard that phrase? It's common in American English and basically means, "Don't leave me waiting for something." We don't want people waiting for us to finish.
And that is EXACTLY what we do when we misuse "SO".
A: I am SO hot.
B: Yeah?
A: Huh?
B: You said you were so hot.
A: I am.
B: And...?
A: Huh?
B: You're so hot what?
A: Huh?
B: AAAAAAAARGH!
B Jumps up, turns over table and runs from the room screaming obscenities.
When we say "so" in a sentence like above, we are setting up an expected example.
"I am so hot I didn't wear pants to work."
"She is so confused that she brushed her teeth with hair gel."
"We are so hungry we could eat a horse."
In each of these sentences, we use "so" as an indefinite adverb of degree, which means it needs something in the sentence to work with.
"Very", on the other hand, is an intensifier which does not need such a companion. If you tell me "I am very hungry." "very" tells me that you are more than just hungry. It intensifies the meaning. Too often I hear students use "SO" when they should use "VERY".
Ok, ok, there are those who say that we should avoid "very" as well but I don't think it's so bad for learner of English as a Second Language. When you get ready to start writing your English language novel we'll go over why it should be avoided but for now let's just make sure we keep everybody happy with no one wondering when we're going to finally finish our sentence!
For more on this, try this explanation, which goes a little deeper, especially about the dreaded "very". Like I said, you can use "very" all day long with me. It's a lot better than the common alternative.
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