VOA慢速英语--What’s the Difference? ‘So’ and ‘So That’

 

If you asked even the most knowledgeable¹ Americans, they probably could not tell you more than a few meanings for the word “so.” It is an everyday word that most people use without even realizing its complexity².

But this mysterious little word can act as an adverb, pronoun or conjunction, with many meanings as each. In all, there are more than 25 meanings for “so.” That’s one powerful word!

Today, we will tell you about three phrases that English learners have trouble with: “so” “so that” and “so adjective/adverb that.” We’ll discuss each one then compare them.

Therefore…

Let's start with “so” as a coordinating³ conjunction – a word that joins two or more things, such as sentences or other words. When used in this way, it means "therefore" or "for that reason."

For this meaning, “so” joins two complete sentences and shows the result of something in the second sentence. Take a listen:

The apartment was too hot, so we opened the window.

The first sentence provides the action or situation: The apartment was too hot. It is joined by “so” to the second sentence which explains the resulting action: opening the window.

In order to…

OK, now we move to “so that,” a phrase that begins adverb clauses⁵. You may recall that an adverb clause⁴ shows a relationship between two actions. It joins a main clause, or complete sentence, to a dependent clause, or incomplete⁶ sentence, and shows how they relate.

“So that” means “in order to” which answers the question “Why?” We use it to begin adverb clauses of purpose. Let’s hear an example:

It helps to lower blood sugar so that you feel less hungry.

The adverb clause is “so that you feel less hungry.” It shows the purpose for the action in the main clause. Why does it help to lower blood sugar? To feel less hungry.

“So that” can also come at the beginning of a sentence but this is rarer and usually sounds stilted⁷ to Americans. Listen:

So that you feel less hungry, it helps to lower blood sugar.

One important note is that the word “that” is optional for “so that” in spoken English, so it may disappear. Here’s how that sounds:

It helps to lower blood sugar so you feel less hungry.

But without “that,” how will you know that the meaning is “in order to”? One signal is that there is often a modal verb in the adverb clause. Modal verbs include can, could, may, might, will and others. Here’s how that might sound:

It helps to lower blood sugar so you can feel less hungry.

The modal verb in the adverb clause is “can.”

To the level described…

Finally, let’s discuss the phrasing “so adjective/adverb that.” This is different from both meanings we’ve talked about. To try to put it simply, it means “to the level described.” Here are some examples:

This morning, the construction was so loud that we could not sleep.

This means that the construction was loud to a level that prevented us from sleeping.

In the phrase “so adjective/adverb that,” the word “that” begins a type of clause called a “complement clause," but we will not talk about that in today’s program.

What’s important today is knowing that the word “that” for this phrase is also optional and may disappear. Here’s how it sounds:

This morning, the construction was so loud we could not sleep.

So, how might you know the meaning if “that” disappears? Well, you can listen for an adjective after “so.” The adjective in our example is “loud.”

Comparing the three

Now, we’ll compare the three phrases. You will hear three sentences that sound similar but have different meanings:

He is funny, so his friends laugh at him.

The meaning here is: He is funny. Therefore, his friends laugh at him. Here’s the next one:

He makes jokes so that his friends will laugh.

This means: He makes jokes for the purpose of making his friends laugh. It answers the question, “Why does he make jokes?” Notice the modal “will” in the adverb clause.

Now for the last meaning:

He is so funny that his friends laugh at him.

It means: He is funny to such a level that it makes his friends laugh at him.

Now for one more set to help you examine the meanings:

She studied hard, so she was able to win a scholarship.

The meaning here is: She studied hard. Therefore, she was able to win a scholarship. And the next one:

She studied hard so that she could win a scholarship.

It means: She studied hard for the purpose of winning a scholarship. Again, you see a modal in the adverb clause: could. And lastly:

She studied so hard that she won a scholarship.

This means: She studied hard to such a degree that she won a scholarship.

You probably noticed that some examples other than those with “so that” have modal verbs. All three of today’s phrases can have modals, but “so that” adverb clauses commonly have them.

Well, we’re so happy that you stayed around for today’s program. Don’t forget to do the practice, so that you can remember what you learned!

I’m Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

phrase – n. a word or group of words that express an idea but do not usually form a complete sentence

clause – n. a part of a sentence that has its own subject and verb

stilted – adj. awkward⁸ especially because of being too formal

optional – adj. available as a choice but not required

modal verb – n. a verb that is usually used with another verb to express ideas such as possibility, necessity and permission

scholarship – n. n amount of money that is given by a school or organization to a student to help pay for the student's education

practice – v. to do something again and again in order to become better at it

1 knowledgeable   

adj.知识渊博的；有见识的

参考例句：

• He's quite knowledgeable about the theatre.他对戏剧很有心得。
• He made some knowledgeable remarks at the meeting.他在会上的发言颇有见地。

2 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

3 coordinating   

v.使协调，使调和( coordinate的现在分词 )；协调；协同；成为同等

参考例句：

• He abolished the Operations Coordinating Board and the Planning Board. 他废除了行动协调委员会和计划委员会。 来自辞典例句
• He's coordinating the wedding, and then we're not going to invite him? 他是来协调婚礼的，难道我们不去请他？ 来自电影对白

4 clause   

n.（正式文件或法律文件的）条款，从句，分句

参考例句：

• The sentence consists of a main clause and a subordinate clause.这句中有一个主句和一个从句。
• What clause do you require in the contract?你要求在合同中订上什么条款？

5 clauses   

从句( clause的名词复数 )； （法律文件等的）条款

参考例句：

• Relative pronouns and adverbs introduce attributive clauses. 关系代词和关系副词引导定语从句。
• Please underline the noun clauses in the passage. 请用线画出短文中的名词性从句。

6 incomplete   

adj.不完全的，不完善的

参考例句：

• The building was left incomplete.那座楼没有完工就停下来了。
• His novel was incomplete when he died.他死的时候他的小说没有写完。

7 stilted   

adj.虚饰的；夸张的

参考例句：

• All too soon the stilted conversation ran out.很快这种做作的交谈就结束了。
• His delivery was stilted and occasionally stumbling.他的发言很生硬，有时还打结巴。

8 awkward   

adj.笨拙的，尴尬的，使用不便的，难处理的

参考例句：

• John is so shy and awkward that everyone notices him.约翰如此害羞狼狈，以至于大家都注意到了他。
• I was the only man among the guests and felt rather awkward.作为客人中的唯一男性，我有些窘迫。