So vs. Such – English Grammar Exercises for B2
Scam warning. A person is advising their friend not to buy a suspiciously cheap used laptop online.
Read the warning message to a friend below. Choose the best option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence accurately.
1 “Listen to me, this gaming laptop is being sold at ______ ridiculously low price that it is guaranteed to be a scam.”
(a) so a
(b) such a
(c) so
(d) such
2 “The seller’s profile was created just yesterday, and he has ______ bad reviews on his other items that you shouldn’t even message him.”
(a) such
(b) so
(c) such a
(d) so much
3 “Honestly, this is ______ unbelievable deal that I wouldn’t trust it with a single cent of my money.”
(a) so an
(b) such an
(c) such
(d) so
4 “The photos he posted on the listing are ______ blurry that you can’t even see the condition of the keyboard.”
(a) such
(b) such a
(c) so
(d) very
5 “There is ______ little information in the product description that it screams ‘fake’ immediately.”
(a) such little
(b) so little
(c) so a little
(d) such a little
6 “When I messaged him, he gave me ______ ridiculous excuse for selling it that I actually laughed out loud.”
(a) such a
(b) so a
(c) such
(d) so
7 “Notice how he is putting ______ much pressure on you to transfer the money quickly?”
(a) such much
(b) so much
(c) such
(d) so a lot
8 “This is ______ advanced model that it normally costs three times the amount he is asking for.”
(a) so an
(b) such a
(c) such an
(d) so
9 “Furthermore, the laptop looks ______ pristine in those pictures that he must have stolen them directly from Google Images.”
(a) such a
(b) such
(c) very
(d) so
10 “There are ______ many obvious red flags here that you need to block his number right now.”
(a) such many
(b) so many
(c) so much
(d) such a lot
11 “He is demanding ______ strange payment method that your bank’s fraud department will definitely flag the transaction.”
(a) so a
(b) such a
(c) such
(d) so
12 “He is acting ______ desperately to get the cash today that it is highly suspicious.”
(a) so
(b) such
(c) such a
(d) too
13 “It would be ______ foolish mistake to wire him the cash before seeing the device in person.”
(a) such
(b) so
(c) such a
(d) so a
14 “People usually fall for ______ obvious scams because they are blinded by the desire for a cheap upgrade.”
(a) so
(b) such a
(c) such
(d) so many
15 “You are taking ______ unnecessary risk just to save a few dollars on a computer.”
(a) so an
(b) such a
(c) such an
(d) so
16 “He also claims to offer ______ fast shipping for free that it mathematically makes no sense for a private seller.”
(a) such a
(b) such
(c) so
(d) so much
17 “The external verification link he sent looks ______ amateurish that a child could have coded it to steal your passwords.”
(a) such an
(b) so
(c) such
(d) very
18 “Please don’t be ______ gullible when browsing these unmoderated online marketplaces.”
(a) such
(b) such a
(c) so
(d) too
19 “I had ______ terrible luck with second-hand electronics last year that I only buy directly from the manufacturer now.”
(a) such a
(b) so much
(c) so
(d) such
20 “Remember the golden rule: if a deal seems ______ incredible that it defies basic logic, it is definitely a trap.”
(a) such
(b) so
(c) such an
(d) very
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) such a
- Why it is correct: “Price” is a singular countable noun. The structure Such + a/an + Adjective + Singular Noun creates a powerful noun phrase emphasizing the abnormality of the situation.
- Error Analysis: (a) so a (Structural Error); (c) so (Structural Error – ‘so’ requires an adjective without a noun); (d) such (Common Mistake – missing the required article ‘a’).
2 (a) such
- Why it is correct: “Reviews” is a plural countable noun. The structure is Such + Adjective + Plural Noun.
- Error Analysis: (b) so (Structural Error); (c) such a (Common Mistake – ‘a’ cannot be used with plural nouns); (d) so much (Meaning Trap – ‘much’ is for uncountable nouns).
3 (b) such an
- Why it is correct: “Deal” is a singular countable noun. “Unbelievable” starts with a vowel sound, requiring “an”.
- Error Analysis: (a) so an (Structural Error); (c) such (Common Mistake – missing the article); (d) so (Structural Error).
4 (c) so
- Why it is correct: “Blurry” is a standalone adjective without a noun following it. So + Adjective + That.
- Error Analysis: (a) such (Structural Error); (b) such a (Structural Error); (d) very (Meaning Trap – ‘very’ does not connect with the ‘that’ result clause).
5 (b) so little
- Why it is correct: “Information” is an uncountable noun. “Little” acts as a quantifier here (meaning a small amount). The rule is So + little + uncountable noun.
- Error Analysis: (a) such little (Common Mistake – ‘such little’ is used only when ‘little’ means small in size, e.g., ‘such little cats’. For quantity, use ‘so little’); (c) so a little (Structural Error); (d) such a little (Structural Error).
6 (a) such a
- Why it is correct: “Excuse” is a singular countable noun.
- Error Analysis: (b) so a (Structural Error); (c) such (Common Mistake – missing ‘a’); (d) so (Structural Error).
7 (b) so much
- Why it is correct: “Pressure” is an uncountable noun. To emphasize a large quantity, use So much.
- Error Analysis: (a) such much (Common Mistake); (c) such (Meaning Trap – loses the specific emphasis on the volume of pressure); (d) so a lot (Structural Error).
8 (c) such an
- Why it is correct: “Model” is a singular countable noun. “Advanced” begins with a vowel sound.
- Error Analysis: (a) so an (Structural Error); (b) such a (Common Mistake); (d) so (Structural Error).
9 (d) so
- Why it is correct: “Pristine” is a standalone adjective describing the laptop.
- Error Analysis: (a) such a (Structural Error); (b) such (Structural Error); (c) very (Meaning Trap).
10 (b) so many
- Why it is correct: “Red flags” is a plural countable noun phrase. Emphasizing quantity requires So many.
- Error Analysis: (a) such many (Common Mistake); (c) so much (Structural Error – ‘flags’ is countable); (d) such a lot (Structural Error – missing ‘of’).
11 (b) such a
- Why it is correct: “Payment method” is a singular countable noun phrase.
- Error Analysis: (a) so a (Structural Error); (c) such (Common Mistake); (d) so (Structural Error).
12 (a) so
- Why it is correct: “Desperately” is an adverb describing the verb “acting.” So + Adverb.
- Error Analysis: (b) such (Structural Error); (c) such a (Structural Error); (d) too (Meaning Trap).
13 (c) such a
- Why it is correct: “Mistake” is a singular countable noun.
- Error Analysis: (a) such (Common Mistake); (b) so (Structural Error); (d) so a (Structural Error).
14 (c) such
- Why it is correct: “Scams” is a plural countable noun. Such + Adjective + Plural Noun.
- Error Analysis: (a) so (Structural Error); (b) such a (Common Mistake – ‘scams’ is plural); (d) so many (Meaning Trap – changes the meaning from “this type of obvious scam” to “a high volume of obvious scams”).
15 (c) such an
- Why it is correct: “Risk” is a singular countable noun. “Unnecessary” begins with a vowel sound.
- Error Analysis: (a) so an (Structural Error); (b) such a (Common Mistake); (d) so (Structural Error).
16 (b) such
- Why it is correct: “Shipping” is an uncountable noun. Such + Adjective + Uncountable Noun.
- Error Analysis: (a) such a (Common Mistake – cannot use ‘a’ with uncountable nouns); (c) so (Structural Error); (d) so much (Meaning Trap – awkward phrasing, ‘fast’ describes the quality, not the quantity).
17 (b) so
- Why it is correct: “Amateurish” is a standalone adjective.
- Error Analysis: (a) such an (Structural Error); (c) such (Structural Error); (d) very (Meaning Trap).
18 (c) so
- Why it is correct: “Gullible” is a standalone adjective.
- Error Analysis: (a) such (Structural Error); (b) such a (Structural Error); (d) too (Meaning Trap – while ‘too gullible’ is grammatically correct, ‘so gullible’ directly addresses the degree of gullibility related to falling for the scam context).
19 (d) such
- Why it is correct: “Luck” is an uncountable noun. Such + Adjective + Uncountable Noun.
- Error Analysis: (a) such a (Common Mistake); (b) so much (Meaning Trap – focuses on quantity rather than the quality of being ‘terrible’); (c) so (Structural Error).
20 (b) so
- Why it is correct: “Incredible” is a standalone adjective.
- Error Analysis: (a) such (Structural Error); (c) such an (Structural Error); (d) very (Meaning Trap – does not connect with the ‘that’ clause).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
When trying to persuade or warn someone about a bad decision (like an obvious scam), So and Such are powerful rhetorical tools:
- Forming a Concrete Noun (Such a/an):
- Instead of saying “The price is so low” (which sounds like an observation), say “It is such a low price that…” This packages the red flag into a solid object (a noun phrase), making the warning sound more authoritative and objective.
- Addressing the Quantity of Red Flags (So many / So much):
- When the sheer volume of suspicious things is the issue, use So + many/much.
- Example: He has so many bad reviews. There is so little information.
- Targeting Behaviors (So + Adjective/Adverb):
- If the scammer is acting suspiciously, target the adjective or adverb directly with So.
- Example: He is acting so desperately. The link looks so amateurish.