The degree adverb = SO
can be used before an adjective followed by a (that) clause
so adjective that is used to explain the reasons for feelings. In the following example, I shared something before, and now I am happy as a result:
I‘m so glad that I got to share this with you.
In other words: I’m so glad because I got …
But the structure can also be followed by a result that indicates that something happens to a certain extreme point. In the following example, I’m very happy about this new website that I found:
I’m so glad that I shared it with all my friends.
In other words: I shared it because I was so glad to find it. OR I’m so glad, so I shared it.
In summary, the that clause in the first example answers WHY, and in the second example, it answers HOW HAPPY or to WHAT DEGREE.
Here’s a very advanced example about the degree of adjectives:
But l would ask you, assembled here in this house of God, to recognize that we are witnessing something new,
something so unexpected, so unusual that it is not surprising the government is at a loss.
An iWeb search for so+adjective+that examples can be done with:
so _J that * *
1 SO GLAD THAT I DID 776
2 SO HAPPY THAT I FOUND 449
3 SO GLAD THAT YOU ARE 424
4 SO GLAD THAT I FOUND 419
5 SO CONFIDENT THAT YOU WILL 323
6 SO SMALL THAT IT IS 320
7 SO HAPPY THAT I DID 319
8 SO BAD THAT I HAD 299
9 SO BAD THAT I COULD 287
10 SO POWERFUL THAT IT CAN 282
11 SO LONG THAT IT ‘S 275
12 SO GRATEFUL THAT I FOUND 272
13 SO THANKFUL THAT I FOUND 261
14 SO HAPPY THAT YOU ARE 251
15 SO SORRY THAT YOU ARE 241
16 SO LARGE THAT IT IS 226
17 SO BLESSED THAT I FOUND 221
18 SO BAD THAT I WAS 214
19 SO POPULAR THAT IT WAS 209
20 SO SMALL THAT THEY CAN 205
21 SO GLAD THAT YOU HAVE 202
22 SO SMALL THAT THEY ARE 191
23 SO STRONG THAT IT CAN 185
24 SO SMALL THAT IT CAN 179
25 SO GOOD THAT IT ‘S 175
26 SO GLAD THAT YOU ENJOYED 171
27 SO HAPPY THAT I WAS 168
28 SO GLAD THAT I HAVE 167
29 SO BAD THAT IT ‘S 165
30 SO GREAT THAT IT IS 163
31 SO LOW THAT IT IS 163
32 SO LONG THAT IT IS 161
33 SO BAD THAT IT WAS 158
34 SO SMALL THAT YOU CAN 156
35 SO BAD THAT I HAVE 155
36 SO HAPPY THAT YOU HAVE 155
37 SO HIGH THAT IT IS 149
38 SO SMALL THAT IT ‘S 146
39 SO POPULAR THAT IT HAS 143
40 SO BAD THAT I CA 142
41 SO STRONG THAT IT IS 139
42 SO EXCITED THAT YOU ARE 138
43 SO IMPORTANT THAT IT IS 137
44 SO VERSATILE THAT YOU CAN 135
45 SO BAD THAT I WOULD 134
46 SO GLAD THAT I WAS 134
47 SO CONFIDENT THAT YOU ‘LL 130
48 SO GLAD THAT WE DID 128
49 SO SORRY THAT YOU HAVE 128
50 SO SUCCESSFUL THAT IT WAS 125
51 SO LONG THAT I DO 124
52 SO GOOD THAT YOU CAN 123
53 SO POPULAR THAT IT IS 122
54 SO POWERFUL THAT THEY CAN 122
55 SO HAPPY THAT I HAVE 121
56 SO BAD THAT IT IS 118
57 SO LONG THAT THEY ARE 118
58 SO GLAD THAT I HAD 114
59 SO EASY THAT YOU CAN 114
60 SO LONG THAT IT WAS 112
61 SO LONG THAT IT HAS 111
62 SO GOOD THAT I HAD 109
63 SO BLESSED THAT I DISCOVERED 109
64 SO GLAD THAT I AM 108
65 SO GRATEFUL THAT I HAVE 108
66 SO LONG THAT THEY HAVE 108
67 SO BIG THAT IT ‘S 105
68 SO HIGH THAT IT ‘S 105
69 SO GLAD THAT I DECIDED 104
The Geekiary70 SO GLAD THAT YOU WERE 103
71 SO VERSATILE THAT IT CAN 103
72 SO SMALL THAT IT DOES 102
73 SO LARGE THAT IT WOULD 101
74 SO GREAT THAT IT CAN 100
75 SO GREAT THAT IT WAS 99
76 SO GOOD THAT I HAVE 98
77 SO STRONG THAT THEY CAN 97
78 SO SUCCESSFUL THAT IT HAS 97
79 SO LARGE THAT IT WAS 95
80 SO GOOD THAT IT IS 94
81 SO LOW THAT YOU CAN 93
82 SO STRONG THAT IT WAS 93
83 SO COMMON THAT IT IS 91
84 SO HAPPY THAT YOU ENJOYED 91
85 SO SORRY THAT YOU HAD 91
86 SO BIG THAT IT IS 90
87 SO LOW THAT IT ‘S 89
88 SO BAD THAT I CAN 88
89 SO STRONG THAT YOU CAN 87
90 SO BAD THAT YOU CAN 85
91 SO BAD THAT YOU CA 85
92 SO HAPPY THAT I CAN 85
93 SO GREAT THAT HE WAS 84
94 SO LARGE THAT IT CAN 84
95 SO GOOD THAT I COULD 83
96 SO LOW THAT IT WAS 83
97 SO BAD THAT I DID 82
98 SO LARGE THAT THEY ARE 82
99 SO POPULAR THAT IT ‘S 82
100 SO GOOD THAT I DO 81
A2 vocabulary:
could, decided, glad, high, large, low, popular, so, strong
B1:
common, confident, discovered, grateful, powerful, successful
Also, note that you can also use “so + adverb + that” to modify verbs. For example:
- He ran so fast that he won the race.
- She sings so beautifully that everyone applauds.
Finally, sometimes, you can omit the word “that” in these phrases, but it is more common to keep it
EXPERT EXAMPLE:
How often is the context so ambiguous
that a series simply must have a comma before the final “and”?