Learning English

Finn
Hello and welcome to 6 Minute Grammar with me, Finn.

Rob
Sorry I'm so late, Finn.

Finn
Oh Rob… OK.

Rob
There was such a long queue at the coffee machine.

Finn
Ah so late…such a long queue – great examples for today's topic, Rob.

Rob
Yes. Thank you very much. Yes, we’re talking about so, such, too and enough.

Finn
When Rob said he was so late, he meant he was very late. Now Helen has some more examples using so.

Helen
This coffee is so good.
Finn speaks English so well.

Finn
So it's so before an adjective – This coffee is so good… so strong… so hot…

Rob
Sounds good. Or before an adverb: He speaks English so well… so fluently… so fast.

Finn
And we use such with a noun. Rob said there was such a long queue, meaning the queue was very long. Here are more examples.

Helen
My holiday was such fun!
My holiday was such a disaster!

Rob
We say such fun without the indefinite article a because fun is uncountable.

Finn
But it's such a disaster with the article because disaster is countable.

Rob
Now we often use such with an adjective and a noun together. Listen to this.

Helen
Adele has such an amazing voice.
We had such good weather in Greece.

Rob
So it's such good weather… such an amazing voice. Remember: with countable nouns put the a or an after 'such' not before.

Finn
Nowadays, you sometimes hear people use so with a noun or verb for emphasis. Like this.

Helen
That dress is so last year.
I'm so going to hug her when I see her.

Finn
So if you say 'so last year' it means really not fashionable any more. So going to hug her means really going to give her a really good hug.

Rob
We can use so and such with a that clause to describe cause and effect. Like this.

Helen
It was so hot that they had to go indoors.
It was such a hot day that they had to stay indoors.

Finn
And we can leave that out, so we could say: It was so hot they had to go indoors.

Rob
We also use so with many or much and a noun to describe a lot of something. It's so much with uncountable nouns and so many with countable nouns.

Helen
What a great party! I had so much fun.
We visited so many places.

Finn
So that's so and such. Now for too and enough.

Rob
Yes. Now we use enough with an adjective or adverb to say something is or isn't the right degree. So, if I ask Finn: Are you warm enough, Finn?

Finn
I am, thanks.

Rob
I'm asking if it's the right temperature for you.

Finn
Notice enough comes after the adjective or adverb. We can also use enough after a verb.

Helen
He doesn't sleep enough. He's always tired.

Rob
When we use enough with a noun, it goes before the noun. We have enough food, enough time.

Finn
And sentences with enough are sometimes followed by to and a verb.

Helen
She's definitely smart enough to become director.

Finn
You know Rob, I think that's enough about enough!

Rob
Indeed. Now to say there's more than necessary, we use too with an adjective or adverb. So we could say this office is too crowded, too noisy, too busy.

Finn
And I could say Rob that you're working too hard.

Rob
Thank you very much.

Finn
You work very hard.

Rob
We can use too much or too many with a noun to say we have more than we need.

Helen
Ugh! You've put too much sugar in my tea!
I ate too many biscuits.

IDENT
6 Minute Grammar from BBC Learning English.

Finn
And I think we have just enough time for a quiz. OK so which is correct, a or b? Are you ready Rob?

Rob
I am.

Finn
OK. Number one. a) That's a so cute dog! b) That's such a cute dog.

Rob
Well it's b) because it's such with an adjective and noun and the indefinite article comes after not before.

Finn
That's correct. Number 2. a) Is there money enough? Or b) Is there enough money?

Rob
Well, that's b) again because enough goes before a noun.

Finn
Correct. And finally, number 3. a) I can't afford it. It's too expensive. Or b) I can't afford it. It's so expensive.

Rob
You're trying to trick me. Both are correct.

Finn
Of course. That's right. Well done if you got them all right at home. And there's lots more about this on our website at bbclearningenglish.com. Join us again for more 6 Minute Grammar.

Both
Bye.