So many that / such that

Question

A student showed me this question in her book:

I have been to that restaurant _____ many times ____ they greet me by my first name.

a. so / that b. such / that

Is there any rule that explains why "b" can't be the answer other than we just don't use "such" with "many"?

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

It is still wrong even if you remove the word 'many'.

Clive

Puzih LaoWai · Answer

Thanks for the reply Clive, but I don't understand. If I remove the word 'many,' aren't both a and b incorrect?

Ozzourti · Answer

Puzih LaoWaiThanks for the reply Clive, but I don't understand. If I remove the word 'many,' aren't both a and b incorrect?

Yes, both would be wrong if you did.

Maybe it's better to think of "many times" as used in an "adverbial way". You could replace it with "often" for example:

I have been to that restaurant so often that they greet me by my first name.

"so" isn't really used there because it can be replaced with an adverb, but it's always "so many X's" and not "such many X's". You could say "such a lot of X's", but "such many X's" is incorrect. Probably this is because "many" isn't a "real" adjective, it refers to quantities and does not define/describe the noun itself.

CalifJim · Answer

Puzih LaoWaiIs there any rule that explains why "b" can't be the answer other than we just don't use "such" with "many"?

No. That's the rule. so many, so much, so few, so little, so often, so seldom, so rarely. It's an adverb of degree. It goes where very goes: very many, very much, ...

See this:

http://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/sosuch.html

CJ

Puzih LaoWai · Answer

Thanks for the helpful replies!

So many that / such that

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