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Park sang joon Posted 11 years ago
Grammar

(So)~(That)~

1. The going was so bad on the road that all the traffic was moving at snail's pace.
2. The going was bad on the road all the traffic was moving at snail's pace.

I'd like to know whether in spoken English, #1 is equal to #2 in the meaning.

Thank you in advance for your help.
  

Top answer

park sang joon 1. The going was so bad As sometimes happens, the example is not the best. "the going" doesn't work in English.

— CalifJim

  • park sang joon 1.
  • The going was so bad As sometimes happens, the example is not the best.
  • "the going" doesn't work in English.
  • "the going" IS "the traffic", so you've got The traffic was so bad that the traffic was [moving very slowly / was bad].
  • That's saying the same thing twice.
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9 Answers
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park sang joon1. The going was so bad
As sometimes happens, the example is not the best. "the going" doesn't work in English. "the going" IS "the traffic", so you've got

The traffic was so bad that the traffic was [moving very slowly / was bad].

That's saying the same thing twice. Let's start over.
___________

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Thank you, Mr.Jim, for your very helpful answer and advice. Emotion: smile

1. The traffic was
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park sang joonI'd like to use the structure "so~that~", but without either "so" or "that."
You realize that's contradictory, don't you? You can't use a "so - that - " structure that doesn't have "so" or "that".
park sang joonThen, can't I drop out "so" in #1 without the meaning change?
No. That leaves you with The traff
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NO, I just heard someone using ESL said "You can omit "so" in the structure "so~that~."
So, I'd just like to have known the truth.
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park sang joonNO, I just heard someone using ESL said "You can omit "so" in the structure "so~that~."So, I'd just like to have known the truth.
Hmm. I'm surprised to hear that. Let me know if you remember the sentence that was used to illustrate this.

CJ
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I'm sorry; I was able to find the sentence. Emotion: sad
How about this? : "They are of sufficient importance that they cannot be neglected."
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park sang joonThey are of sufficient importance that they cannot be neglected.
That's an interesting substitute for 'so'. The sentence approximates 'so ... that' pretty well.

of sufficient importance ~ sufficiently important ~ so important

CJ
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Thank you, Mr.Jim, for your valuable answer. Emotion: smile
How about the following?: that doesn't have the like of "so."

This job de
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park sang joonHow about the following?: ...
This job demands a lot of street-smart knowledge (that) I don't think I'm up to it.
No. Sorry. Ungrammatical.
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