Techincal aspects of the phrase 'such is x that...'

Question

Question 1: Is 'such is X that' interchangeable with 'X is such that'?a. Such is God's power that He can produce separately even the things which He...b. God's power is such that He can produce separately even the things which He...c.Well, such is the world that no one can trust anyone.d. Well, the world is such that no one can trust anyone.Question 2: Also, when using such in this way, does it need to/sometimes refer to something already mentioned (eg see sentence in red)? That is, is it a pronoun? Or is it a noun whose meaning is indirectly defined by the relative clause that follows it (that...)?The world is full of crime and corruption.Thanks

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Question 1: Is 'such is X that' interchangeable with 'X is such that'? Yes. Although I suppose there is alwys some case that is an exception to the rule.

a. Such is ***'s power that He can produce separately even the things which He...

b. ***'s power is such that He can produce separately even the things which He...

c.Well, such is the world that no one can trust anyone.

d. Well, the world is such that no one can trust anyone.

Ilike to look at shorter, simpler examples.

Such is his strength that he can lift a car.

His strength is such that he can lift a car.

Question 2: Also, when using such in this way, does it need to/sometimes refer to something already mentioned (eg see sentence in red)? We need to know what it refers to.

You can say it first, eg He can lift a car. Such is his strength.

But you can't just walk into a room and say simply 'Such is his strength'.

That is, is it a pronoun? Or is it a noun whose meaning is indirectly defined by the relative clause that follows it (that...)?

Naming things is not really my area of interest, but I'll try.

My dictionary lists 'such' as

an adjective (eg he had such a fright eg such is life)

a pronoun ((eg such were his words)

not as a noun

In your examples, and mine above about strength, I see it as an adjective, meaning 'so great'.

But let's look in more detail at one of my examples.

eg He can lift a car, such is his strength. Here, I'd say it's an adjective, meaning 'so great'.

eg He can lift a car. Such is his strength. Here, I'd say it's a pronoun, meaning 'the thing referred to'.

Clive

English 1b3 · Answer

Thank you. Very helpful. A couple of quick questions though if you don't mind:

CliveWe need to know what it refers to.
You can say it first, eg He can lift a car. Such is his strength.
But you can't just walk into a room and say simply 'Such is his strength'.

Ok, so we are talking such as a pronoun firstly here. If it is a pronoun, it is its own sentence, as in your example quoted above, and such must be referred to earlier. Right?

CliveMy dictionary lists 'such' as
an adjective (eg he had such a fright eg such is life)
a pronoun ((eg such were his words)
not as a noun

So such would need to have a referrant in the bold example right?

Cliveeg He can lift a car, such is his strength. Here, I'd say it's an adjective, meaning 'so great'.
eg He can lift a car. Such is his strength. Here, I'd say it's a pronoun, meaning 'the thing referred to'.

In your former example, is 'he can lift a car' actually a dependent clause with the 'that' omittted? Such is his strength that he can lift a car.

Is it more common to construct it your way or my way?

Clive · Answer

Hi,

A couple of quick questions though if you don't mind:

Clive

“We need to know what it refers to.
You can say it first, eg He can lift a car. Such is his strength.
But you can't just walk into a room and say simply 'Such is his strength'.”

Ok, so we are talking such as a pronoun firstly here. If it is a pronoun, it is its own sentence, as in your example quoted above, and such must be referred to earlier. Right? Yes.

Clive

“My dictionary lists 'such' as
an adjective (eg he had such a fright eg such is life)
a pronoun ((eg such were his words)
not as a noun ”

So such would need to have a referrant in the bold example right? Yes.

Clive

“eg He can lift a car, such is his strength. Here, I'd say it's an adjective, meaning 'so great'.
eg He can lift a car. Such is his strength. Here, I'd say it's a pronoun, meaning 'the thing referred to'. ”

In your former example, is 'he can lift a car' actually a dependent clause with the 'that' omittted? I don't see it that way. I see it as the main clause, the main point of the sentence. Such is his strength that he can lift a car.

Is it more common to construct it your way or my way? Neither way is common. The common thing to say would be 'He is so strong that he can lift a car'. The ways we are talking about are "fancy English".

Clive

English 1b3 · Answer

Cliveeg He can lift a car, such is his strength

CliveI don't see it that way. I see it as the main clause, the main point of the sentence

We would have to call your sentence a comma splice in that case then, right? Was the comma a typo? This why I thought you must have intended for it to be dependent...

his strength=subject

such=adjective

And now that I think about it, doesn't this read weirdly/the two sentence don't connect?

He can lift a car, so great/such is his strength.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

quote user="Clive"]eg He can lift a car, such is his strength

CliveI don't see it that way. I see it as the main clause, the main point of the sentence

We would have to call your sentence a comma splice in that case then, right? No, 'such is his strength' is not an independent sentence. The 'such' is adjectival, meaning 'so great is his strength'.

I see 'such is his strength' as an adjectival phrase describing 'he'.

You could reword it as 'He, such is his strength, can lift a car'.

Was the comma a typo? No, it wasn't. I don't make typos (ha-ha, I wish )

This why I thought you must have intended for it to be dependent...

his strength=subject

such=adjective

And now that I think about it, doesn't this read weirdly/the two sentence don't connect? They do connect. See my rewording just above.

He can lift a car, so great/such is his strength.

This whole senetnce structure that you are asking about is not really particularly unusual or weird, in terms of formal / literary English.

Clive

English 1b3 · Answer

CliveNo, 'such is his strength' is not an independent sentence. The 'such' is adjectival, meaning 'so great is his strength'.
I see 'such is his strength' as an adjectival phrase describing 'he'.
You could reword it as 'He, such is his strength, can lift a car'.

Hi,

Um, would you say his strength is so great is a main clause?

I still can't see how it is not a main clause unless there is an omitted that, making he can lift dependent. Otherwise, we have to finite verbs and two subjects in the one sentence (he can lift& his strength is)

His strength is so great that he can lift a car.

So great is his strength that he can lift a car.

Such is his strength that he can lift a car.

Such is his strength he can lift a car.

He can lift a car, such is his strength.

Clive · Answer

Hi,

Um, would you say his strength is so great is a main clause?

It can be, yes. You can say eg His strength is so great. He can lift a car.

I'm starting to lose track of what we're basically discussing here. Perhaps I'm wrong, but I feel like we're starting to go over the same things again and again.

So, let's knock it off now, OK?

Clive

English 1b3 · Answer

eg He can lift a car, such is his strength

Hi Clive,

The topic question was answered, and I thank you for that.

I was just trying to understand how you saw this sentence you provided earlier not as a comma splice... We have to subjects and two finite verbs, neither one of which seems dependent to me, unless 'he can lift a car' is dependent: (such is his strength that he can lift a car), but you said it wasn't dependent in this way.

Techincal aspects of the phrase 'such is x that...'

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