Grammar Reference
Unit 4
REVISION OF SO AND SUCH + THAT
• To describe a reason and its result:
so + adjective / adverb + that
Her story was so sad that it made us all cry.
Our society is changing so quickly that some
people may feel they can’t cope.
such (a / an) + adjective + noun + that
It was such a moving story that they turned it
into a film.
They have such strong views on equality that
they will never tolerate your behaviour.
• To refer to quantity or intensity as cause:
so much + that
There is still so much to do that we can’t stop
working.
so much + uncountable noun + that
We have so much support from society that we
feel very strong.
so many + plural noun + that
They have so many children that everyone has to
help with the housework.
such + that
The strength of that woman was such that she
could support her whole family on her own.
• In these structures, that is often omitted:
Their plans were so convincing (that) it was
easy for them to get financing.
The women showed such enthusiasm with the
project (that) we felt very optimistic.
There was so much to do (that) we didn’t know
where to start.
INVERSION AFTER SO AND SUCH
• We may decide to start our sentences with so or
such to make them more dramatic. In that case, the
part of the sentence containing so or such takes the
form of a question:
So important was it to have the support of society
that they lied about not having children.
Such was the power of their arguments that they
convinced everyone.
So many problems did they encounter that they
ended up giving up their fight.
Such diverse habits have we encountered that we
can no longer say something is normal.
QUESTIONS FOR EFFECT:
RHETORICAL QUESTIONS
• We use rhetorical questions when we already know
the answer or when no answer is expected:
Will women ever have the same opportunities as
men?
Is this the best we can do?
• A speaker may ask a question, which will be later
on answered by themselves, at the beginning of a
text or a speech in order to catch the listeners’ or
readers’ attention.
Rhetorical questions are also used as a more
dramatic way of expressing an opinion or as a way
to make the listener or reader think:
So, what are the consequences of these social
changes?
Is it easier in our society to be a man?
Are we all crazy?
Will this be the end of the world as we know it?
• We can also use a question for emphasis as if it
were an exclamation. In this case, the subject is
heavily stressed and the intonation goes down at
the end.
Hasn’t she grown! (= She’s grown a lot)
Was I surprised? (= I was very surprised)
C1.2

PLURAL PRONOUNS USED WITH

A SINGULAR SUBJECT

• We
 can avoid using he / his / him to refer to both
men and women by using he or she, his or her
or him or her. However, it is more common and
practical to use they / their / them with a singular
subject for generic reference:
When a person knows that his or her boss
appreciates him or her, he or she works better.
If a student loses their ID card, they will need to
apply for a new one.

• This
 generic use of the third person plural is
common with indefinite pronouns (i.e. anybody,
anyone, nobody, no one, somebody, someone):
If anyone needs any help, they can contact me for
assistance.
Nobody should count on their children to look
after them when they are old.
Somebody is using their influence to prevent
women from becoming independent.

CLEFT SENTENCES

• W
 hen we want to stress a particular part of
a sentence, we can introduce this part at the
beginning of the sentence using the anticipatory
it. The rest of the sentence becomes a relative
clause with who, that or when. For more emphasis,
we often include a short phrase with not and some
contrastive information:
Women in Africa are starting small businesses
now:
It is women (not men) that / who are starting
small businesses in Africa now.
It is in Africa (not here in the UK) that women are
starting small businesses now.
It is small businesses (not big farms) that women
are starting in Africa now.
It is now that / when women are starting small
businesses in Africa.