So & Such ESL Games & Worksheets
So and Such
ESL So and Such Worksheet - Vocabulary, Grammar and Reading Exercises: Identifying, Sentence Completion, Gap-fill, Rewriting Sentences
In this productive so and such worksheet, students learn and practice how to use 'so' and 'such'. Students begin by reading a conversation and...
So and Such Practice
ESL So and Such Worksheet - Grammar and Vocabulary Exercises: Word Search, Matching, Gap-fill, Writing Sentences
In this comprehensive so and such worksheet, students learn how to use 'so' before an adjective and 'such' before an adjective-noun collocation. First, students find ten adjectives and 10 nouns in a...
That's such a good answer!
ESL So and Such Game - Vocabulary and Grammar: Sentence Completion - Group Work
In this free so and such game, students complete sentences with so and such. Students take it in turns to read one of their noun cards to the group, completing the so sentence with a suitable...
Such a Good Game!
ESL So and Such Game - Grammar and Speaking: Reforming Sentences - Pair Work
In this fun so and such game, students transform sentences using 'so' into sentences using 'such' and vice versa. One student begins by picking up a card and reading the sentence at the top of the card to the student on their right. That student...
Understanding So and Such
'So' and 'such' both add emphasis or express strong feeling, but they follow different grammatical patterns. 'So' comes before an adjective alone, as in 'The film was so long', while 'such' comes before an adjective-noun combination, as in 'It was such a long film'.
When students mix up the two, they produce structurally broken sentences like 'It was so a long film' or 'The film was such long', which read as ungrammatical to any native speaker and immediately undermine the student's credibility in writing or speech.
This page covers so and such at A2 and B1 levels, with four resources including worksheets and group and pair games, and one activity available as a free download.
The table below shows the patterns for 'so' and 'such' with an example of each.
| Word | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| so | so + adjective | 'The coffee was so hot.' |
| so | so + adverb | 'She spoke so quietly.' |
| so | so + many/much/few/little + noun | 'There were so many people there.' |
| such | such + a/an + adjective + singular countable noun | 'It was such a long day.' |
| such | such + adjective + plural countable noun | 'They were such kind people.' |
| such | such + adjective + uncountable noun | 'It was such good advice.' |
When to Use So and Such
Expressing Surprise or Disbelief: Speakers reach for 'so' or 'such' when they want to signal that something exceeded their expectations, making a reaction feel genuine rather than flat, as in 'I can't believe it was such a long wait'.
Giving Reasons and Explanations: Both words appear naturally in cause-and-effect sentences where the speaker explains why something happened, linking a quality to its consequence, as in 'The instructions were so confusing that nobody finished the task'.
Strengthening Recommendations: Writers and speakers use 'so' and 'such' to add conviction to a recommendation, making the positive quality feel undeniable rather than merely stated, as in 'You have to try it, it's such good food'.
3-Step Framework for Teaching So and Such
1. Introduce the Rules Through Reading: Give students a short conversation that naturally contains examples of both words and ask them to underline every instance before working out the grammar rules from the examples they found. This grounds the distinction in real language before any formal explanation arrives.
2. Build Vocabulary Alongside the Grammar: Have students search for adjectives and nouns separately, then pair them into adjective-noun collocations before writing sentences. Pairing the vocabulary work with the structural rule ('so' before an adjective alone, 'such' before an adjective-noun combination) means students internalize both layers at once.
3. Add Competitive Output With a Safety Net: Run a group card game where students complete open-ended sentences using their noun and adjective cards. Build in wild cards that any student can play at any point to construct a 'so' or 'such' sentence of their own choosing, which keeps every student active even when their dealt hand does not match the prompt in play.
Common Mistakes with So and Such
Using 'so' as an intensifier in formal writing: Students often carry 'so' from spoken English into formal or academic writing, where it reads as informal or even childlike to a native-speaker reader. Wrong: 'The results of the study were so significant.' Correct: 'The results of the study were extremely significant.'
Omitting the article after 'such' with singular countable nouns: Students often place 'such' directly before an adjective and singular countable noun without including the article 'a' or 'an', producing a grammatically incomplete phrase. Wrong: 'It was such good movie.' Correct: 'It was such a good movie.'
Common Questions About Teaching So and Such
What is a fun game for practicing so and such?
In the game Such a Good Game!, one student reads a card aloud and the student to their right transforms it by swapping 'so' for 'such', or vice versa. For example, 'It's such an interesting book, I love it' becomes 'The book is so interesting, I love it'. Correct answers earn the card; the player with the most wins.
What is a good worksheet for teaching so and such?
The worksheet So and Such Practice teaches students that 'so' goes before an adjective and 'such' goes before an adjective-noun combination. Students find ten adjectives and ten nouns in a word search, pair them into collocations, then complete sentences using those pairs. In the final exercise, they write their own sentences using both structures.
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