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ESL forum > Ask for help > so and so that    

so and so that



sawer
Turkey

so and so that
 
Hello everybody;

Today we were doing "Fill in the Blank Exercises" in class about because, because of, in case,

unless,  so  and so that, when an unexpected question came: where do we use

so and where do we use so that. That was something i knew but somehow i couldn �t

explain :(

what i exactly need to learn is: what �s the difference between so and so that???

Tom is saving money, ... he can buy a bicycle.




8 May 2012      





remziye
Turkey

The sentence after so is a result(Turkish meaning is bu y�zden) but the sentence after so that is a reason.(Turkish meaning is amacıyla)
Tom is saving money so that he can buy a bicycle.
Tom wants to buy a bicycle so he is saving money.
And the other difference is that the sentence after so that contains "can,could,will,would,may,might"

8 May 2012     



almaz
United Kingdom

But remember that in an informal style, that can be left out in certain two-word conjunctions (so that, assuming that, provided that etc) with no change in meaning.

8 May 2012     



ueslteacher
Ukraine

It �s exactly the opposite (not sure about the Turkish though:):

so -  used to show the reason for something
It was still painful so I went to see a doctor.so that - used to show the result of somethingNothing more was heard from him so that we began to wonder if he was dead.&used to show the purpose of somethingBut I gave you a map so you wouldn �t get lost!She worked hard so that everything would be ready in time.
Sophia

8 May 2012     



dafodil
Portugal

Ok! Sophia has already explained the grammatical difference to you.
 
So is a conjunction that expresses the idea of "for that reason"
 
So that means purpose, or we name this clause introduced by so that a purpose clause. E.g. I usually read the newspapers so that I can know what �s happening in the world. Or I usually read the newspapers to know/ in order to know what �s happening in the world. However, when the subjects of both clauses are different, we must use so that or in order that. Normally, so that is followed by a modal verb such as can, will, could, should, would, might......

8 May 2012     



almaz
United Kingdom

Can I just repeat that so can introduce clauses of result and clauses of purpose.

Can I also point out that you �ll find this advice in Swan �s Practical English Usage. Can I go further and quote the conclusion (also bringing in the issue of formality) to the entry to so, conjunction in Merriam-Webster �s Dictionary of English Usage:

... there does not seem to be much reason for you to fret over the choice between so and so that (regarding purpose and result). We do not have the perspective yet to know whether so is moving up the scale of formality, or whether so that is becoming less formal and sliding down toward so. In either case, we see little difference in level of formality...

8 May 2012     



ueslteacher
Ukraine

So much can be said about so that you �ll be so clear so you �ll use it correctly so no one can tell you �re not a native speaker:)
@Alex: thanks for clarification.
Sophia

8 May 2012     



sawer
Turkey

thanks for all your consideration dear friends :)

11 May 2012