Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Adjectives: Special word order with As, How, So, Too

Typical mistakes: 

Your so beautiful country.    They are so strange people.    They are too kind girls to refuse. It's too high meat.    How pretty clothes the wears. 

In a formal style, it is possible to use as, how, so and too in a special structure with an adjective and a noun, but only when there is an indefinite article. The word order is as/how/so/too + adjective + a/an + noun. If there is no indefinite article, this structure is possible. 

    It was as pleasant a day as I have ever spent. 

    Miss A arm in arm with Mr. B - how astonishing a sight!

    How accomplished a pianist is he? 

    However good a stereo you have, you will never get absolutely perfect reproduction. 

    It was so warm a day that we decided to go to the sea. 

    She is too kind a girl to refuse. 

Instead of so and how we can use such and what in ordinary structures with adjective + noun. 

    such a nice day

    such strange people

    What pretty clothes!

    What an astonishing sight!


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