Complete the 12 sentences below. Choose the best answer for each one.
1So compelling ............... that the committee reopened the investigation.
Wrong!
After a fronted so + adjective phrase, use inversion: "was the evidence".
2Such ............... for the limited edition that the website crashed within minutes.
Wrong!
After a fronted such + noun phrase, use inversion: "was the demand".
3So calmly ............... during the hearing that even her critics listened carefully.
Wrong!
When so + adverb is fronted for emphasis, use auxiliary-subject inversion: "did she speak".
4Such ............... at the border that several manufacturers revised their delivery forecasts.
Wrong!
A fronted such phrase takes subject-verb inversion: "were the delays".
5So extensive ............... that researchers need a separate database just to navigate it.
Wrong!
With a fronted so + adjective phrase, invert the subject and auxiliary: "is the archive".
6So precise ............... be that it detects changes invisible to the naked eye.
Wrong!
After fronted so + adjective, the modal comes before the subject: "can the software".
7Such ............... that the minister withdrew the proposal before the vote.
Wrong!
Fronted such + noun phrase requires inversion: "was the public outcry".
8So sharply ............... overnight that emergency talks were scheduled before the markets opened.
Wrong!
Fronted so + adverbial degree requires inversion with do-support: "did the currency fall".
9So complex ............... that smaller firms often hire consultants simply to interpret them.
Wrong!
After a fronted so phrase, use inversion: "are the regulations".
10............... that several sceptical investors changed their minds before leaving the room.
Wrong!
When such + noun phrase is fronted, the verb comes before the subject phrase: "was such a convincing performance".
11............... that the negotiators accepted a compromise they had rejected the day before.
Wrong!
The emphatic pattern is Such + be + subject: "Such was the pressure".
12So serious ............... been that the publisher issued a corrected edition within a week.
Wrong!
With a fronted so + adjective phrase, invert the auxiliary and subject: "had the errors".
Answers
- So compelling was the evidence that the committee reopened the investigation.
- Such was the demand for the limited edition that the website crashed within minutes.
- So calmly did she speak during the hearing that even her critics listened carefully.
- Such were the delays at the border that several manufacturers revised their delivery forecasts.
- So extensive is the archive that researchers need a separate database just to navigate it.
- So precise can the software be that it detects changes invisible to the naked eye.
- Such was the public outcry that the minister withdrew the proposal before the vote.
- So sharply did the currency fall overnight that emergency talks were scheduled before the markets opened.
- So complex are the regulations that smaller firms often hire consultants simply to interpret them.
- was such a convincing performance that several sceptical investors changed their minds before leaving the room.
- Such was the pressure that the negotiators accepted a compromise they had rejected the day before.
- So serious had the errors been that the publisher issued a corrected edition within a week.
