Practice
Such and such a: use these forms correctly
Sign in to saveThat was such a useful suggestion. The word such makes the speaker's reaction stronger, but its position changes when a singular countable noun follows.
Choose such, such a, or such an by identifying whether the next word is a noun phrase, an adjective, or a plural or uncountable noun.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
It was such an enjoyable evening. /ɪt wəz sʌtʃ ən ɪnˈdʒɔɪəbl ˈiːvnɪŋ/
The short answer
Use such a or such an before an adjective plus a singular countable noun. Use such before plural nouns and uncountable nouns. Use so before an adjective or adverb when there is no following noun.
It was such a quiet street.
Why it works: Street is a singular countable noun, so a appears after such.
5 more examples
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They live in such a peaceful village.
Village is singular and countable, so the phrase needs such a.
Not this:The village is
so peaceful. What changes: So works here because peaceful is an adjective with no following noun. -
We had such an enjoyable evening.
Evening is singular and countable. Enjoyable begins with a vowel sound, so use an.
Not this:The evening was
so enjoyable. What changes: The adjective stands on its own after was, so so is the natural choice. -
She asks such thoughtful questions.
Questions is plural, so such has no article.
Not this:Her questions are
so thoughtful. What changes: Use so when the adjective is separate from the plural noun. -
It was such bad traffic this morning.
Traffic is uncountable in this meaning, so no article is used.
Not this:The traffic was
so badthis morning. What changes: So comes before bad because traffic does not follow the adjective. -
I have never seen such a complicated diagram.
Diagram is one countable thing, even though complicated comes before it.
Not this:The diagram is
so complicated. What changes: So describes complicated directly when there is no noun phrase after it.
Read the full guide
Look ahead after such. If you can name one thing with a singular countable noun, use such a or such an. If you see several things or an uncountable idea, use such alone. This simple check prevents a common word-order error.
Find the noun after such
Such introduces a noun phrase. Begin by finding the noun in the phrase. With one countable noun, add an article after such. The structure works with short and longer adjectives before that noun.
It was such a surprising result.
Result is one countable noun. The correct order is such a surprising result, not such surprising a result.
Which word shows that such a is needed in such ___ useful tool?
Tool is a singular countable noun, so write such a useful tool.
Use a or an after such
Choose a or an by sound, as you do in other English noun phrases. Use a before a consonant sound and an before a vowel sound. The article comes immediately after such, before any adjective.
That is such a helpful reminder.
Helpful begins with a consonant sound, so the phrase uses a.
She gave us such an honest reply.
Honest begins with a vowel sound because the h is silent, so an is needed.
Leave out the article with plural nouns
Plural countable nouns do not take a or an. Put such directly before the adjective and plural noun. This is useful when you react to a group of people, things, events, or ideas.
They are such reliable colleagues.
Colleagues is plural, so such reliable colleagues has no article.
How would you complete We saw such ___ colourful birds?
Write such colourful birds. Birds is plural, so no article belongs after such.
Use such with uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns also follow such without a or an. Common examples include advice, luck, information, weather, and noise. Ask whether you normally count the noun as separate items in this meaning.
Thank you for such useful advice.
Advice is uncountable, so such useful advice has no article.
We had such terrible weather last week.
Weather is uncountable here. Such goes directly before the adjective and noun.
Compare such with so
Both words add emphasis, but they sit in different places. Use so before an adjective or adverb: so clear, so quickly. Use such before a noun phrase: such a clear explanation or such clear explanations. The meaning is often close, while the grammar changes.
The instructions were so clear.
Clear is an adjective after were, so so is correct.
They gave us such clear instructions.
Instructions is a plural noun, so use such before the full noun phrase.
Use such a lot of carefully
Such a lot of means a large amount or number. It can come before plural countable nouns and uncountable nouns: such a lot of emails or such a lot of noise. It is common in speech and informal writing.
There was such a lot of noise outside.
A lot of forms one quantity expression, so a appears before lot rather than before noise.
Which phrase fits before messages when there are many of them?
Use such a lot of messages. This expression works with plural nouns.
Before you go
Remember this
Use such a or such an with one countable noun, even when an adjective comes first. Use such alone with plural and uncountable nouns. When the sentence has only an adjective or adverb after the intensifier, choose so instead.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Such and such a: use these forms correctly"
When do I use such a?
Use such a before an adjective plus a singular countable noun, as in such a peaceful village or such a complicated diagram. The article follows such, then the adjective and noun complete the phrase.
They live in such a peaceful village.
When do I use such an?
Use such an when the following adjective begins with a vowel sound and the noun is singular and countable. For example, use such an enjoyable evening and such an honest reply. The sound, rather than the spelling alone, decides between a and an.
The village is so peaceful.
Can I use such with plural nouns?
Yes. Use such directly before a plural noun phrase, without a or an: such thoughtful questions or such reliable colleagues. An adjective can appear between such and the plural noun.
We had such an enjoyable evening.
Can I use such with uncountable nouns?
Yes. Use such without an article before an uncountable noun, as in such useful advice, such bad traffic, or such terrible weather. These nouns refer to an amount or general substance rather than one countable item.
The evening was so enjoyable.
What is the difference between such and so?
Use such before a noun phrase and so before an adjective or adverb on its own. Compare such a clear explanation with the explanation was so clear. Both add emphasis, but the word order follows different grammar.
She asks such thoughtful questions.