Collins Cobuild English Grammar (151 page)

Now
and
now that
are used to say that a new situation is the reason for something. Clauses beginning with
now
or
now that
are dealt with as
time clauses
. They are explained in paragraph
8.18
.

Result clauses:
I’ll drive you there so that you won’t be late

8.54
     When you want to talk about the result of something, you use a
result clause
.

Result clauses always come after the main clause.

8.55
     Result clauses usually begin with
so that
.

You can use
so that
simply to say what the result of an event or situation was.

My suitcase had become damaged,
so that
the lid would not stay closed.
A storm had brought the sea into the house,
so that
they had been forced to escape by a window.
There’s a window above the bath
so that
when I’m relaxing here I can watch the sky.

So
,
and so
, and
and
can also be used.

She was having great difficulty getting her car out,
and so
I had to move my car to let her out.
He was shot in the chest
and
died.

With these result clauses, you usually put a comma after the main clause.

8.56
     You can also use
so that
to say that something is or was done in a particular way to achieve a desired result.

For example,
He fixed the bell so that it would ring when anyone came in
means
He fixed the bell in such a way that it would ring when anyone came in
.

Explain it
so that
a 10-year-old could understand it.
They arranged things
so that
they never met.

With these result clauses, you do not put a comma after the main clause.

8.57
     
So that
is also used in
purpose clauses
. This use is explained in paragraph
8.47
.

USAGE NOTE

8.58
     
So
and
that
are also used in a special kind of structure to say that a result happens because something has a quality to a particular extent, or because something is done in an extreme way.

In these structures,
so
is used in front of an adjective or adverb. A
that
-clause is then added.

The crowd was
so
large
that it overflowed the auditorium
.
They were
so
surprised
they didn’t try to stop him
.
He dressed
so
quickly
that he put his boots on the wrong feet
.
She had fallen down
so
often
that she was covered in mud
.

Sometimes
as
is used instead of
that
.
As
is followed by a
to
-infinitive clause.

…small beaches of sand
so
white
as to dazzle the eye
.
I hope that nobody was
so
stupid
as to go around saying those things
.

8.59
     
So
and
that
can also be used in this way with
many
,
few
,
much
, and
little
.

We found
so much
to talk about
that it was late at night when we remembered the time
.
There were
so many children you could hardly get in the room
.

USAGE NOTE

8.60
     When the verb in the main clause is
be
or when an auxiliary is used, the normal order of words is often changed for greater emphasis.
So
is put at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the adjective, adverb, or noun.
Be
or the auxiliary is placed in front of the subject.

For example, instead of saying
The room was so tiny that you could not get a bed into it
, you can say
So tiny was the room that you could not get a bed into it
.

So
successful have they been
that they are moving to Bond Street
.
So
rapid is the rate of progress
that advance seems to be following advance on almost a monthly basis
.

8.61
     
Such
and
that
are also used to say that a result happens because something has a quality to a particular extent. You put
such
in front of a noun, and then add a
that
-clause.

If the noun is a singular countable noun, you put
a
or
an
in front of it.

I slapped her hand and she got
such
a shock
that she dropped the bag
.
She was in
such
pain
that she almost collapsed
.
These birds have
such
small wings
that they cannot get into the air
.

8.62
     
Such
is sometimes used in a similar structure as an adjective with the meaning
so great
. The
that
-clause goes immediately after it.

The extent of the disaster was
such that the local authorities were quite unable to cope
.

Sometimes
such
is put at the beginning of a sentence, followed by
be
, a noun phrase, and the
that
-clause. For example, instead of saying
Her beauty was such that they could only stare
, you can say
Such was her beauty that they could only stare
.

Such
is the power of suggestion
that within a very few minutes she fell asleep
.

8.63
     You can also use
such
as an adjective to say that a result is obtained by something being of a particular kind.
Such
is followed by a
that
-clause or by
as
and a
to
-infinitive clause.

The dangers are
such that an organized tour is a more sensible option
.
Conditions in prison should be
such as to lessen the chances of prisoners reoffending
.

You can use the expression
in such a way
to say that a result is obtained by something being done in a particular way. It is followed by a
that
-clause or by
as
and a
to
-infinitive clause.

She had been taught to behave
in such a way that her parents would have as quiet a life as possible
.
Is it right that this high tax should be spent
in such a way as to give benefit mainly to the motorist
?

8.64
     You use
otherwise
,
else
, or
or else
to say that a result of something not happening or not being the case would be that something else would happen or be the case.

For example,
Give me back my money, otherwise I’ll ring the police
means
If you don’t give me back my money, I’ll ring the police
.

I want a house I’ll like,
otherwise
I’ll get depressed.
I must have done something wrong,
or else
they wouldn’t have kept me here.

Concessive clauses:
I love books
,
although I don’t read much

8.65
     Sometimes you want to make two statements, one of which contrasts with the other or makes it seem surprising. You can put both statements into one sentence by using a
concessive clause
.

Here is a list of conjunctions used in concessive clauses:

although

despite

even if

even though

except that

in spite of

much as

not that

though

whereas

while

whilst

contrast

8.66
     If you simply want to contrast two statements, you use
although
,
though
,
even though
, or
while
.

I used to read a lot
although
I don’t get much time for books now.
Though
he has lived for years in London, he writes in German.
I used to love listening to her,
even though
I couldn’t understand what she said.
While
I did well in class, I was a poor performer at games.

The fairly formal words
whilst
and
whereas
can also be used.

Raspberries have a hairy surface
whilst
blackberries have a shiny skin.
To every child, adult approval means love,
whereas
disapproval can cause strong feelings of rejection.