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From turnips to pumpkins: so and such for strong feelings

So and such are the focus of this A2 ESL lesson plan, which also teaches Halloween vocabulary around the American jack-o'-lantern.

Grammar
So + an adjective or adverb alone (so heavy), such a or such an + adjective + noun (such an old tradition), and such + adjective + plural noun, with no a (such funny costumes).
Topic
Halloween in the US and how Irish and Scottish turnip lanterns became pumpkin jack-o'-lanterns, with Halloween words such as costume, candy corn, porch light and trunk-or-treat.
Activities
A blog post, a pumpkin-patch dialogue and a viewer's porch-light question, drills that mark each answer, a chat that builds a tradition post and open boxes.

What's inside

  1. Chapter 1Pumpkin time!

    • PictureUnlock
    • Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
    • Study the words: HalloweenVocabularyTry it
    • Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock

  2. Chapter 2Let's read: from turnips to pumpkins

    • Look at the photo: a turnip lanternPictureUnlock
    • Read the blog postReal-life documentTry it
    • Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
    • Read again and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock

  3. Chapter 3Let's listen: at the pumpkin patch

    • Listen to Maya and MarcoListeningTry it
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
    • Listen to the Viewer's QuestionListeningUnlock
    • Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
    • Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock

  4. Chapter 4Grammar: It's such a big pumpkin!

    • Study the scheme: so and suchGrammar schemeTry it
    • Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: choose from the brackets and add a or an if you need itFill in the gapsTry it
    • Fill in the table: so and suchFill in the tableUnlock
    • Choose the correct sentenceQuizUnlock

  5. Chapter 5Let's talk: our family traditions

    • Choose the right replies: a blog post about your traditionChatTry it
    • Open a box and answer: our traditionsOpen the boxUnlock

  6. Chapter 6Homework

    • Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
    • Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps with the words from the lessonFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Sort the phrases into the correct columns: so, such a / such an or such?Sort into columnsUnlock
    • Fill in the gaps: say it another way with so or suchFill in the gapsUnlock
    • Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
    • Choose the correct option: Maya's answer to AbbyChoose the optionUnlock
    • Sort the lines into the correct columns: the parts of a blog postSort into columnsUnlock
    • Drag the words into the gaps: Matt's family traditionDrag and dropUnlock

30 exercises in 6 chapters. Start a 7-day free trial to open all of them, copy any part into your own lessons, and teach the lesson live.

Halloween vocabulary

10 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+7 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

  • pumpkin
  • turnip
  • candle
  • costume
  • candy corn
  • porch light
  • trunk-or-treat

Grammar: so and such for emphasis

So and such make a feeling stronger, a bit like a louder very: It's so big! It's such a big pumpkin! Carving pumpkins and talking about Halloween, learners pick the word by what comes after it, an adjective alone or a noun, choose such a or such an, and leave out a before plurals.

It's so big! It's such a big pumpkin!

so + adjective or adverb. such + (a / an) + adjective + noun.

So or such? Look at the next word

So comes before an adjective or an adverb on its own: The pumpkin is so big! Maya scoops so slowly! Once a noun follows the adjective, switch to such: It's such a big pumpkin! They're such funny costumes!

PatternUse it withExample
so + adjectivean adjective aloneThe pumpkin is so big!
so + adverban adverb: how?Biscuit eats so fast! Maya scoops so slowly!
such a / such an + adjective + nounone thingIt's such a big pumpkin!
such + adjective + plural nountwo or more things: no a!They're such funny costumes!

Such a, such an, or such alone

For one thing, use such a or such an, and let the adjective's first sound choose: such a funny costume, but such an old tradition and such an exciting day. Plural nouns take such with no a: such hard vegetables, such terrible jokes.

such a or such an?

Listen to the first sound of the adjective. Before a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u), say an: such an old tradition, such an amazing night, such an exciting day. Before other sounds, say a: such a funny costume (not: such an funny costume).

At the pumpkin patch

  • This pumpkin is so heavy!
  • It's such a big pumpkin!
  • Biscuit eats the seeds so fast!
  • Turnips are such hard vegetables!
  • That's such an old tradition!
  • Marco tells such terrible jokes!

Both patterns with every person

With be, every person can take both patterns, and pairs like these mean almost the same: You're so funny! You're such a funny guy! He's so hungry! He's such a hungry dog! They're so cute! They're such cute kids!

Whoso + adjectivesuch + (a / an) + adjective + noun
II'm so happy!I'm such a big fan!
youYou're so funny!You're such a funny guy!
he, she, itHe's so hungry! She's so smart! It's so heavy!He's such a hungry dog! She's such a smart girl! It's such an old tradition!
weWe're so excited!We're such good friends!
theyThey're so cute!They're such cute kids!

Adding a result: so … that, such … that

Either pattern can add that and a result: A turnip is so hard that it's difficult to carve. Trick-or-treating was such a popular custom that it spread across the whole country. The scheme gives this in a tip only; no drill asks for it.

so … that, such … that

You can add that + a result: A turnip is so hard that it's difficult to carve. Trick-or-treating was such a popular custom that it spread across the whole country.

Five mistakes with so and such

The pumpkin is such big needs so, and It's so a big pumpkin needs such a. A plural loses the a (such big pumpkins), such always comes before a (not a such big pumpkin), and so much big is never right.

Watch out: so, not so much

Before an adjective alone, say so, not so much: The pumpkin is so big (not: so much big). And such always comes before a / an: such a big pumpkin (not: a such big pumpkin).

Common mistakes

  • The pumpkin is such big!

    The pumpkin is so big!

    an adjective alone: so

  • It's so a big pumpkin!

    It's such a big pumpkin!

    a + adjective + noun: such a

  • They're such a big pumpkins!

    They're such big pumpkins!

    a plural noun: no a

  • It's a such big pumpkin!

    It's such a big pumpkin!

    such comes first, then a

More lessons on this grammar: Adjectives and adverbs lessons and exercises

Try the so and such exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

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What's in the lesson

  • 17 auto-checked exercises
  • 4 games
  • 1 real-life document
  • 1 grammar scheme
  • 1 set of word cards
  • 2 audio clips
  • 2 pictures
  • 2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

  • make an adjective or adverb stronger with so: This pumpkin is so heavy! Biscuit eats so fast!
  • use such a or such an before an adjective and a noun: It's such a big pumpkin! That's such an old tradition!
  • drop the a before plural nouns: They're such funny costumes! Turnips are such hard vegetables!
  • describe a family tradition in a few sentences with so and such: Every Halloween, we make our own costumes. They're so funny!

Lesson 31 is the third lesson of Traditions we love, the last unit of English A2.2 · Curious Minds. It builds on a and an by the first sound, from A1.1 lesson 10, which now decides between such a and such an, and on the invitations of lesson 29, which close the tradition post in the chat. At a pumpkin patch, nearly everything earns an exclamation, from a giant pumpkin to its wet, sticky seeds.

A wheel of warm-up questions about pumpkins, costumes and family traditions comes first, then ten Halloween word cards, from scoop and trick-or-treat to porch light and trunk-or-treat, each with a picture and audio. Students read the show's blog post on turnip lanterns, pumpkins and candy corn, then hear Maya and Marco at a pumpkin patch (an AI-voiced dialogue) and a viewer's question about porch lights on Halloween. Four drills after the scheme give feedback on every choice, and one is a table of matching so and such sentences. In the speaking chapter, a chat with Maya builds a blog post about the student's family tradition, part by part, and open boxes ask about holidays and costumes.

All nine homework tasks are marked automatically: word games, a word gap-fill, a sort into so, such a or such an, and such, sentences to say another way, word order, Maya's answer to the viewer, a sort of a blog post's parts and a model post to complete.

Grammar:
so + adjective · so + adverb · such a / an + adjective + noun · such + adjective + plural noun
Topic:
Halloween · jack-o'-lantern · pumpkins · trick-or-treating · trunk-or-treat · candy corn · family traditions · Curious Minds

Teaching tips

  • Bring in a real pumpkin, or a photo of one, and collect reactions: It's so orange! It's such a big pumpkin! The class checks each one for a noun after the adjective.
  • Hold a turnip-or-pumpkin vote before the reading: which is easier to carve, and why? The blog post settles it: a pumpkin is much softer and larger.
  • Turn adjectives into two-step reactions: call out funny, old or cute, and students answer twice, first with so, then with such and a noun: It's so funny! It's such a funny costume!
  • After the chat, pair students up to tell each other about a family tradition in four steps: what and when, a detail with so, a detail with such, and an invitation to join in.

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The whole course: English A2.2 · Curious Minds

32 lessons that pick up where English A2.1 ends, in simple American English, from the present perfect to used to, have to and relative clauses. Eight units cover nature, tech at home, heroes, healthy habits, fashion, school, animals and traditions. Pictures and definitions replace translations, and the practice exercises check themselves.See the course

  1. Unit 1 Wonders of nature

    the present perfect with ever and never, been to, superlatives with I've ever, articles with place names

    1. Lesson 1Have you ever seen the sky dance?The present perfect for experiences
    2. Lesson 2Have you been to the Grand Canyon?Present perfect vs past simple
    3. Lesson 3The longest cave in the worldSuperlatives with the present perfect
    4. Lesson 4The first national parkArticles with place names

  2. Unit 2 Clever tech at home

    the present perfect with just, already and yet, phrasal verbs, subject and object questions

    1. Lesson 5The chocolate bar that meltedThe present perfect with just
    2. Lesson 6Has my lunch arrived yet?Already and yet with the present perfect
    3. Lesson 7Turn it on, turn it offPhrasal verbs with it and them
    4. Lesson 8The girl who tests waterSubject and object questions

  3. Unit 3 Everyday heroes

    the past continuous, when and while, adjective order, story linkers

    1. Lesson 9When the pager beepsThe past continuous with was and were
    2. Lesson 10The man who planted apple treesPast continuous and past simple with when and while
    3. Lesson 11What's in the lost and found?The order of adjectives
    4. Lesson 12The dogs who saved NomeStory linkers

  4. Unit 4 Healthy and happy habits

    will for predictions, the zero and first conditionals, so do I and neither do I

    1. Lesson 13Why does school start later in California?Will and won't for predictions, decisions and offers
    2. Lesson 14Brain freeze!The zero conditional for facts
    3. Lesson 15Doctor's orders: go to the park!The first conditional with if and will
    4. Lesson 16Walking in the mall at 7 a.m.Agreeing with So do I and Neither do I

  5. Unit 5 Style through time

    used to, didn't use to, made of and made from, still and not anymore

    1. Lesson 17Why did everyone use to wear a hat?Used to for past habits and states
    2. Lesson 18Jeans used to be work clothesUsed to in negatives and questions
    3. Lesson 19Quilts made from old clothesMade of, made from and made by
    4. Lesson 20Cowboy boots, still made by handStill, not anymore and no longer

  6. Unit 6 School in America

    have to, must and mustn't, be allowed to, had to

    1. Lesson 21Do you have to wear a uniform?Have to and don't have to for rules
    2. Lesson 22Stop for the yellow bus!Must, mustn't and don't have to
    3. Lesson 23A class trip to the SmithsonianBe allowed to and can for permission
    4. Lesson 24One room, one teacher, every gradeHad to and didn't have to for past duties

  7. Unit 7 Amazing animals

    relative clauses with which, that, who and where, look and sound + adjective, adjectives with prepositions

    1. Lesson 25The bird that copies car alarmsRelative clauses with which and that
    2. Lesson 26Alligators and crocodiles togetherWho, which, that and where in relative clauses
    3. Lesson 27Sailors thought it was a mermaidLook, sound and feel as linking verbs
    4. Lesson 28Beagles at the airportAdjectives with prepositions

  8. Unit 8 Traditions we love

    invitations, will vs going to, so and such, one and ones

    1. Lesson 29Come to our cookout!Making, accepting and refusing invitations
    2. Lesson 30Is spring going to come early?Will vs going to for the future
    3. Lesson 31 · you're hereFrom turnips to pumpkinsSo and such for emphasis
    4. Lesson 32Giant balloons over ManhattanOne and ones in place of a noun

Questions about this lesson

When do you use "such a"?
Use such a before an adjective and a singular noun to make a feeling stronger: It's such a big pumpkin! He's such a hungry dog! Such always comes before a, so a such big pumpkin is wrong. With a plural noun, the a goes: They're such funny costumes! Without a noun, use so: The pumpkin is so big!
How do you use so and such in English?
Use so + adjective and such + noun phrase: The night was so cold! It was such a cold night! So also works with adverbs, as in so fast, and such takes a or an before a singular noun but nothing before a plural one. Either can add that and a result: A turnip is so hard that it's difficult to carve. The A2 lesson From turnips to pumpkins on edio.ai practices both at a pumpkin patch.
What's the difference between so and such?
They mean the same; only the grammar around them differs: so needs an adjective with no noun after it, and such needs a noun. One idea can usually be said both ways: The pumpkin is so heavy. It's such a heavy pumpkin. Only so works with an adverb: Marco carved his pumpkin so quickly! A homework drill in From turnips to pumpkins, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, has students rewrite sentences this way.
Is it "so big" or "such big"?
It's so big, because no noun follows the adjective: The pumpkin is so big! Such needs a noun after the adjective, and with one thing it also needs a: It's such a big pumpkin! That's why The pumpkin is such big is wrong, and so is so much big: it's just so big.
Is it "such a" or "such an"?
It depends on the first sound of the word after it: such an before a vowel sound, such a before the rest. Such an old tradition, such an amazing night and such an exciting day, but such a funny costume and such a big pumpkin. The sound counts, not the letter, just as with a and an anywhere else. A quiz in edio.ai's From turnips to pumpkins sets such an funny joke as a trap.
What are some Halloween words in English?
Common Halloween words include costume, pumpkin, jack-o'-lantern and trick-or-treat. A jack-o'-lantern is a carved pumpkin with a face and a candle inside; before carving, you scoop out the seeds. Kids trick-or-treat door to door, and a porch light that's on means the house has candy. Candy corn is a tiny yellow, orange and white treat, and at a trunk-or-treat, kids get candy from parked cars.
What does trick-or-treat mean?
To trick-or-treat is to go door to door for Halloween candy, usually in a costume. Children knock and say Trick or treat!, and people give them candy. A porch light on, with decorations out, means we have candy; a light off means no candy here. At a trunk-or-treat, families decorate their cars in a parking lot and hand out candy from the open trunks.
How do I teach so and such to A2 students?
Start with reactions to things students can see, such as a big pumpkin or a funny photo: It's so big! Then add a noun and switch to such: It's such a big pumpkin! Practice one thing first, then plurals with no a, then such a versus such an. From turnips to pumpkins, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, goes from a pumpkin-patch dialogue to the scheme, four drills and a chat.
How do you teach Halloween vocabulary?
Teach Halloween vocabulary through the things people do: carving a pumpkin (scoop, candle, jack-o'-lantern), dressing up (costume) and collecting candy (trick-or-treat, porch light, candy corn). Pictures help with words like turnip and trunk-or-treat, and then each word can go into a reaction with so or such: It's such a funny costume! In From turnips to pumpkins on edio.ai, all ten Halloween word cards come with a picture and audio.
What's a good game for practicing so and such?
An open-the-box game of reactions works well: each box holds a prompt such as Describe your favorite holiday with so: It's so… or Describe a great costume with such: It was such a…, and the student answers aloud. For a sorting race, read out happy, great day and cute kids, and teams shout so, such a or such before the phrase.
What's good homework for practicing so and such?
Good homework has students say one idea both ways: The night was so cold. It was such a cold night. Add a sort of phrases under so, such a or such an, and such, plus word order. All nine homework tasks in From turnips to pumpkins, an A2 lesson on edio.ai, check themselves, and the last one is a model post about a family's Halloween tradition with words to drag in.
Are there interactive exercises for so and such?
Yes: gap-fills and chats that mark each choice make so and such easy to practice alone. Without an account, this page plays four parts of the A2 lesson From turnips to pumpkins on edio.ai: the blog post on turnip and pumpkin lanterns, Maya and Marco's dialogue at a pumpkin patch, a gap-fill of so, such, such a or such an, and a chat that builds a post about a family tradition. The rest is locked.
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