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We can also use the word shadows to refer to a dark area in general:
He jumped out from the shadows of the basement and scared me half to
death.
Something moved in the shadows of the forest.
so / such
The rule here is simple:
so + adjective
such + adjective + noun (person/object described)
Compare these sentences:
Their dog is so cute.
They have such a cute dog.
Her kids are so obedient.
She has such obedient kids.
Both so and such can be used in sentences where we add that + result:
My teacher is so patient.
My teacher is so patient that she helps students for hours after class.
That restaurant has such good food.
That restaurant has such good food that it’s always full of people.
so / very / a lot
Use a lot of before nouns to mean a large quantity or a high number. “A lot of” can be
used with both countable and uncountable nouns.
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There were a lot of students in the classroom.
I drank a lot of water during the marathon.
Use verb + a lot to mean “very much” or “frequently”:
I like this singer a lot.
= I like this singer very much.
She travels a lot for work.
= She travels frequently for work.
“A lot” is always two words, never one word!
I studied alot for the English test.
I studied a lot for the English test.
Use so and very before adjectives. We can use the structure so + adjective + that to
add extra information, usually a result or consequence:
Last night I was very tired.
Last night I was so tired that I almost fell asleep while driving.
This book is very interesting.
This book is so interesting that I stayed up until 3 AM reading it!
She plays the piano very well.
She plays the piano so well that people often ask if she’s a professional.
Common Error: Don’t use “a lot” with adjectives
:
Last night I was a lot tired.
In informal spoken English, it’s common to use “really” instead of “very”:
Last night I was really tired.
This book is really interesting.
She plays the piano really well.
Also, in informal spoken English some people use “so” without adding extra
information, particularly when making an exclamation:
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Your dog is so cute!
It’s so windy today!
That test was so hard!
some time / sometime / sometimes
Some time (two words) means a period of time:
It took me some time to fix the computer; it had a number of problems.
I spend some time listening to English every day.
Sarah worked at that company for quite some time.
(quite some time = a long time)
Sometime (one word) refers to an unspecified time, usually in the future, although
it can be in the past as well, as in the third example:
Let’s get together for lunch sometime.
I’ll call you sometime this afternoon.
I don’t remember exactly when I bought this shirt, but it was sometime in the
past year.
Sometimes means occasionally:
Usually I wake up early, but sometimes I sleep late.
Sometimes we have to work on Saturdays, if there’s a special event.
While reading this text, I sometimes had to look a word up in the dictionary.
stuff / things
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The word thing / things is countable. It refers to specific objects, or a collection of
specific objects:
There are five things in the box.
I forgot my wallet, my phone, and a few other things when I left home today.
The word stuff can also refer to a general collection of things (usually someone’s
possessions), but it is vaguer and also uncountable, meaning there is no plural (no
such word as “stuffs”):
You need to clean up your bedroom, your stuff is all over the floor.
(= clothes, books, toys, objects, etc.)
After the holiday, we put all the Christmas stuff away until the next year.
(= ornaments, decorations, etc.)
Stuff can also refer to a material – usually when we don’t know exactly what it is:
“What’s that white stuff all over the table?”
“Oh – I spilled some sugar while I was baking a cake.”
“I’m not sure what kind of stuff this pillow is made of, but it sure is
comfortable.”
Both things and stuff can be non-physical items as well:
There are five things you need to know in order to do this job well.
(= five principles / pieces of information)
My history class is so hard! There’s so much stuff the teacher expects us to
remember. (= information, facts)
I’m proud of you because you did the right thing. (= action)
The best thing about this program is that you can study at your own pace.
(= aspect)
She’s really stressed out because there’s a lot of stuff going on in her personal
life right now. (= difficulties, events, changes)
My brother knows a lot about astronomy and stuff like that. (= and
related/similar topics)
Finally, stuff can be a verb meaning to push things into a small space:
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