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Substituting for something already mentioned: using so and not
so as a substitute for an adjective
10.24 So is sometimes used in formal English as a substitute for an adjective that has already been mentioned.
They are wildly inefficient and will remain so for some time to come.
They are just as isolated, if not more so, than before.
so and not after if
10.25 So is used to substitute for a clause after if, when the action or situation you are talking about has already been mentioned.
Will that be enough? If so, do not ask for more.
Not is used to substitute for a negative clause, to suggest the opposite situation to the one already mentioned.
You will probably have one of the two documents mentioned below. If not, you will have to buy one.
so and not with reporting verbs
10.26 So and not are also used to substitute for clauses after some common reporting verbs. They are also used after the expression I’m afraid, which is used to report an unwelcome fact.
‘Are you all right?’ – ‘I think so.’
You’re a sensible woman – I’ve always said so.
‘You think he’s failed, don’t you?’ – ‘I’m afraid so.’
‘It doesn’t often happen.’ – ‘No, I suppose not.’
‘You haven’t lost the ticket, have you?’ – ‘I hope not.’
Here is a list of reporting verbs that can be followed by so and not:
believe
expect
hope
imagine
say
suppose
tell
think
Note that the use of not as a substitute with think, expect, and believe is rare or formal. When not is occasionally used with say, there is a modal in front of say.
‘Is this a coincidence?’ – ‘I would say not.’
Occasionally so is put at the beginning of the clause. This often has the effect of casting doubt on the truth of the fact involved.
Everybody in the world, so they say, has a double.
So can also be used at the beginning of a clause for emphasis. This is explained in paragraph 9.62.
do so
10.27 Do so is used to mean perform the action just mentioned. The various forms of the verb do can be used. This structure is rather formal.
A signal which should have turned to red failed to do so.
Most of those who signed the letter did so under pressure from their bosses.
She asked him to wait while she considered. He did so.
Individuals are free to choose private insurance, and 10% of the population have done so.
Comparing with something already mentioned
10.28 The word such can be used in several ways to hold a text together. You use it when you want to indicate that something is of the same sort as something that has already been mentioned. The grammatical patterns of such are unique. It can behave as a determiner, a predeterminer, and an adjective.
such as a determiner
10.29 Such can be a determiner referring back to something that has already been mentioned.
Most of the state’s electricity comes from burning imported oil, the highest use of such fuel in the country.
New business provides the majority of new jobs. By their nature, such businesses take risks.
such as a predeterminer
10.30 Such can be a predeterminer (see paragraph 1.251) referring back to something that has already been mentioned. It comes in front of the determiner a or an.
They lasted for hundreds of years. On a human time scale, such a period seems an eternity.
On one occasion the school parliament discussed the dismissal of a teacher. But such an event is rare.
such as an adjective
10.31 Such can be an adjective referring back to something that has already been mentioned.
He can be very cruel. This was one such occasion.
‘Did you call me a liar?’ – ‘I never said any such thing!’
Mr Bell’s clubs were privately owned. Like most such clubs everywhere, they were organizations of people who shared a certain interest.
I hated the big formal dances and felt very out of place at the one or two such events I attended.
adjectives
10.32 Some adjectives are used to indicate a comparison, contrast, or connection with something that has already been mentioned.
same
10.33 The adjective same is used attributively to emphasize that you are referring back to something that has just been mentioned.
A man opened the door and said Next please. About ten minutes later, the same man returned.
He watched her climb into a compartment of the train, and he chose the same one so he could watch her more closely.
Note that when same is used before a noun or pronoun, it nearly always follows the, but it can occasionally follow other definite determiners.
These same smells may produce depression in others.
10.34 Same can also come after a linking verb when you want to show that something is similar in every way to something that has just been mentioned. When same is used after a linking verb it always follows the.
The Queen treated us very well. The Princess Royal was just the same.
My brothers and myself were very poor, but happy. I think other families were the same.
10.35 You can also use the same without a following noun as the subject or object of a clause, to refer back to something that has just been mentioned.