science

So (word)

So (word) is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand So (word) rather than just read about it. In short: So is an English word that, apart from its other uses, has become increasingly popular in recent years as a coordinating conjunctive opening word in a sentence. This device is particularly used when answering questions although the questioner may also use the device.

Key takeaways

So (word) belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect So (word) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of So (word) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

So is an English word that, apart from its other uses, has become increasingly popular in recent years as a coordinating conjunctive opening word in a sentence. This device is particularly used when answering questions although the questioner may also use the device. So may also be used to end sentences. When ending a sentence, it may be:

a coordinating conjunctive to refer backwards to something previously mentioned a coordinating conjunctive dangling "so" (sometimes called trailing "so") to refer forwards to something that may be said an intensifying adverb.

Sentence opener The first known written use of so as a sentence opener is in several lines of Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, published in the mid-1380s, for example:So graunte hem sone out of this world to pace (So grant him soon out of this world to pass); So as a sentence opener has been used in later historical literary works such as:

The Rape of Lucrece, 1594, by William Shakespeare Pamela: or, Virtue Rewarded, 1740, by Samuel Richardson It is widely believed that the recent ascendancy of so as a sentence opener began in Silicon Valley. Michael Lewis, in his book The New New Thing, published in 1999, noted that "When a computer programmer answers a question, he often begins with the word 'so.'" Microsoft employees have long argued that the "so" boom began with them.

Purpose Various suggestions have been made as to its purpose:

as a coordinating conjunctive to refer backwards to something previously mentioned as a discourse marker to signal that the following words are chosen for their relevance to the listener to provide a small amount of extra thinking time In his Modern English translation of Beowulf, Irish poet Seamus Heaney uses "So" to translate the single-word opening line, Hwæt! (also rendered 'lo', 'hark', 'listen', etc). He explains that "in Hiberno-English Scullion-speak [...] 'so' operates as an expression that obliterates all previous discourse and narrative, and at the same time functions as an exclamation calling for immediate attention. So, 'so' it was".

Sentence closer

Referring back "So" may refer back to something previously mentioned, such as:

"If she notices, she never says so." Speaker 1: "Has somebody called an ambulance?" Speaker 2: "I believe so." Other possibilities include:

Dangling so A dangling "so" in conversation invites the listener to articulate or consider the implications of the information provided without the speaker having to articulate it himself or herself. It has been interpreted as sometimes a form of bragging. A dangling "so" in conversation may be represented in text as "so" followed by an ellipsis: "...". Examples of dangling "so":

"Yeah, it's pretty exciting, though we're not really sure whether it will work out, so..." Speaker 1: "How was your date?" Speaker 2: "Well, he didn't show up, so..."

Intensifying adverb "So" may close a sentence as an intensifying adverb, such as in "I love her so". "So" in the middle of a sentence can also be an intensifying adverb, such as in "I so love her".

See also Discourse marker Filler (linguistics)

References

Further reading Bolden, Galina B. (2009). "Implementing incipient actions: The discourse marker 'so' in English conversation". Journal of Pragmatics. 41 (5): 974–998. doi:10.1016/j.pragma.2008.10.004. So, here's a carefully packaged sentence that shows me in my best light The Guardian Oliver James 26 Jul 2013

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with So (word)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what So (word) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to So (word) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about So (word) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of So (word)

In research: So (word) appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses So (word) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: So (word) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Discourse analysis, English grammar, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for So (word) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study So (word) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what So (word) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain So (word) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is So (word) in simple terms?

Why does So (word) matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study So (word)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on So (word).