coordinating conjunction / linking adverb (informal) · neutral
so
UK/səʊ/US/soʊ/SO
used to show result or consequence, common in spoken and informal written English
Examples
“I was tired, so I went to bed early.”
“The store was closed, so we couldn't buy tickets.”
“He forgot his notes, so he couldn't answer the question.”
Band 8 sentence
“The survey showed low engagement among students, so universities must redesign their teaching methods to improve participation.”
Collocations
- X, so Y (common spoken structure)
- so + adjective/adverb (to mean 'very')
Word family
Common mistakes
He failed the exam so he was upset.→He failed the exam, so he was upset.
So, climate change is a problem? (in a formal essay)→Climate change is a significant problem; therefore, immediate action is required.
Say it for a higher band
5because→6therefore→7+so
Synonyms
therefore
Easily confused
therefore
“He forgot to study, so he failed the test.”
Related words
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In Cause & effect
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