Such intensifies a noun phrase
We place such before a group of words whose head is a noun. The group can be short or long, but the meaning is the same: the quality is so strong that it is worth mentioning separately.
In English, the word order is fixed: first the marker, then the entire phrase, including the article if one is needed.
such + (a/an) + (adjective) + noun
- noun —
- A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.
- adjective —
- A word describing what someone or something is like: happy, tired, interesting.
It was such a windy night.
It was such a windy night.
The marker comes before the entire phrase a windy night, not before the adjective windy.
We had such good weather.
We had such good weather.
Weather is an uncountable noun, so there is no article in the phrase at all.
They are such patient teachers.
They are such patient teachers.
Teachers is plural, so it also appears without an article, and such itself does not change.
The article comes after such
For a singular countable noun, the article is obligatory, but its place is between such and the adjective. The most common mistake is to put it before the marker.
The choice between a and an depends on the sound at the beginning of the next word in the phrase, not on the marker itself.
such + a/an + adjective + noun (singular, countable)
- noun —
- A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.
- adjective —
- A word describing what someone or something is like: happy, tired, interesting.
She gave such an honest answer.
She gave such an honest answer.
Honest begins with a vowel sound, so an appears inside the phrase.
He told such a strange story.
He told such a strange story.
The order is fixed: marker, article, adjective, noun.
It was such a short walk.
It was such a short walk.
The adjective can be removed, but the article still remains: such a walk.
Plural and uncountable nouns — without an article
If the noun is plural or uncountable, there is no article in the phrase. This is not an exception or a stylistic choice: these nouns simply do not have a/an forms.
The mistake “such a bad weather” happens because weather is treated as a singular countable noun in some languages. In English, weather, news, advice, traffic, information, and luck do not take the article a/an.
such + (adjective) + plural or uncountable noun
- noun —
- A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.
- adjective —
- A word describing what someone or something is like: happy, tired, interesting.
They asked such difficult questions.
They asked such difficult questions.
Questions is plural, so an article is impossible in the phrase.
We got such bad news.
We got such bad news.
News ends in -s, but it behaves as an uncountable singular noun.
There was such heavy traffic.
There was such heavy traffic.
Traffic is uncountable: it takes neither an article nor a plural form.
That introduces the result
The second part begins with that and states what the intensity led to. It is a complete clause: it has its own subject and its own predicate.
A common mistake is to end this part with an adjective or participle. After that, a complete thought is required, not a single word.
such + (a/an) + (adjective) + noun + that + subject + predicate
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- noun —
- A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.
- adjective —
- A word describing what someone or something is like: happy, tired, interesting.
It was such a cold morning that the windows froze.
It was such a cold morning that the windows froze.
The clause the windows froze has its own subject and predicate.
The dog made such a fuss that the whole street woke up.
The dog made such a fuss that the whole street woke up.
There is no adjective—the intensity is contained in the noun fuss itself.
They served such large portions that nobody ordered a dessert.
They served such large portions that nobody ordered a dessert.
The plural noun portions appears without an article, and the result clause has its own subject, nobody.
The adjective is optional: the intensity can be in the noun itself
Evaluative nouns such as relief, fright, mess, shame, or pity can be used with such without an adjective: such a relief. The adjective is optional, but it is not forbidden: such a terrible mess.
The article does not disappear: with a singular countable noun, it remains immediately after the marker.
It was such a relief that we all sat down.
It was such a relief that we all sat down.
The noun relief itself conveys the intensity of the feeling, so no adjective is needed.
It gave me such a fright that I dropped my keys.
It gave me such a fright that I dropped my keys.
The article a remains in its proper place even without an adjective.
The builders made such a mess that the cleaners stayed late.
The builders made such a mess that the cleaners stayed late.
Evaluative nouns of this kind very often occur in this exact structure.
Such without a result, and the completely different such as
The marker can stand alone, without a result clause: it then simply intensifies the evaluation. Add a result when it is genuinely part of the message.
Keep the expression such as separate: it introduces examples and has nothing to do with a result. These two uses should not be confused.
Thank you — you have been such a help.
Thank you — you have been such a help.
There is no result: the marker only intensifies the evaluation.
She likes fruit such as pears and plums.
She likes fruit such as pears and plums.
Here, such as introduces examples, not a result.
He is such a talker.
He is such a talker.
The evaluation sounds complete without a second part.
The boundary of the rule: when there is no noun after the marker
Such attaches only to a noun phrase. If only an adjective or adverb needs to be intensified, without a noun, this structure does not work—another marker is needed, and that is a separate neighboring rule in this topic.
There is one practical check before choosing: find the head of the phrase. If there is a noun, the such structure is appropriate; if there is not, look for another construction.
It was such a hot afternoon that we stayed inside.
It was such a hot afternoon that we stayed inside.
The head of the phrase is the noun afternoon, so the such structure is appropriate.
The afternoon was so hot that we stayed inside.
The afternoon was so hot that we stayed inside.
After the marker, there is only the adjective hot; this construction belongs to a neighboring rule and is not practiced in this material.
It was such a shame that we missed the last bus.
It was such a shame that we missed the last bus.
Such intensifies shame without an adjective. However, that here explains what the regret is about: missing the bus is the content of the regret, not its result. Not every that-clause after such expresses a result.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:It was a such long journey that we slept on the bus.
Correct:It was such a long journey that we slept on the bus.
The article belongs inside the phrase and comes after the marker, not before it.
Incorrect:They asked such a difficult questions that nobody answered.
Correct:They asked such difficult questions that nobody answered.
The article a is impossible before a plural noun.
Incorrect:We had such a bad weather that the flight was late.
Correct:We had such bad weather that the flight was late.
Weather is uncountable, so the phrase is formed without an article.
Incorrect:It was such a steep hill that we very tired.
Correct:It was such a steep hill that we were very tired.
After that, a complete clause is required: the subject we and the predicate were very tired.
Incorrect:It was so a strong wind that the door slammed.
Correct:It was such a strong wind that the door slammed.
The noun phrase a strong wind requires such specifically.
Incorrect:It was such an nice evening that we walked home.
Correct:It was such a nice evening that we walked home.
The choice between a and an is based on the sound of the next word: nice begins with a consonant sound.