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What and Such: again! - English lesson

Constructions using WHAT and SUCH: Revise lesson 110097  test.  After correcting an exercise on the Forum, I have realized that a few details needed to be repeated... Here, we'll still have to express emotions and reactions in front of events.

The bases: 

COUNTABLE NOUNS  in the singular are preceded by the indefinite article : a /an ( Do not imitate the French word order. There is NO  subject/verb inversion in English, in exclamative clauses).

 - What a wonderful car your father has!

 * The subject and the verb may be omitted.

 -  What a marvel! = What a marvel it is! 

 *  In the plural, of course, nouns are not preceded by a/an ! (It becomes 0)

 -  What smart swimming suits you have, girls!

1. After WHAT and SUCH the indefinite article must be used IN FRONT OF  COUNTABLES IN THE SINGULAR: 

- What a cute baby! =>  It's such a cute baby! 

- What an expensive car! =>  It's such an expensive car! 

The two nouns used in these sentences are countables (they can be counted) AND can be put in the plural: they are countable and tangible. 

2. Let's now examine abstract nouns, expressing concepts, feelings,  that are 'abstract': they can neither be counted nor touched.  

- What friendship you can feel between those two! 
- There's such friendship between those two!  

BEWARE!    This rule doesn't change if one, or several adjectives are added to the abstract nouns.

- You can feel such strong and durable friendship between them that nothing will change this link. 

One or several adjective(s) cannot turn an abstract noun into a concrete countable noun. 

- They had lived  such deep, unquestionable, unfailing love for all those years that they decided to die together. 

3. Of course, it would be too simple if it weren't for the usual exceptions.... concerning uncountable nouns which must be preceded by the indefinite article:

- What a pity! What a shame! (Such a shame!)

- What a mess! (Such a mess!)

- What a nuisance! (It's such a nuisance!)

Now, you're ready... or should be... Let's go!  

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1. He lives in such a solitudea such solitudewhat a solitudesuch solitudeI don't know that he stays weeks without speaking to anybody.
2. What an extraordinary storiesstories extraordinaryextraordinary storiesI don't know you have told me… I’ll always remember them.
3. They’re such objects old and preciouswhat old and precious objectssuch old and precious objectsI don't know that I’d like you not to break them.
4. What good looking boya looking-good boya good-looking boygood-looking a boyI don't know ! Every young girl wants to dance with him…
5. The lawyer defended such difficult casesuch a difficult casea such difficult casewhat a difficult caseI don't know that the culprit was condemned in the end.
6. What a thing horriblea horrible thinghorrible a thingan horrible thingI don't know to say! You must apologise to her!
7. What unbelievable a gluttona unbelievable gluttonglutton unbelievablean unbelievable gluttonI don't know you are! You’d deserve to be sick after a such mealsuch mealsuch a mealwhat a mealI don't know…
8. I could see such beautiful sitessuch a beautiful siteswhat beautiful sitesa such beautiful sitesI don't know that I took lots of photos and filled a whole memory card.
9.What a unbelievable sadnessunbelievable sadnessan unbelievable sadnessunbelievable a sadnessI don't know in the beggars’ eyes and such pitywhat pitywhat a pitya such pityI don't know that then, I didn’t have enough time and money to help them really!
10. When visiting that country, you could understand that there was a such terrible malnutritionsuch terrible malnutritionsuch a terrible malnutritionwhat a terrible malnutritionI don't know and such a bad health system that the patients had no chance of being cured if not helped. such bad a health systemsuch a bad health systema such bad health systemI don't know