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 Sun Sep 03, 2006 16:14 pm …so much so that… |
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Hi Tamara
The phrase "so much so that" refers back to something that's just been previously said and means "this is the case to such a large degree that". Here is another example taken from BNC: 
She was very relieved, so much so that she felt weak. =
"She was very relieved. She was so very relieved that she felt weak."
Does that clear things up?
Amy
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Amy
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Yankee
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| Sun Sep 03, 2006 16:29 pm …so much so that… |
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Hi Amy
| Quote: | | She was very relieved, so much so that she felt weak. |
She was relived so mush that she felt weak.
The same?
| Yankee wrote: | | refers back to something that's just been previously said... |
…To me, when the expression starts a sentence and the sentence don’t contain a direct reference to 'some extent' of something (as in my first example), it’s rather difficult to understand it.
Sounds unnatural…
Thank you, Amy, for the explanation.
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| Sun Sep 03, 2006 16:59 pm …so much so that… |
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Hi Tamara
I also found the phrase at the beginnings of sentences in both in BNC and Google. In such a case, it's not really a complete sentence (strictly speaking), but rather a further comment or afterthought. Therefore, it's only possible to know what "so much so" refers to if you have the previous sentence.
| Quote: | She was relieved so much that she felt weak.
The same? |
That sentence sounds a bit awkward to me. I've already given you my equivalent, but here's a variation: She was so extremely relieved (that) she felt weak.
Amy
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Yankee
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| Sun Sep 03, 2006 18:27 pm …so much so that… |
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| Tamara wrote: | | So much so that, when the various category prizes were announced, he all but swept the board. |
Could you please shed some light on the sentence? What does it exactly mean?
Tom |
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Tom
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| Sun Sep 03, 2006 18:51 pm …so much so that… |
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Tom! Didn't you read my post? 
| Yankee wrote: | | I also found the phrase at the beginnings of sentences in both in BNC and Google. In such a case, it's not really a complete sentence (strictly speaking), but rather a further comment or afterthought. Therefore, it's only possible to know what "so much so" refers to if you have the previous sentence. |
Without the previous sentence, it's not possible to tell you exactly what it means. The only thing that's clear is that someone won a prize in almost every category at some kind of awards ceremony.
Amy
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| Sun Sep 03, 2006 21:23 pm …so much so that… |
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Hi Tamara
Just imagine this as a sentence: "So much so that she felt weak." Nobody could have any idea whatsoever why she felt weak without more context (i.e., the previous sentence)
That's the same situation in the sentence Tom asked about.
In that case, the previous sentence might have been (for example):
"He was more talented than most of the other contenders"
OR it might have been:
"He influenced the judges with money before the awards ceremony"
OR
any number of other things.... 
Amy
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