4

my sentence:
(1) He works hard so that he will be promoted.
Am I right that (1) has two meanings?:
(1a) He works hard in order that he will be promoted.
(1b) He works hard with the result that he will be promoted.

I backshift (1) but don't replace "will" with "would" to emphasize he hasn't been promoted yet:
(2) He worked hard so that he will be promoted.
Am I right that (2) has two meanings?:
(2a) He worked hard in order that he will be promoted.
(2b) He worked hard with the result that he will be promoted.

apaderno
  • 20,803
  • 40
  • 110
  • 183
Loviii
  • 4,074
  • 2
  • 15
  • 48

1 Answers1

8

Example #1 means 1a. To get sense 1b, remove the word that from #1.

Example #2 is a potentially awkward mix of tenses, but it's essentially the same thing
Example #2 means 2a, and #2 without that means 2b

In short, so that means in order that, with the intent that, but plain so means therefore, hence.

FumbleFingers
  • 70,966
  • 4
  • 97
  • 196
  • cambridge.org writes: "So that" can also mean "with the result that": "The birds return every year around March, so that April is a good time to see them." — You write: "so that" means "in order that", but plain "so" means "therefore". — Can I infer from your answer and Cambridge: "so that" means "with the result that" only if "so that" is used in that sentence where it can't mean "in order that"? – Loviii Jul 13 '23 at 16:50
  • 4
    What you can infer is I don't think much of that final example from cambridge. Maybe 1 in 10 (perhaps 1 in 100 or 1 in 1000) native Anglophones would include *that* in the "birds" example. Ignore it. The extraneous "that" may have been more likely a few centures ago, but I wouldn't like to say even that. – FumbleFingers Jul 13 '23 at 16:57
  • britannica.com: "Please be quiet so I can study." Here "so" = "in order that". Since you said only "so that" can mean "in order that", I infer this example is unnatural to you, right? Thanks. – Loviii Jul 13 '23 at 18:57
  • No, I have no problem with discarding *that* in contexts like Please turn around so I can get dressed, where it can't affect the meaning whether it's present or not. I just meant I don't like the "birds" example because superficially it seems to be suggesting that the birds might come in March in order to make April a good time for "twitchers". But bear in mind I'm a native speaker, so I automatically know when I can get away with things like that. You as a non-native speaker would probably be safer sticking with Please be quiet so that* I can study*. – FumbleFingers Jul 13 '23 at 19:13
  • 1
    ...I think realistically it's simply not practical for nns to attempt to learn subtle aspects of English usages like this from reference books or Q&A sites. The "default" usages are as outlined above, and you should only really start to ignore the defaults when you've read and heard enough English to know that whatever "departure from the norm" you contemplate often occurs among the natives anyway. – FumbleFingers Jul 13 '23 at 19:17
  • 2
    I agree with @FumbleFingers both in their answer and that the Cambridge definition and birds example sound wrong. It's possible "so that" has been used that way and Cambridge includes it for the sake of completeness, but to my Canadian ears, it's wrong. – gotube Jul 13 '23 at 19:29
  • @gotube: In all fairness though, the cambridge item is a final point in the Grammar > Easily confused words > So that or in order that?** page - almost an afterthought - where it says So that (but not in order that) can also mean* ‘with the result that’:* I'd say it's only there for completeness (undeniably the usage does occur); it's not really for teaching nns how to speak English! And although I think their example usage is badly-chosen, there will be formal contexts in scientific papers, say, where it's far less "suspect". – FumbleFingers Jul 13 '23 at 23:30
  • 1
    To get the "therefore" sense you also should have a comma before "so". – Barmar Jul 14 '23 at 13:57