Page 565 - Practical English Usage 3ed - Michael Swan, Oxford

2 so much/many without a noun
We can drop a noun after so muchlmany, if the meaning is clear. I can't eat all that meat - there's so much!
I was expecting a few phone calls, but not so many.
3 so much as an adverb
So much can be used as an adverb.
I wish you didn't smoke so much.
4 special structures with so much
We can use not so much . .. as or not so much . .. but to make corrections and clarifications.
It wasn't so much his appearance I liked as his personality.
It's not so much that I don't want to go, but I just haven't got time. In negative and if-clauses, so much as can be used to mean 'even'. He didn't so much as say thank you, after all we'd done for him
If he so much as looks at another woman, I'll kill him.
543 so that and in order that
1 purpose
These structures are used to talk about purpose. So that is more common than in order that, especially in an informal style. They are often followed by auxiliary verbs such as can or will; may is more formal.
She's staying here for six months so that she can perfect her English. I'm putting it in the oven now so that it'll be ready by seven o'clock. We send monthly reports in order that they may have full information.
In an informal style, that can be dropped after so (see 584). I've come early so I can talk to you.
2 present tenses for future
Present tenses are sometimes used for the future.
I'll send the letter express so that she gets / she'll get it before Tuesday.
I'm going to make an early start so that I don't/won't get stuck in the traffic. We must write to him, in order that he does/will not feel that we are
hiding things.
3 past structures
In sentences about the past, would, could or should are generally used with verbs after so that I in order that. Might is possible in a very formal style.
Mary talked to the shy girl so that she wouldn't feel left out.
I took my golfclubs so that 1 could pllly at the weekend.
They met on a Saturday in order that everybody should be free to attend. He built a chain ofcastles so that he might control the whole country.
For the infinitive structures in order to and so as to, see 289. For so ... that expressing result, see 538.4.
For /est meaning 'so that ... no[', see 321.
so that and in order that 543
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