So (word)

The first known written use of so as a sentence opener is in several lines of Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde, published in the mid-1380s, for example: So as a sentence opener has been used in later historical literary works such as: Purpose Various suggestions have been made as to its purpose: • as a coordinating conjunctive to refer backwards to something previously mentioned • as a discourse marker • to signal that the following words are chosen for their relevance to the listener • to provide a small amount of extra thinking time In his Modern English translation of Beowulf, Irish poet Seamus Heaney uses "So" to translate the single-word opening line, Hwæt! (also rendered 'lo', 'hark', 'listen', etc). He explains that "in Hiberno-English Scullion-speak [...] 'so' operates as an expression that obliterates all previous discourse and narrative, and at the same time functions as an exclamation calling for immediate attention. So, 'so' it was". ==Sentence closer==

Referring back "So" may refer back to something previously mentioned, such as: • "If she notices, she never says so." • Speaker 1: "Has somebody called an ambulance?" Speaker 2: "I believe so." Other possibilities include: Dangling so A dangling "so" in conversation invites the listener to articulate or consider the implications of the information provided without the speaker having to articulate it himself or herself. It has been interpreted as sometimes a form of bragging. A dangling "so" in conversation may be represented in text as "so" followed by an ellipsis: "...". Examples of dangling "so": • "Yeah, it's pretty exciting, though we're not really sure whether it will work out, so..." • Speaker 1: "How was your date?" Speaker 2: "Well, he didn't show up, so..." ==Intensifying adverb==

"So" may close a sentence as an intensifying adverb, such as in "I love her so". "So" in the middle of a sentence can also be an intensifying adverb, such as in "I so love her". ==See also==