Grammar - HELP

[qwertyMike]

My daughter (22) and her friends use the expression "so fun", as in "The party was so fun"

I correct her and she asks why it is Ok to say so hot, so tense, so whatever.

Why does she have to insert the word 'much' in there?

I really can't find an answer.
Can you?

[glowing]

1. I think its called slang expression.. As long as she doesn't write it in a mid-term

exam or put it in a newspaper column, I wouldn't worry about it.. The Sooooo is like the expresion of how much fun it was, fer sure, like.

[tabatha]

2. Even "so hot" should be followed by "that" or a qualifier.

So as a conjunction has two basic meanings:

1. With the result or consequence that: He failed to appear, so we went on without him.
2. In order that: I stayed so I could see you.

On edit a link:

http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/058.html

[JuniperLea]

3. Slang is hard to combat...

Especially when the jokers who control the commonly accepted dictionaries have included many of them.

I would say, so VERY fun. Though I suspect the "so" in question is a substitute for "very."

[Drunken Irishman]

4. Just smack her.

:P

[yewberry]

5. Because fun is a noun.

In formal speech or writing, fun is always a noun. Informally, sure, we use it adjectivally, but don't you cringe just a little when someone says "We had a fun time?"

Does that make sense?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

7. Ding-ding-ding

:-)

[yewberry]

11. Who you callin' a ding-ding-ding?

:P

[Lydia Leftcoast]

13. I meant it as in "ding-ding-ding we have a winner"

:-)

[yewberry]

17. I was just being silly.

Pay no attention to the silly behind the curtain...

[Odin2005]

19. Any who cringes over "fun" being used as an adjective needs to get a life.

such "zero-derivation" is a perfectly normal part of English

[yewberry]

23. Consider avoiding threads asking specifically about prescriptive grammar

if you think that prescriptive grammar is a topic for people who "need to get a life." Nothing against descriptive grammar, of course, but the OP was clearly asking for a clarification about why the phrase felt wrong.

Linguistic change is normal. Asking questions is also normal. Please allow others to ask and answer without going out of your way to make them feel like jerks for doing so.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

6. It's spoken, and written in casual correspondence,

in Great Britain.

In this country, it's an affectation, a pose. I doubt your daughter knows that - she's just picked up what she heard.

But, you might remind her that "fun" is a noun, while "hot" and "tense" are adjectives, and an adverb like "so" does not go before a noun - like "fun" - but it does go before an adjective - like "hot" and "tense".

And that is your perfectly correct answer.

Now, take it and stick it to those kids who obviously never had a teacher who took the time, or had the smarts, to educate them about the great basics of grammar.

Then, buy your sweet girl a copy of "Elements of Style," by Strunk and White. If she wants to know about grammar, that's the book.

[Luminous Animal]

8. Because the word "fun"

is, in this context, a noun not an adjective.

[zbird]

9. Fun is a noun, so is an adverb. Adverbs do not modify nouns.

See link for more.

"Let's get back to "so." What's so icky about the expression "so fun"?
The answer is simple. The word "fun" is a noun, and the word "so" is an adverb. An adverb is a descriptive word that is used to modify verbs, adjectives and even other adverbs. An adverb can even modify a phrase or even an entire sentence—but cannot modify nouns or pronouns."

http://www.editpros.com/news0501.html

[CHIMO]

10. Amazing

Or perhaps I should say awesome.

Perhaps it is a translation.

[cherish44]

12. It's conversational English

I have many grammatical pet peeves and this one doesn't even crack the top 1000...(ooops I mean 1,000)

[blonndee]

14. English teacher here....

and I guess I ought to be embarrassed to say that I'd never thought about this one. (But I'm not.) I guess, technically, it's because "fun" is a noun. However, although I do daily grammar bellwork with my students, I always try to make room for slang and conversational English, which often makes for a "more fun" :) experience. The word "fun" has clearly become an adjective in common, informal usage, so much so that I didn't even immediately "get" what the problem was at first.

BTW, can I just please admit that I HATE "grammar" sometimes? I mean, I'm all for proper English, but even though I teach English, I really and truly SUCKED at grammar. I never could "get" diagramming sentences and could never memorize all the rules. I just always went by what I thought sounded "right" and had few problems. I tell this to my kids all the time. I come up with my own "rules" in our bellwork, often saying, "Forget the grammar rule. Here's how you can remember how to do this right." (And even that last sentence isn't grammatically correct; neither is this one. Oh well!)

[islandmkl]

15. in questions of this nature, especially concerning english...

i always ask: do we write or speak Shakespearean English?...'proper' is only a period of time, nothing more...the value of texting in abbreviating the language/thought process will be seen within one more generation...yeah, it isn't as 'beautiful' as the 'proper' usage...but it might convey the message more succinctly...

conversation is neither prose nor poetry...never has been, never will be...

[salguine]

16. I would hug my daughter, tears streaming down my cheeks, and say,

"I'm so proud you didn't put 'like' in there. You've made your mother and me so happy."

[Odin2005]

18. Nothing wrong with it.

Some grammar Nazis with no proper understanding of the actual lingustics might go apoplectic of how "fun" is used, but such BS has no objective basis.

[kskiska]

20. The first time I ever heard that

was when Laura Bush, the librarian, described how she was drawn to her husband-to-be because he was "so fun." I couldn't believe my ears. Since then it's become only one of many affectations prevalent in recent years, such as "I'm like…", "he goes…", and lots more.

[NeedleCast]

21. You know, if at age 22, mild abuse of grammar is the worst thing your daughter does

You've done a kick ass job as a parent, and should probably just let it slide.

[elleng]

22. She doesn't.

These are idiomatic expressions. We can say whatever we want!!!

[qwertyMike]

24. Thanks for all your help

I guess I just had difficulty with seeing fun' as a noun

Then I thought what about 'The rain spoiled the fun'

Then it was easy,

Like someone said I am lucky that all I have to worry about with a 22 yr old girl

(I won't mention the partying) ;)
Thanks again

[ifuseekamy]

25. Isn't "so" synonymous for "very" in that context?

I so don't see a problem with her use of 'so,' dewd.

*Edit: or maybe "quite" is a better comparison...

[cherish44]

26. I know some very smart people who are very casual with grammar in conversation

The senior editor where I work often uses "them" incorrectly when talking (as in "them books"). He knows better, and would never write it. Could be a Wisconsin dialect thing...that's where he's from originally.