Ellipsis and substitution: so, neither, do so

C1 — Sentence structure

Not repeating yourself: short agreements (So do I / Neither can she), do so, one/ones, and if so/if not

I can agree, disagree and avoid repetition with the so/neither/do so toolkit.

Not repeating yourself: short agreements (So do I / Neither can she), do so, one/ones, and if so/if not

Examples

I can't stand laugh tracks. — Neither can I, and nor can my dad. — I can't stand laugh tracks. — Neither can I, and nor can my dad.
Asked to apologize publicly, the minister declined to do so. — Asked to apologize publicly, the minister declined to do so.

Sentence structureC1

Ellipsis and substitution: so, neither, do so

Not repeating yourself: short agreements (So do I / Neither can she), do so, one/ones, and if so/if not

Learning Goal

I can agree, disagree and avoid repetition with the so/neither/do so toolkit.

Exam Skills:C1 Advanced Use of English

Look at these examples. Can you spot the grammar pattern?

I can't stand laugh tracks. — Neither can I, and nor can my dad.

I can't stand laugh tracks. — Neither can I, and nor can my dad.

Asked to apologize publicly, the minister declined to do so.

Asked to apologize publicly, the minister declined to do so.

Pay attention to the highlighted parts. What do they have in common?

English hates repetition — the toolkit:

Tool	Example
So + aux + subject	I love jazz. — So do I.
Neither/Nor + aux + subject	She can't ski. — Neither can I.
do so	Asked to resign, he refused to do so.
one / ones	Which cake? — The lemon one.
if so / if not	Free tonight? If so, join us.

Polarity check: agree with negatives via Neither, not *So don't I.

Apply this grammar in C1 course exercises

Practice Exercises

*Me too after negatives → Me neither / Neither do I
*So I do (agreement) → So do I (So I do = emphatic confirmation)
*do it so → do so

Common Error Patterns

Me too after negative statements

Negative → Neither/Nor + aux + subject

So I do for agreement

Agreement = So + aux + subject

I can't stand laugh tracks. — Neither can I, and nor can my dad.

Chained negative agreement with neither/nor.

Asked to apologize publicly, the minister declined to do so.

do so: formal substitution for the full verb phrase.

Practice in course

Apply this grammar in C1 course exercises

C1 Course

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Frequently asked questions

When is Ellipsis and substitution: so, neither, do so used?: Polarity check: agree with negatives via Neither, not *So don't I.
What are common mistakes with Ellipsis and substitution: so, neither, do so?: *Me too after negatives → Me neither / Neither do I *So I do (agreement) → So do I (So I do = emphatic confirmation) *do it so → do so

Tool

Example

So + aux + subject

I love jazz. — So do I.

Neither/Nor + aux + subject

She can't ski. — Neither can I.

do so

Asked to resign, he refused to do so.

one / ones

Which cake? — The lemon one.

if so / if not

Free tonight? If so, join us.

Frequently asked questions

When is Ellipsis and substitution: so, neither, do so used?

Polarity check: agree with negatives via Neither, not *So don't I.

What are common mistakes with Ellipsis and substitution: so, neither, do so?

*Me too after negatives → Me neither / Neither do I *So I do (agreement) → So do I (So I do = emphatic confirmation) *do it so → do so