syntactic analysis - When to use this construction: so Adjective a Noun


In "The Quiet American" by Graham Greene, Mr Fowler says:



I watched her closely while she asked how I was and touched my splinted leg and gave me her shoulder to lean on, as though one could lean with safety on so young a plant.



From what I learned in school, I would have written: "such a young plant", but apparently "so Adjective a Noun" is correct English.


What is the name of the construction above (if there is one)?
When is it used?



Answer



I don't know if it has a formal name, but it's used not infrequently in more formal writing.




  • But his hand fell to his side as though he could not bear the exertion of even so small a gesture.

  • This is not so grand a gesture on my part. It is mostly an admission of defeat.

  • They said that it stood for “able,” so strong a woman was Hester Prynne.

  • The Master, weary from his own shower of blows, and fearing nothing from so weak a man, dropped his hand for an instant, and at that instant...

  • As such, their lifespans are ridiculously long for so tiny a creature: up to 30 years (if that doesn’t sound high to you, consider that British men in the Middle Ages had the same life expectancy, and probably did the same amount of toiling in mud). (of a naked mole rat, Wired, 9/12/14)



It's not an unusual construction, and carries a bit more impact than "such a _ _" because of it's less common construction.


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