very = truly, extremely so = to the extent that (something happens) such = similar or like something He was very kind = He was truly, extremely kind. He was so kind = He was kind enough that something happened. This is actually a shortening of the original phrasing, which would be something like "He was so kind that I had to pay him back". So, it means 'kind to such an extent that ..." or "kind to the point of causing..." Usually something big and meaningful so it is shortened just to "so kind". He was such a kind person = He was exactly like or a perfect example of a kind person. This is like saying 'truly' a kind person. 'such' and 'so' in these phrases are generally stronger than 'very'.

So + adverb or adjective Very + adverb or adjective Such + noun ONLY He was kind = correct He was very kind = correct He was so kind = correct He was such kind = incorrect He was such a kind person = correct (person = noun) In general conversation, "so" is usually used to express more than very, from your point of view, or to emphasize: He was kind = normal kindness He was very kind = more than normal kindness He was so kind = even more than very kind, or you want to emphasize his kindness You can also say he was MOST kind = super kindness

Hi Kyouko, Also, you often want to use "such" with an additional explanation, remember "such...that..." For example, all of these are ok to say by themselves: This piece of cake is big. This piece of cake is very big. This piece of cake is so big! This piece of cake is so very big! When you use "such", you can explain or compare with "such...that..." It is such a big piece of cake that I can only finish half of it. It was such a big piece of cake that I gave half of it to my sister. This is similar to Micheal's explanation for "so" above.

In the first case, you are correct. Both 'so' and 'very' can be used in that case. However, in the second case, you can also use both 'so' and 'very'. 'The man was so kind to me,' is also correct. In both the first and the second case, 'very' and 'so' have the same meaning. There is no difference. In the third case, only 'The man was such a kind person,' is correct. You can also say 'The man was a very kind person.' 'Very' can be used for new information, and 'so' to emphasize it. For example, you could say, 'I'm very tired. I didn't know yoga was so tiring.' In this case, either 'very' or 'so' could be used in both parts, but using 'so' second gives emphasis. You can also use 'so... that' to emphasize a result. For example, you could say, 'She worked so slowly that she didn't finish in time.' In this case, using 'very' or 'such' would be incorrect. You can also use 'so' in short answers to agree with someone. For example, you could say, 'I hope so,' in response to a question. In this case, 'very' or 'such' would be incorrect. Please read here if you need more information: http://www.englishcoursemalta.com/learn/whats-the-difference-between-so-and-very/