so ~ that ~ structure vs inversion

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so ~ that ~ structure vs inversion

by sulminam » Wed Nov 22, 2017 7:36 pm
Some of us are divided about the exact structure and meaning of the following sentence:

"So much is known about how to keep our bodies strong and healthy that every sport has taken advantage."

1. Some teachers think that the sentence is an example of so ~ that ~ structure like "People know so much about how to keep our bodies strong and healthy that every sport has taken advantage." In other words, they think the sentence means, "Since people know so much about how to keep our bodies strong and healthy, every sport has taken advantage (here "take advantage" as an intransitive verb meaning 'get benefits." Is this correct?)."

2. Other teachers think that "so much" is qualified or modified by both (1) "that every sport has taken advantage (of)" and (2) "about how to keep our bodies hale and healthy," and that the whole sentence subject of such combinations, i.e. "so much about how to keep our bodies hale and healthy that every sport has taken advantage", is so long that (1) and (2) have been put behind, i.e. one in the middle and the other in the end, for balance of the sentence. They also think that "of" is omitted after "has taken advantage", (here take advantage meaning "utilize or use") and that "so much" is the object of the preposition "of" in "every sport has taken advantage of."

3. If Item 2 is correct, or whatever the case may be, why is it that native speakers omit "of" of a complete verbal phrase "take advantage of", as shown in the sentence above?