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What is the difference in the usage? Please help...
Both of these are conjunctions that can mean "in order to"
1) I went into town so as to see Marcia before she left.
2) I went into town so that I could see Marcia before she left.
#1 is perfect, formal, and completely up to GMAT SC standards.
#2 --- well, hmmm --- it's a bit colloquial, a bit too wordy and indirect, and, I believe, not quite up to GMAT standards. I can't find a prooftext in the OG, but I would be surprised if something like #2 were ever correct for a SC question.
The "so that" construction would be much closer to acceptable if the two subjects were not the same.
3) I lent Robert my car, so that he could drive to town and see Marcia before she leaves.
In this case, the "so as to" construction would be too wordy and indirect. Here, I believe the GMAT would accept sentence #3 as correct, but again, I can't find a prooftext.
I will hasten to add: one form that is perfectly correct is the construction
...so [adjective] that...
For example,
4) Jupiter is so large that, if it were hollow, a thousand Earths could fit inside.
5) The city of Murmansk is so far north that it undergoes more than two full months of sunless darkness in the middle of winter.
Those are perfectly correct questions, up to GMAT SC standards. Also correct is the construction
...so [adjective] as to ...
6) Mariano Rivera is so dominant a closer as to top the career rankings in Adjusted ERA+.
Here's a related practice SC question:
https://gmat.magoosh.com/questions/1149
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Does all this make sense? Please let me know if you have any further questions.
Mike
