In English grammar, I can often see expressions like "so was [something]" or "so did [something]". Could you please tell me how to distinguish these phrases? They are particularly confusing because they have a similar definition!

Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
Good question! "So did" and "so was" are used as a response to something previously said or it agrees with the previous sentence. In this case, the sentence before is "Finally all the customers were gone" followed by the sentence "so was the popcorn". This means that the popcorn was "gone" the same way the customers were "gone". Distinguishing between the use of "was" and "did" depends on the sentence previously used. If an action took place, then "so did" will be used. If the be verb "exist" was used, then you will say "so was" or "so were". Ex: "I did my homework," said Sally. "So did I!" replied Lee. Ex: Molly took a break from work. So did Matthew. Ex: The chicken wings were delicious. So was the milkshake! Ex: Dad didn't watch the news this morning. Neither did mom.