So X as to Y

[Guest]

I just read a set of notes (posted on the Beat the GMAT forum) that indicate that "So X as to Y" is never correct on GMAT SC's. This is NOT correct??? Right?

Isn't "So X as to Y" used to indicate an emphasis on X?

Thanks!

[esledge]

"So X as to Y" is a correct idiom and, as such, could be the correct answer on the GMAT.

I think it is fair to say that "so X as to Y" places the emphasis on X. It is used when characteristic X is so extreme that Y results:
The winds were so fierce as to lift a school bus off the ground.
Interpretation: The winds lifted a school bus off the ground because they were so fierce.

Contrast that to the similar idiom "X enough to Y," which actually means something different:
The winds were fierce enough to lift a school bus off the ground.
Interpretation: The winds didn't necessarily lift a school bus off the ground, but they could have, given their ferocity.