Recently I read this sentence, and I am wondering, what is the function of "so" here?
XYZ is the top provider of high-speed Internet services
in the country, or so it claims in its advertisements.
I mean it is not a conjunction, obviously. However, could it be an adverb or even a pronoun? Because the the verb "claim" is a transitive verb, so it needs a pronoun.
Could someone help?
Best Answer
"so" is an anaphoric pronoun (or "pro-sentence") which refers back to the preceding clause and is the object of "claims".