function of そう in the middle of a senctence


So far I encountered **そう** (if it doesn't mean "appearing, seeming ...") at
the beginning of a sentence most of the time. Lately however, I read two
sentences putting it in the middle.

The first sentence is about a guy, who speaks about the time he learned about
the new marriage of his ex wife:

> 再婚すると聞かされた時、しっとするどころか **そう** 思ってひどく安心したの覚えている。

The other one is about the the same guy learning that his new girlfriend has a
child and wondering where it does live.

> 僕も知っているように、今彼女は一人暮らしだ。では、赤ん坊は夫側が引き取ったのかというと **そう** ではない。

Its not so much the meaning of the sentences than the grammatical structure
that confuses me. Would be great if someone could clear it a bit up!

>
> それに離婚した時、何よりも彼女が二度と僕の顔など見たくないし、息子にも会ってほしくないと言ったのだ。僕はそれを承諾した。新しい結婚相手は僕も知っている男だった。僕と元妻の共通の友人のそのまた友人というところだ。僕との離婚が成立してすぐに再婚話が持ち上がったようだから、別居している間にもう二人は付き合っていたのかもしれない。ルックスはいいとはいえないけれど、誠実で明るい男だ。彼ならきっと大丈夫だ。僕の息子も僕の元妻も大切にしてくれるだろうし、僕が苦手だった彼女の母親ともうまくやっていけるだろう。再婚すると聞かされた…




When 「そう」 means " _ **that way**_ ", " _ **in such a way**_ ", " **so** ",
etc. (and **not** "appearing", "seeming", etc.), it can be used anywhere in
the sentence except for at the very end.

The only exception to that general "rule" about the position of 「そう」 in
question is when [anastrophe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastrophe) is
used. We sometimes say things such as 「オレは思うよ、そう。」("I think so."),
「言ったよな、そう？」("You did say that, didn't you?") , but this does not occur in
(formal) writing.

So (no pun here), whenever one sees/hears 「そう」 in this usage, _**what it
refers to has already been mentioned and is well understood between
speaker/writer and listener/reader**_. That means that if it is not
understood, then 「そう」 has been used improperly.

If the listener/reader ever encountered a misusage of 「そう」, he would reply
with 「 **どう** 」. These two words form a pair.

When I first read your first sentence:

> 「[再婚]{さいこん}すると[聞]{き}かされた[時]{とき}、しっとするどころか **そう[思]{おも}って**
> ひどく[安心]{あんしん}したの[覚]{おぼ}えている。」,

As a Japanese-speaker, my natural reaction was to wonder to myself 「 **どう**
思ったの？」 because I, as a reader, could **not** have known what the speaker
thought if I only had that sentence to go by. Hence, my request for more
context, and thanks to you, it is all clear now.

> 「[彼]{かれ}ならきっと[大丈夫]{だいじょうぶ}だ。」 is what the speaker was referring to by 「
> **そう** 思って」.

In your second example sentence, what 「そう」 refers to is clearly mentioned
within itself.

> 「では、[赤]{あか}ん[坊]{ぼう}は[夫側]{おっとがわ}が[引]{ひ}き[取]{と}ったのかというと **そうではない** 。」
>
> "Did the husband's side take custody of the kid, then? No, that is not the
> case."

I intentionally translated the original using two sentences because that is
the " _ **feeling**_ " of the original sentence on the native level.

"if one were to ask (this question), then no, that would not be the case."




When 「そう」 means " _ **that way**_ ", " _ **in such a way**_ ", " **so** ",
etc. (and **not** "appearing", "seeming", etc.), it can be used anywhere in
the sentence except for at the very end.

The only exception to that general "rule" about the position of 「そう」 in
question is when [anastrophe](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anastrophe) is
used. We sometimes say things such as 「オレは思うよ、そう。」("I think so."),
「言ったよな、そう？」("You did say that, didn't you?") , but this does not occur in
(formal) writing.

So (no pun here), whenever one sees/hears 「そう」 in this usage, _**what it
refers to has already been mentioned and is well understood between
speaker/writer and listener/reader**_. That means that if it is not
understood, then 「そう」 has been used improperly.

If the listener/reader ever encountered a misusage of 「そう」, he would reply
with 「 **どう** 」. These two words form a pair.

When I first read your first sentence:

> 「[再婚]{さいこん}すると[聞]{き}かされた[時]{とき}、しっとするどころか **そう[思]{おも}って**
> ひどく[安心]{あんしん}したの[覚]{おぼ}えている。」,

As a Japanese-speaker, my natural reaction was to wonder to myself 「 **どう**
思ったの？」 because I, as a reader, could **not** have known what the speaker
thought if I only had that sentence to go by. Hence, my request for more
context, and thanks to you, it is all clear now.

> 「[彼]{かれ}ならきっと[大丈夫]{だいじょうぶ}だ。」 is what the speaker was referring to by 「
> **そう** 思って」.

In your second example sentence, what 「そう」 refers to is clearly mentioned
within itself.

> 「では、[赤]{あか}ん[坊]{ぼう}は[夫側]{おっとがわ}が[引]{ひ}き[取]{と}ったのかというと **そうではない** 。」
>
> "Did the husband's side take custody of the kid, then? No, that is not the
> case."

I intentionally translated the original using two sentences because that is
the " _ **feeling**_ " of the original sentence on the native level.

"if one were to ask (this question), then no, that would not be the case."

