too enough
It's too short! It isn't long enough! Two different expressions but they mean the same.
Hi, in this lesson you'll learn about the 2 words, too and enough in English. You will
learn the meaning of the words. and how to use them with adjectives, adverbs and nouns.
Keep watching until the end because there will be some exercises to see how much you
have learned.
So let's get started!
The mouse is small enough to get through the hole.
It is too cold to go outside!
Here both enough and too are used to show the degree or level of something. Here they
are both used wth adjectives. The mouse is small enough to get through the hole. here
the adjective is small and enough is describing the degree of small.
It is too cold to go outside. here "too" is describing the degree or level of the cold.
FIRSTLY lets look at enough.
Enough means "as much as is necessary or needed. " Enough’ can qualify an adjective or an
adverb or it can go with a noun or even act as a pronoun.
With adjectives and adverbs
Enough comes after adjectives and adverbs.
So The mouse is small enough to get through the hole. means that the mouse is as small
as is necessary or needed to get through the hole.
Or
I'M tall enough to change the lightbulb without getting on a chair.
Tall is the adjective followed by enough. So I am as tall as is necessary to change
the lightbulb without the need of a chair. .
or
LETS GO, WE'VE WAITED LONG ENOUGH.
Long is being used as an adverb here and describes the verb to wait and Here it means that we
have waited as long as is necessary, so we should leave.
Lets now look at enough and nouns.
Enough normally goes before nouns
We have got enough money. We can buy the food. Not The money is enough.
Enough comes before the noun money.
There will be lots of people for coffee. Do we have enough cups?
Enough comes before the noun cups.
Enough in the negative it means that there isn't as much as is necessary or wanted.
For example:
There isn't enough sugar to make the cake.
This means they can't make a cake because they DON'T have the necessary amount of sugar.
Or
I’m afraid your work just isn’t good enough.
This means that your work isn't as good as it should be.
Now lets look at enough followed by the preposition of
You can't say There isn’t enough of bread
We don’t use enough of unless there is a determiner (an article, this/that, my/your/his
etc). So We use enough of when there is a determiner.
I’ve had enough of your nonsense! ‘Your’ is a determiner here.
Or
I haven’t seen enough of the film to really form an opinion.
Enough can also be used without a noun.
For example: Be quiet! That's enough!
Or the famous line from the song
Enough is enough. which means that you won't take the current situation any longer!
Enough can also be used With adjective and noun
But be careful as there are two positions possible but the meaning changes. Look at
these two sentences.
We haven’t got big enough nails. None of the nails are as big as we need.
When enough comes between the adjective and the noun (big enough nails) it qualifies the
adjective – it tells us that the nails aren’t big enough.
Whereas We haven’t got enough big nails. Means that We have some big nails but we need
more.
So When enough comes before the adjective it qualifies the noun phrase – it tells
us that there aren’t enough nails.
We can also leave out the noun if the meaning is clear without it.
So We need ten plates. Have we got enough? we don't need to repeat the noun plates...
it is obvious what we are talking about.
Now lets look at TOO.
Firstly too means "more than is needed or wanted"
For example. It's too cold to go outside.
Means that it is colder than we want to go outside.
So too goes BEFORE the adjective or adverb.
For example
Claire doesn't want to marry Ken. She thinks he is too old. Too goes before the adjective
old. This means that Ken is older than we want in order to marry him.
Too many before a plural countable noun
Too much before an uncountable noun.
For example:
No wonder you are tired. You go to too many parties.
Parties is a countable noun. You can count them, one two, three etc. SO WITH COUNTABLE
NOUNS WE USE TOO MANY plus the noun.
Whereas. Marie spends too much time working.
Here time is an uncountable noun and therefore we use too much. remember an uncountable noun
is always in the singular. no s.
Now lets look at enough and too followed by the prepostion " for" somebody or something.
So remember it is the Adjective + enough + for somebody or something .
The coat isn't warm enough FOR winter.
With to we have
too + adjective + for somebody or something
For example: the rubic cube is too difficult for small children
Enough/ Too …........... to do something ( not for doing)
It's too dangerous TO WALK home alone at night.
Or
I don't have enough money TO BUY a new phone
On a final note. Look at these sentences.
The tea was very hot. We couldn't drink it.
The tea was so hot we couldn't drink it.
The tea was too hot to drink.
Notice no it with too.
Or
The box isn't strong enough to stand on. again no it.
Now its your turn.
Are they going to get married? (old)
No, they're not ….............
Old enough to get married. ... they are not as old as is necessary to get married. Remember
the adjective comes before enough and both too and enough are followed by verbs in the
infinitive.
I need to talk to you about something. (busy)
Well, I'm afraid I'm ….... to you now.
Too busy to talk to you now. Here we use too as it means you are more busy than you need
or want to be. remember too comes before the adjective and again is followed by the verb
in the infinitive.
I can't drink this coffee: it's too hot.
This coffee is ….....................too hot to drink. it is hotter than we need or
want to drink. again the verb is in the infinitve.
A taxi would have been best. But you don't have the money.
I didn't have ….....................................
Enough money for a taxi. enough + noun + for something.
Congratulations.
You now know how to use enough and too in English.
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too enough