Resources
Lecciones de gramáticaLecturasEjercicios de listeningFlash cardsFalsos amigos¿Cuál usar?SufijosPrefijosDiscover your levelBlogToo + adjectivevsAdjective + enough
'Too' + adjective indicates excess (prevents something); adjective + 'enough' indicates sufficiency (something is possible).
Side-by-side comparison
"Too + adjective" indicates an excess that creates a problem: more than is desirable. "It's too cold" implies the cold prevents doing something or is unpleasant.
The bag is too heavy to carry on the plane, you will have to check it in at the desk.
The coffee was too hot to drink, so she waited a few minutes for it to cool down a bit.
The flat was too small for a family of four, there was barely room for a dining table.
The coffee is too hot to drink. I need to wait.
It is too late to call her now. She is probably asleep.
"Adjective + enough" indicates the necessary level for something: sufficient to achieve a result. "It's warm enough" implies the temperature allows something to happen.
She is old enough to travel alone now, she has done it several times before.
Is the room warm enough, or should I turn the heating up a little?
He did not study hard enough and failed the exam by just three points in the end.
Common mistake
Most frequent errors:
- 1.ENOUGH before the adjective: "She is enough smart" = wrong. Correct: "She is smart ENOUGH". ENOUGH always after the adjective.
- 2.TOO as a synonym for VERY: "This is too interesting" implies the interest level is excessive and negative; "This is very interesting" is neutral/positive.
- 3.Omitting TO in the full structure: "It is too complex understand" = wrong; "It is too complex TO UNDERSTAND" = correct.
Trick to remember it
- •Position = which way you cross the line: TOO BEFORE the adjective = you went past it (excess, negative consequence). ENOUGH AFTER the adjective = you just reached it (sufficiency, positive consequence).
- •TOO → you overshot. ENOUGH ← you landed right on it.
Quick rule
TOO + adj = negative excess: "too long / too expensive." Adj + ENOUGH = sufficiency: "long enough / fast enough." ENOUGH + noun = "enough time." Never "enough complex". ENOUGH always after the adjective.
Did you know?
Word order for degree words is fixed in English: "smart enough" is correct and "enough smart" is simply wrong. "Enough" goes after an adjective or adverb but before a noun ("smart enough", "enough time"), while "too" always goes before the adjective ("too expensive"). English has fixed positions for many modifiers, and this is one of the first places learners notice it.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The bag is _____ heavy to carry on my own. Can you help?
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The hotel room wasn't big _____ for four people. It felt cramped.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Exercise 4 · Pick the right one
This coffee is _____ hot. I burned my tongue!
Exercise 5 · Pick the right one
She is old _____ to drive. She passed her test last year.
Exercise 6 · Form the word
Related word pairs
The comparative compares two things; the superlative designates the extreme in a group of three or more.
'To' is the preposition of direction or the infinitive marker; 'too' means also or excessively.
'Too' and 'as well' go at the end of the sentence; 'also' goes before the main verb.
'Too' indicates excess preventing something; 'very' intensifies without implying a negative result; 'enough' means sufficient.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy