Practice
Too and enough: form, meaning, and examples
Sign in to saveYou want to wear a jacket, but it is too warm outside. Later, you need a larger bag because this one is not big enough. Both words talk about an amount, yet they give different messages.
Choose too or enough by deciding whether something is more than needed or as much as needed, then put each word in the right place.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
warm enough /wɔːm ɪˈnʌf/
The short answer
Use too for more than needed and enough for the amount you need. Put too before an adjective or a noun phrase, but put enough after an adjective.
This suitcase is too heavy, but the small bag is light enough.
Why it works: Too heavy means the suitcase is heavier than is useful. Light enough means the bag meets the need.
5 more examples
-
The soup is too salty for me to eat.
Too comes before the adjective salty and says that the amount of salt is a problem.
Not this:The soup is
salty enoughfor me to enjoy. What changes: Enough comes after the adjective and says that the flavor meets the speaker's need. -
Is the room warm enough for the baby?
Enough follows warm because it describes the degree of warmth that is needed.
Not this:Is the room
too warmfor the baby? What changes: Too warm asks whether the room has more warmth than is suitable. -
We have enough chairs for everyone.
Enough comes before the noun chairs and says that the number meets the need.
Not this:We have
too many chairsfor this room. What changes: Too many is used with plural countable nouns when the number is more than needed. -
There is too much traffic on this road today.
Traffic is not counted as separate items here, so too much describes an excessive amount.
Not this:There is
enough trafficto show that the road is busy. What changes: Enough traffic says that the amount is sufficient for the stated idea. -
Mina did not speak loudly enough for the group to hear her.
Enough follows the adverb loudly and explains why the group could not hear Mina.
Not this:Mina spoke
too quietlyfor the group to hear her. What changes: Too quietly means her voice was quieter than the group needed.
Read the full guide
Think about the result in the situation. If the coffee is too hot, you cannot drink it yet. If it is cool enough, you can drink it. With a noun, countable things and uncountable things need different forms after too. The sections below help you make that choice without guessing.
Choose by the result
Picture a cup of tea before you choose a word. If it is too hot, the heat stops you from drinking it. If it is cool enough, you can drink it. Too points to a problem from an extra amount. Enough points to an amount that meets a need.
The box is too heavy for Omar to lift.
The weight is more than Omar can manage, so too heavy gives the reason.
The box is light enough for Omar to lift.
You can read the sign because the letters are clear. Which phrase fits?
Use clear enough: The letters are clear enough to read.
Place them around adjectives
Look at the describing word in a sentence. Too goes before it: too cold, too late, or too noisy. Enough goes after it: warm enough, early enough, or quiet enough. The meaning changes with the position, so do not put enough before an adjective.
The bus is too crowded to get on.
Too stands before crowded because the number of people is a problem.
The bus is empty enough for us to sit together.
Complete the sentence: 'Are you ___ to reach the top shelf?'
Use tall enough: 'Are you tall enough to reach the top shelf?'
Use enough with nouns
At a picnic, you may count sandwiches, but you cannot count water as separate pieces. Enough goes before both kinds of noun: enough sandwiches and enough water. It says the amount meets the need. You do not need much or many after enough in these simple noun phrases.
Do we have enough water for the walk?
Enough comes before water because water is the noun that names what the group needs.
They brought enough blankets for the guests.
Your class needs ten pens, and there are ten pens. What can you say?
Say: 'We have enough pens for the class.'
Match too with the noun
At a market, apples are separate things that you can count. Use too many apples when the number is a problem. Rice is an amount that you do not count as single items. Use too much rice. This pattern helps you describe more than is needed.
There are too many cars in the parking lot.
Cars are counted one by one, so too many is the right phrase.
There is too much sugar in this drink.
Choose the phrase for an excessive number of messages on your phone.
Use too many messages because messages are countable.
Check the meaning of too
After dinner, a friend may say, 'I want dessert too.' Here too means also, not more than needed. Before an adjective, adverb, much, or many, too usually has the amount meaning from this lesson. The position helps you choose the right idea.
I want to see that film too.
Too is at the end, so it adds another person who wants to see the film.
The film is too long for my brother.
Does too mean also or more than needed in 'This bag is too small'?
It means more than needed in one direction: the bag is smaller than the person needs.
Before you go
Remember this
Use too when something goes past a useful amount. Use enough when it reaches the amount you need. Put too before adjectives, adverbs, much, or many; put enough after adjectives and adverbs, or before nouns.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Too and enough: form, meaning, and examples"
What is the main difference between too and enough?
Too usually means more than is wanted, needed, or suitable. Enough means as much as is needed. Compare 'The soup is too salty' with 'The soup is salty enough for me to eat.' The first sentence describes a problem, while the second says the amount meets a need.
The soup is too salty for me to eat.
Where does enough go in a sentence?
Put enough after an adjective or adverb: warm enough, quickly enough, or loudly enough. Put enough before a noun: enough water, enough chairs, or enough time. The position depends on the word that enough describes in the sentence.
The soup is salty enough for me to enjoy.
When do I use too much and too many?
Use too many with plural countable nouns, such as too many cars or too many messages. Use too much with uncountable nouns, such as too much traffic, sugar, or noise. Both phrases say that the amount is more than the situation needs.
Is the room warm enough for the baby?
Can too mean also?
Yes. Too can mean also, often at the end of a clause: 'I want to see that film too.' That use does not describe an excessive amount. Before an adjective, adverb, much, or many, too usually has the amount meaning taught in this lesson.
Is the room too warm for the baby?
Can I say enough big or enough quickly?
No. Put enough after an adjective or adverb: big enough and quickly enough. Put too before them: too big and too quickly. The word order tells the reader whether the phrase describes an excessive degree or a degree that meets a need.
We have enough chairs for everyone.