Too і enough

When you use it

Too and enough both measure something against a limit. Too means the amount goes over the limit and causes a problem: too hot to drink, too many people for one bus. Enough means the amount reaches the limit: warm enough to swim, enough time to finish. Not enough means the amount stays under it. Both words are very common in everyday complaints, requests and explanations.

How it is formed

The position is the key point. Too stands before the adjective or adverb, and enough stands after it. With a noun, enough comes before: enough chairs, enough money. Too never stands directly before a noun; it needs much or many first.

Both words can be followed by a to-infinitive to say what the limit is about: too tired to cook, old enough to vote. You can add for and a person to say who the limit applies to: too spicy for me, big enough for four people. The full pattern is too/enough, then for someone, then to do something: the box is too heavy for me to carry.

Too is not a stronger very. Very hot simply describes a high temperature; too hot says the temperature is a problem. Learners who use too as an intensifier accidentally complain about things they meant to praise.

Examples

• This coffee is too hot to drink. Give it a minute.
• Tom drives too fast on this road.
• There are too many people on the bus at eight in the morning.
• I put too much salt in the soup.
• The room is big enough for four people.
• Anna didn't have enough time to finish the test.
• Is the water warm enough for you?
• He is not old enough to drive yet.

Common mistakes

• ✗ The bag is enough big.
  ✓ The bag is big enough.
  In Ukrainian and Russian, достатньо великий / достаточно большой puts the quantity word first. English puts enough after adjectives and adverbs and before nouns only.
• ✗ It is too much expensive.
  ✓ It is too expensive.
  Too much belongs before a noun (too much noise). Before an adjective, just too. Ukrainian занадто багато and Russian слишком много are a single unit in the mind, and much slips in by habit.
• ✗ I am too tired for going out.
  ✓ I am too tired to go out.
  After too and enough, the action is a to-infinitive, not for plus -ing. For is used only with a person: too tired for me.
• ✗ I like this song too much. (meant as praise)
  ✓ I like this song very much. / I like this song a lot.
  Too always signals a problem. If you say too much about a song, you are saying you like it more than is good for you. Slavic занадто / слишком also mean excess, so the mother tongue supports the English rule; the confusion comes from too meaning also.
• ✗ We have enough of money.
  ✓ We have enough money.
  Enough goes directly before a noun. Enough of appears only before a determiner or a pronoun: enough of the cake, enough of them. The genitive in достатньо грошей / достаточно денег tempts learners to insert of.

Try it