00 / Adjectives & Adverbs
'Enough' and 'Too'
Use 'too' to indicate that something is more than necessary or desired, and 'enough' to indicate that something is sufficient or adequate.
A2Elementary
01 / Overview
Too and enough are used to talk about degree and quantity. Too has a negative meaning, suggesting that a limit has been exceeded. Enough has a positive or neutral meaning, suggesting that the amount or degree is sufficient for a specific purpose.
02 / Word Order
too + adjective/adverb | adjective/adverb + enough | enough + noun
The position of these words depends on whether they are modifying an adjective, an adverb, or a noun. Too always precedes the word it modifies. Enough follows adjectives and adverbs but precedes nouns.
03 / Too vs. Enough
Note that when using too with nouns, you must add much (uncountable) or many (countable).
| Feature | Too | Enough |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | More than necessary (negative) | Sufficient (positive/neutral) |
| With Adjectives | too hot | hot enough |
| With Nouns | too much/many water/books | enough water/books |
04 / Examples
05 / Common mistakes
The room is enough big.
The room is big enough.
Enough must come after the adjective.
I have too work.
I have too much work.
Too cannot be used directly before a noun; use 'too much' or 'too many'.
06 / Practice
The shoes are ___ (small) for me. I need a bigger size.
Show answer
Answer: too small
Why: We use 'too' before an adjective to show that a limit has been exceeded, making it a problem.
Is the water ___ (warm) for you to swim?
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Answer: warm enough
Why: With adjectives, 'enough' must come after the word it describes.
We have ___ (money) to buy the tickets.
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Answer: enough money
Why: With nouns, 'enough' comes before the word it describes.