Parts of Speech & Usage

Too vs. Enough

1 min read

Too and enough both talk about quantity, but they work in opposite ways — and they appear in different places in a sentence.

When to use “too”

Too means “more than needed” or “more than is good.” It has a negative idea.

This coffee is too hot to drink. (hot = bad)
She’s too tired to go out tonight.

Use “too” before an adjective or adverb:

It’s too late now.
He runs too quickly for me to keep up.

When to use “enough”

Enough means “as much as needed.” It can be positive or negative.

We have enough chairs for everyone.
She didn’t study enough to pass the exam.

Use “enough” after adjectives/adverbs, but before nouns:

She is tall enough to play basketball. (adjective)
He didn’t speak clearly enough. (adverb)
Do we have enough time? (noun)

💡 Tip

Too = “Too much!” Think: 🚫 Not good, it's more than needed.
Enough = “Exactly right” — as much as needed, not more, not less.
Position matters: “too” goes before adjectives, “enough” goes after adjectives and before nouns.
Mnemonic: "Too hot to handle" and "Enough is enough."

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

This bag is ___ heavy for me to carry.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

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Parts of Speech & Usage

Too vs. Enough

1 min read

Too and enough both talk about quantity, but they work in opposite ways — and they appear in different places in a sentence.

When to use “too”

Too means “more than needed” or “more than is good.” It has a negative idea.

This coffee is too hot to drink. (hot = bad)
She’s too tired to go out tonight.

Use “too” before an adjective or adverb:

It’s too late now.
He runs too quickly for me to keep up.

When to use “enough”

Enough means “as much as needed.” It can be positive or negative.

We have enough chairs for everyone.
She didn’t study enough to pass the exam.

Use “enough” after adjectives/adverbs, but before nouns:

She is tall enough to play basketball. (adjective)
He didn’t speak clearly enough. (adverb)
Do we have enough time? (noun)

💡 Tip

Too = “Too much!” Think: 🚫 Not good, it's more than needed.
Enough = “Exactly right” — as much as needed, not more, not less.
Position matters: “too” goes before adjectives, “enough” goes after adjectives and before nouns.
Mnemonic: "Too hot to handle" and "Enough is enough."

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

This bag is ___ heavy for me to carry.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Conjugation

What Is an Appositive?

A bit of theory

Lose vs. Loose

Common confusions

Say vs. Tell

Conjugation

Some vs. Any

Common confusions

Borrow vs. Lend

Common confusions

Less vs. Fewer

Common confusions

Waive vs. Wave

Agreement rules