Learn Too / Enough + Adjective or Noun in English
Express excess and sufficiency: too hot, not enough time, big enough.
Grammar Focus
Too and enough are two of the most useful words in English for expressing degrees of quantity and quality. They let you say when something is more than you want (too much) or when something meets a required level (enough). Mastering these two words will make your English much more precise and natural.
- Too comes before an adjective or adverb and means 'more than is good or acceptable': *The coffee is too hot to drink.*
- Enough comes after an adjective or adverb and means 'as much as necessary': *The soup is warm enough now.*
- Enough comes before a noun and means 'a sufficient quantity': *We don't have enough time.*
- Too often carries a negative meaning — something is excessive or problematic: *She is too tired to go out.*
- Enough can be positive or negative depending on context: *Are you strong enough? / We don't have enough money.*
- Both words are commonly followed by an infinitive (to + verb) to explain the consequence: *It is too cold to swim. / She is old enough to drive.*
Form & Structure
Too + Adjective / Adverb
Adjective / Adverb + Enough
Enough + Noun
Common Mistakes
Putting 'enough' before the adjective instead of after
Tip: When 'enough' modifies an adjective or adverb, it always comes AFTER the adjective or adverb, not before. Think: adjective first, then 'enough'.
Putting 'too' after the adjective instead of before
Tip: 'Too' always comes BEFORE the adjective or adverb it modifies. The word order is: too + adjective/adverb.
Confusing 'too' with 'very' — 'too' implies a problem, 'very' does not
Tip: 'Too' means 'more than is wanted or acceptable' and usually suggests a negative consequence. Use 'very' simply to intensify without implying a problem.
Why This Grammar Matters
Giving reasons for decisions
Shopping and daily life
Talking about health and physical ability
Planning and time management
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This lesson content was created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.
Quick Summary
| Use | Formula | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Too + Adjective / Adverb | **too** + adjective/adverb (more than desired or acceptable): too hot, too slowly, too expensive | The bag is **too** heavy to carry. |
| Adjective / Adverb + Enough | adjective/adverb + **enough** (sufficient to do something): big enough, fast enough, well enough | The room is big **enough** for all of us. |
| Enough + Noun | **enough** + noun (a sufficient quantity or amount): enough time, enough money, enough people | We don't have **enough** time to finish the project. |
When you want to express that something is excessive or insufficient in English, two small words do most of the work: too and enough. These words are simple on the surface, but many English learners make mistakes with them because they look similar in meaning yet behave very differently in terms of grammar and word order. Too means that something exceeds an acceptable or desirable level. If you say a soup is too hot, you mean it is hotter than you want — perhaps so hot that you cannot drink it yet. If you say a task is too difficult, you are implying it is beyond your ability to complete it. Too nearly always carries a negative implication. There is a problem because something is excessive. Enough, on the other hand, means that something meets the required level or quantity. If you say the soup is warm enough, you mean it has reached the level of warmth you need. If you say you have enough money, you mean the amount of money is sufficient for your purpose. Enough can appear in both positive statements and negative statements, and its position in a sentence changes depending on whether it is modifying an adjective, an adverb, or a noun. The challenge for learners is that too and enough follow specific word order rules that differ from each other. Too always comes before the adjective or adverb it modifies. Enough comes after an adjective or adverb but before a noun. These rules are consistent and logical once you understand them, and practicing them in real sentences will make them feel natural very quickly. This lesson covers the full grammar of too and enough — including their structure with adjectives, adverbs, and nouns, the common infinitive pattern that follows them, the most frequent mistakes learners make, and how to tell the difference between too and very. By the end, you will be able to use these words confidently in your everyday English.
Using Too and Enough in English Grammar
Too and enough are called degree words or degree modifiers because they express the degree or extent of an adjective, adverb, or noun. They allow you to go beyond simply describing something and instead comment on whether the level of something is appropriate, excessive, or sufficient. Too indicates excess. When you use too before an adjective, you are saying that the quality described by that adjective goes beyond what is wanted, needed, or acceptable. This excess usually has a consequence — something cannot be done, or a situation is problematic. For example, 'The box is too heavy to lift' tells us both that the box is very heavy and that this heaviness is a problem because it prevents lifting. Enough indicates sufficiency. When you use enough after an adjective, you are saying that the quality described reaches the required level. For example, 'She is tall enough to reach the shelf' means her height meets the requirement for reaching the shelf. When you use enough before a noun, you are saying the quantity of that noun meets what is needed. 'We have enough chairs for everyone' means the number of chairs is sufficient. Both too and enough are frequently followed by an infinitive (to + verb) that explains the consequence or purpose. This pattern is extremely common in natural English: 'too cold to swim', 'experienced enough to lead the project', 'enough time to finish'. Recognizing this pattern will help you both understand English you hear and produce natural-sounding sentences yourself.
Read the full grammar guide
How to Use Too with Adjectives and Adverbs
The word too is always placed directly before the adjective or adverb it modifies. The structure is: too + adjective or adverb. This is different from enough, which comes after its adjective or adverb. With adjectives, too describes a quality of a person, place, or thing that exceeds the desirable level: 'The coffee is too hot', 'This jacket is too expensive', 'The exam was too difficult'. In each case, too signals that the quality (hot, expensive, difficult) is more than what is acceptable or manageable. With adverbs, too modifies how an action is performed: 'She spoke too quietly', 'He drives too fast', 'They arrived too late'. Again, the meaning is that the manner or speed of the action exceeds the appropriate level. A very common and natural extension of the too + adjective pattern is to add an infinitive clause: too + adjective + to + verb. This structure explains the consequence of the excess: 'The soup is too hot to eat', 'I was too tired to concentrate', 'The price is too high to afford'. This pattern is used constantly in conversational English and is essential to learn. Important note: too and very are not interchangeable. Very simply intensifies the adjective without implying a problem: 'The movie was very good' is a compliment. But 'The movie was too long' suggests it was longer than you wanted — a negative judgment. If there is no problem or consequence, use very, not too.
How to Use Enough in English
Enough is more flexible than too because it can modify three different types of words: adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. However, the position of enough changes depending on which type of word it modifies, and getting this right is essential. When enough modifies an adjective, it comes AFTER the adjective. This is the most common source of confusion for learners, because many other modifiers come before adjectives. But enough is different: 'big enough', 'warm enough', 'experienced enough', 'confident enough'. Never say 'enough big' or 'enough warm' — this is incorrect in standard English. When enough modifies an adverb, it also comes AFTER the adverb: 'quickly enough', 'loudly enough', 'well enough', 'carefully enough'. The pattern is consistent: adjective or adverb first, then enough. When enough modifies a noun, it comes BEFORE the noun: 'enough time', 'enough money', 'enough food', 'enough people', 'enough information'. Here, enough functions more like a determiner, similar to 'some' or 'any'. Like too, enough is very often followed by an infinitive to explain purpose or result: 'old enough to vote', 'strong enough to carry it', 'enough money to travel'. In negative sentences, not enough expresses insufficiency: 'She isn't confident enough to perform', 'We don't have enough time to finish'. This is one of the most useful structures for expressing inability or lack in a polite and natural way. Enough can also stand alone as a pronoun when the noun has been mentioned or is understood from context: 'Do you have enough?' / 'Yes, we have enough.'
Common Mistakes with Too and Enough
Even intermediate learners make predictable mistakes with too and enough. Being aware of these errors will help you correct them before they become habits. The single most common mistake is placing enough before an adjective instead of after: 'She is enough tall to play basketball' should be 'She is tall enough to play basketball.' Remember the rule: adjective or adverb first, then enough. Many learners make this error because, with nouns, enough does come first. Keep the distinction clear: with adjectives and adverbs, enough comes after; with nouns, it comes before. The second frequent mistake is confusing too with very. 'This restaurant is too good' sounds strange unless you mean there is a problem with it being good — which is unusual. What most learners mean in this context is 'very good'. Save too for situations where there is excess that causes a problem or prevents something from happening. A third mistake involves the word order when both too and an infinitive are present. Some learners say 'It is too cold for to swim', adding an unnecessary 'for'. The correct structure is simply 'too + adjective + to + verb': 'It is too cold to swim.' The word 'for' is only needed if a specific person is mentioned: 'It is too cold for the children to swim.' Fourth, learners sometimes say 'enough of time' instead of 'enough time'. When enough directly precedes a noun with no article or determiner, no 'of' is needed. 'Of' is only used when enough is followed by a specific noun phrase with a determiner: 'I've had enough of this noise', 'We've seen enough of the city.' Finally, watch out for double negatives: 'I don't have not enough money' is incorrect. The correct form is 'I don't have enough money' or 'I have too little money.'
Too vs Very: What's the Difference?
One of the most important distinctions for intermediate learners is understanding when to use too versus very. Both words intensify adjectives and adverbs, but they carry very different meanings and implications. Very is a neutral intensifier. It makes an adjective or adverb stronger without suggesting any problem or consequence. 'The movie was very interesting' simply means it was interesting to a high degree — this is a positive observation. 'She runs very fast' is a compliment. Too, by contrast, indicates that something exceeds the desired or appropriate level and implies a negative outcome or problem. 'The movie was too long' means it exceeded the length you wanted — it was more than enough, and this was not a good thing. 'She runs too fast for me to keep up' means her speed is excessive relative to a specific goal or situation. The test is simple: if there is a problem, a consequence, or something that cannot happen because of the excess, use too. If you simply want to intensify, use very. Compare: 'The coffee is very hot' (just an observation) versus 'The coffee is too hot to drink' (it is so hot that drinking is not possible right now). A common learner error is saying 'I am too happy' when they mean 'I am very happy.' Unless you want to imply that your happiness is causing a problem — which would be unusual — use very in this case. Developing sensitivity to this distinction will make your English sound much more natural and precise.
Practice In This Page
1. The bag is _____ heavy to carry.
Show answer
too
2. The room is big _____ for all of us.
Show answer
enough
3. The soup is enough hot to eat.
Show answer
The soup is hot enough to eat.
4. The box is heavy too to lift.
Show answer
The box is too heavy to lift.
5. This movie is too good. (meaning it's excellent)
Show answer
This movie is very good. / The movie is too long to finish tonight.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between too and enough?
- Too means 'more than is acceptable or desirable' and implies excess: 'The coffee is too hot.' Enough means 'as much as is needed' and implies sufficiency: 'The coffee is warm enough.' Too usually signals a problem; enough signals that a required level has been met.
- Where does 'enough' go in a sentence with an adjective?
- When enough modifies an adjective or adverb, it comes AFTER the adjective or adverb. The correct order is: adjective + enough. For example: 'big enough', 'fast enough', 'tall enough'. Never place enough before the adjective when modifying it — 'enough big' is incorrect.
- Where does 'enough' go when it modifies a noun?
- When enough modifies a noun (meaning 'a sufficient quantity of'), it comes BEFORE the noun. For example: 'enough time', 'enough money', 'enough information'. This is opposite to how it works with adjectives, where enough comes after.
- Can I use 'too' and 'enough' with an infinitive?
- Yes, and this is one of the most common patterns in natural English. Too + adjective + to + verb: 'It is too cold to swim.' Adjective + enough + to + verb: 'She is old enough to vote.' Enough + noun + to + verb: 'We have enough money to travel.' The infinitive explains the consequence or purpose.
- What is the difference between 'too' and 'very'?
- Very is a neutral intensifier that simply makes an adjective stronger without implying a problem: 'She is very smart.' Too means something exceeds the acceptable level and implies a negative consequence or impossibility: 'The task is too hard to complete.' Use very for simple emphasis; use too when there is excess that causes a problem.
- How do I use 'not enough' in a sentence?
- 'Not enough' expresses insufficiency and can modify adjectives, adverbs, and nouns. With adjectives: 'She isn't confident enough to present.' With nouns: 'We don't have enough time.' With adverbs: 'He didn't practice enough to improve.' Not enough indicates that the level or quantity falls short of what is needed.