Grammar guide Updated 2026-10-03
Too and Enough: Rules, Word Order and Classroom Drills
Too and enough both measure a quantity against a limit, but they sit in opposite places. Too goes before an adjective or adverb and carries a problem with it; enough goes after an adjective or adverb and before a noun. That reversed position explains most of the mistakes learners make with these two words.
Too: always before the word it changes
Too means more than is good, possible or comfortable. It stands in front of an adjective (too hot), an adverb (too slowly) or a noun in the patterns too much and too many.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| too + adjective | The coffee is too hot to drink. |
| too + adverb | He drives too slowly for the motorway. |
| too much + uncountable noun | There is too much noise in here. |
| too many + plural noun | There are too many people on the bus. |
The choice between much and many follows the same rule as any quantifier: much with uncountable nouns such as noise, sugar and traffic, and many with plural countable nouns such as people, chairs and mistakes. The quantifiers guide takes that pattern further, and the countable and uncountable nouns guide shows how to tell the two groups apart.
Enough: after adjectives, before nouns
Enough means as much as is needed. Its position flips with whatever follows it.
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| adjective + enough | The water is warm enough now. |
| adverb + enough | She finished quickly enough to catch the bus. |
| enough + noun | We have enough chairs for everyone. |
| not + adjective + enough | He is not old enough to drive. |
So warm enough is correct and enough warm is not, while enough time is correct and time enough survives only in a few set phrases. Present the two halves as a pair every time, because a learner who meets only one half will reverse it under pressure.
Too and enough with infinitives
Both words build a result with a to-infinitive. Too plus an adjective gives a negative result: too tired to study, too young to vote. The negative form of enough says the same thing from the other side: not tall enough to reach the top shelf. Add for plus a person when the result belongs to someone: too difficult for beginners, warm enough for a picnic.
A common slip is to put for in front of the verb as well: too hot for to drink is wrong. Use for before a person or a noun, then the bare infinitive after to: too hot for me to drink.
Too versus very
Very measures; too measures and complains. The soup is very hot is neutral, because you can still eat it. The soup is too hot means you cannot. Ask learners to look for the bad result before they choose the word, and the difference becomes concrete. The adverbs of degree guide follows this scale through fairly, quite, very and extremely.
So ... that and too ... to
So plus an adjective and a that-clause says much the same as too plus a to-infinitive: It was so cold that we stayed inside becomes It was too cold to go out. Converting the two patterns in both directions is the best exercise at B1, because it forces the negative result into the open. The comparatives and superlatives guide covers the neighbouring scale of as ... as and not as ... as.
Errors to correct early
- too much people. People is plural countable, so use too many people.
- enough warm. The adjective comes first: warm enough.
- I have too money. Too needs much before an uncountable noun: too much money.
- enough old. With an adjective, use not old enough for the negative meaning.
- too hot for to drink. Keep the infinitive bare: too hot to drink, or too hot for me to drink.
Drill 1: order the words
Write one sentence on separate word cards and shuffle them: to / coffee / too / the / is / hot / drink. Pairs order the cards, read the sentence aloud, then explain why the order cannot change. Add for me as an extra card so the group has to decide where it belongs.
Drill 2: rewrite with too and enough
Give a list of so ... that sentences and ask for a rewrite with too: The box was so heavy that I could not lift it becomes The box was too heavy to lift. Then work the other way with not ... enough: She is not old enough to vote becomes She is too young to vote.
Drill 3: picture requests
Show three pictures: a jacket that is clearly small, a suitcase that is clearly full, and a bus that is clearly slow. Pairs make one complaint and one request for each: This jacket is too small for me, Do you have a bigger one?, There are too many bags in the car. The complain-and-ask routine appears in the classroom grammar drills page alongside other five-minute formats.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between too and enough?
Too means more than you want or need, and it goes before an adjective, an adverb or too much and too many. Enough means as much as you need, and it goes after an adjective or an adverb but before a noun.
Where does enough go in a sentence?
After an adjective or an adverb, as in warm enough and quickly enough, and before a noun, as in enough time. Not plus an adjective plus enough gives the negative meaning, as in not old enough to drive.
Why is too much people wrong?
People is a plural countable noun, so it takes too many: too many people. Too much goes with uncountable nouns such as noise, sugar or traffic.
What is the difference between too and very?
Very shows a high degree on its own: The soup is very hot. Too adds a problem: The soup is too hot, so you cannot eat it. Look for the negative result before you choose between them.
Is too good to be true correct English?
Yes. Too good to be true is a fixed expression meaning so good that it seems impossible, and it follows the usual rule: too plus an adjective plus a to-infinitive.