Easy Ways to Understand Enough and Too | Exercises with Answers

Do you believe that it is easy to understand the difference between “enough” and “too”? If you do, go on reading this article. Your five minutes of your time are worthwhile.

Ok. Let’s begin.

Enough and too are a little bit confusing for beginners for two reasons.

First, they have opposite meaning. Too is used to express that there is more of a thing or quality than is desirable or acceptable. Enough is used to indicate there is sufficient of a thing or quality.

Secondly, they also have different position regarding the adjectives and adverbs. Enough is placed after an adjective or an adverb; too is placed before it.

Function of Enough and Too

Too and enough have more or less the opposite meaning. Too is used to modify the degree of adjectives and adverbs, to mean excessive. On the contrary, although enough is also used to modify the degree of adjectives and adverbs, it means sufficient or the right amount or quality. Different from too, enough can also be used to modify nouns.

Enough After Adjectives and Adverbs

We usually use enough after adjectives and adverbs. Let’s see the following examples.

He didn’t get the job because he wasn’t old enough. (not ‘enough old’)
We won’t be rich if we don’t work hard enough.
She’s not old enough to work in the factory.

Enough Before Nouns

We also can use enough before a noun. Let’s see the following examples.

I don’t have enough money to buy the car.
We just have three eggs for a week. We don’t have enough eggs.
Please put enough salt into the soup!

Enough Can Stand Alone

Sometimes we use enough alone without a noun or an adjective. Let’s see the following examples.

I’ll lend you some money if you don’t have enough.
“Do you need some more sugar?” “No, I have enough.”

Enough Followed By “For Something” Or “For Someone”

Enough can be followed by for someone / something. Let’s see the following examples.

I haven’t got enough money for the wedding party.
He wasn’t good enough for the job.
This shirt is big enough for my big brother.

Enough Followed By To Infinitive

I don’t have enough money to get married. (not ‘for getting’)
He wasn’t strong enough to do the job.
She’s only thirteen. She’s not old enough to work in this factory.
The weather wasn’t nice enough to go swimming.

Too Followed By An Adjective Or An Adverb

Too can be followed by an adjective or an adverb. Let’s see the following examples.

I don’t like the soup. It’s too hot. ( adjective )
Don’t work too hard! ( adverb )

Too + Adjective/Adverb Followed By For Someone/Something

Too + adjective can be followed by for someone/something. Let’s see the following examples.

The soup is too hot for me.
The weather is too cold for swimming.
He’s too short for the job.
He speaks too loudly for me.

Too + Adjective/Adverb Followed By To Infinitive

Too + Adjective can be followed by to infinitive. Let’s see the following examples.

That picture is too heavy to hang on the wall
I had to carry my wallet in my hand. It was too big to put in my pocket.
The water was too dirty to swim in.
The thief drove his car too fast to catch.

More Examples of Enough and Too

You won’t get rich if you don’t work smartly enough.
You won’t get rich if you work too stupidly.
I can’t marry her because she’s too young.
I can’t marry her because she’s not old enough.
I haven’t got enough money to buy the car.
I am too poor to buy the car.
The coffee is too hot for me.
The coffee is hot enough for him.
He’s not old enough to work in the factory.
He’s too young to work in the factory.
There isn’t enough food for the family to eat.
There is too little food for the family to eat.

See active and passive voice exercises here.

Enough and Too Exercises

Exercise I Complete the sentences with enough or too!

She’s … young to get married.
Do you have … money to buy this motorbike?
The coffee is … hot for me to drink.
The girl is tall … to reach the baggage.
Can you give … time to finish this project?
The suitcase is ….heavy for the boy to lift.
I am old ….to watch this movie.
Don’t be …. shy. Please, speak up.
I was not accepted to be a policeman because I am …. short.
He’s old … to work here.

Exercise II Combine two sentences into one using too or enough.

Example : I couldn’t drink the tea. It was too hot. (too)

You write : The tea was too hot for me to drink.

I couldn’t eat the food. It was too sour. (too)
The boy can’t work here. He is not tall enough. (enough)
Five people can’t live in this house. The house is too small. (too)
I can’t walk to school. The school is too far. (too)
He can’t finish this job alone. He is too lazy. (too)

Exercise III Rewrite Sentences Using Enough and Too

Rewrite the following sentences using the word in parentheses (enough or too).

Example:

I am too short to reach the guava on the tree. (enough)

You write: I am not tall enough to reach the guava on the tree.

I don’t have enough strength to knock him out. (too) ………………………………………
She’s not old enough to get married this year. (too) …………………………………………….
He’s not rich enough to buy the ranch. (too) ……………………………………………………..
Is the room too hot for you? (enough) ………………………………………………………………
The bed is too narrow for two of us. (enough) ……………………………………………….
The child is too short to sit on that chair. (enough) ……………………………………..
The village is too busy for me to live in. (enough) ……………………………………………….
The room is too small for the party. (enough) ……………………………………………….
I was too far to hear everything she said. (enough) ………………………………………
The road was too busy for us to cross. (enough)

Answer

Exercise I

She’s too young to get married.
Do you have enough money to buy this motorbike?
The coffee is too hot for me to drink.
The girl is tall enough to reach the baggage.
Can you give enough time to finish this project?
The suitcase is too heavy for the boy to lift.
I am old enough to watch this movie.
Don’t be too shy. Please, speak up.
I was not accepted to be a policeman because I am too short.
He’s old enough to work here.

Exercise II

The food was too sour for me to eat.
The boy is not tall enough to work here.
The house is too small for five people to live in.
The school is too far for me to walk.
He can’t finish this job alone. He is too lazy to finish this job alone.

Exercise III

I am too weak to knock him out.
She’s too young to get married this year.
He’s too poor to buy the ranch.
Is the room cool/cold enough for you?
The bed is not wide enough for two of us.
The child is too short to sit on that chair. The child is not tall enough to sit on that chair.
The village is too busy for me to live in. The village is not quiet enough for me to live in.
The room is not large enough for the party.
I wasn’t close enough to hear everything she said.
The road wasn’t quiet enough for us to cross.