Too and Enough
Too means more than necessary or desirable. Enough means the right amount — sufficient. Their position in a sentence is different, and mixing them up is one of the most common errors in English.
Too
Too expresses excess — more than is wanted, needed, or possible. It always has a negative implication: something cannot happen because there is too much of something.
Position: too comes before an adjective or adverb.
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| too + adjective | The coffee is too hot. I can't drink it. |
| too + adverb | She spoke too quickly. I didn't understand. |
| too + adjective + to + infinitive | He is too tired to drive. |
| too + adjective + for + noun/pronoun | The bag is too heavy for me. |
| too much + uncountable noun | There is too much sugar in this tea. |
| too many + countable noun | There are too many people in the room. |
Enough
Enough means a sufficient amount — the right quantity or degree. It can be positive (there IS enough) or negative (there ISN'T enough).
Position: enough comes after an adjective or adverb but before a noun.
| Structure | Example |
|---|---|
| adjective + enough | Is the water warm enough? He isn't old enough. |
| adverb + enough | She didn't study hard enough. He speaks clearly enough. |
| enough + noun | We don't have enough time. Is there enough milk? |
| adjective + enough + to + infinitive | She is tall enough to reach the shelf. |
| enough + noun + for + noun/pronoun | There isn't enough food for everyone. |
Too vs. enough — side by side
The soup is too hot to eat. (excess — negative result)
The soup is cool enough to eat. (sufficient — positive result)
He is too young to vote. (not old enough)
She is old enough to vote. (sufficient age)
I don't have enough money to buy it. (insufficient)
I have too little money to buy it. (same meaning, different form)
Too much / too many / enough
| Word | Use with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| too much | Uncountable nouns | too much noise, too much time, too much work |
| too many | Countable nouns | too many cars, too many questions, too many emails |
| enough | Both countable and uncountable | enough money, enough chairs, enough information |
Enough comes AFTER adjectives, not before: enough tall ✗ → tall enough ✓. But enough comes BEFORE nouns: time enough ✗ (old-fashioned) → enough time ✓. The position rule is the most common source of error with this word.
Memory tip: Think of too as meaning "more than good" (always a problem) and enough as "exactly right" (just sufficient). Too hot → can't do it. Hot enough → can do it. The to-infinitive after both (too tired to work / rested enough to work) shows the result.