too + adjective or adverb means more than you want (too loud, too fast). too much goes with uncountable nouns and too many with plurals. too big is the opposite of not big enough. Say too ... for somebody and too ... to do something.
A too + adjective or adverb
too = more than you want, or more than is good: too big, too hard, too late.
- Could you turn the music down? It's too loud. (= louder than I'd like)
- I can't concentrate. I'm too tired.
- I think you drive too fast.
B too much, too many
too much + uncountable, too many + plural. Both mean more than you want, or more than is good.
too much can also stand alone.
- I don't like living here. There's too much noise.
- Let's find another café. There are too many people in this one.
- Ryan works every weekend. I think he works too much.
- Parking is a nightmare in this city. There are too many cars.
C too and not enough
too big says the same as not small enough. not big enough says the same as too small.
| too | not enough |
|---|---|
| The shoes are too big for him. | The shoes aren't big enough for him. (= too small) |
| The TV is too loud. Can you turn it down? | The TV isn't loud enough. Can you turn it up? |
| There's too much salt in this soup. | There isn't enough salt in this soup. |
| I feel sick. I ate too much. | You're very thin. You don't eat enough. |
- This coat is too big for me.
- This coat isn't big enough for me.
D too ... for, too ... to
too ... for + person or thing.
too ... to + verb (not for + verb).
too ... for + person + to + verb.
- These trainers are too small for me.
- It's a tiny flat, too tiny for two people.
- I'm too tired to cook tonight. (not for cook)
- It's too wet to play outside.
- The guide spoke too quickly for us to follow.
Exercises
92.1 Read each scene and complete the sentence. Use too + one of these words: big, crowded, fast, heavy, loud, low.
bigcrowdedfastheavyloudlow
A man covering his ears next to a booming radio.
The radio is too loud.
The radio is too loud.
A man red in the face, unable to lift a box off the floor.
The box is .
The box is too heavy.
A tennis court where the net is only a few centimetres off the ground.
The net is .
The net is too low.
A woman driving at 90 in a 50 zone.
She's driving .
She's driving too fast.
Two small children next to a football almost as tall as they are.
The ball is .
The ball is too big.
A restaurant packed with people. A queue stretches out of the door.
The restaurant is .
The restaurant is too crowded.
92.2 Put in too / too much / too many / enough.
tootoo muchtoo manyenough
You're always indoors. You don't get out enough.
You're always indoors. You don't get out enough.
I don't like living here. There's too much noise.
I don't like living here. There's too much noise.
I can't wait for the others. I haven't got time.
I can't wait for the others. I haven't got enough time.
We couldn't get near the stage. There were people.
We couldn't get near the stage. There were too many people.
You always look exhausted. I think you work hard.
You always look exhausted. I think you work too hard.
"Did you have to eat?" "Yes, plenty, thanks."
"Did you have enough to eat?" "Yes, plenty, thanks."
You eat chocolate. It's bad for your teeth.
You eat too much chocolate. It's bad for your teeth.
You don't drink water. You should drink more.
You don't drink enough water. You should drink more.
I don't fancy a walk. It's windy.
I don't fancy a walk. It's too windy.
We lost the quiz. We got answers wrong.
We lost the quiz. We got too many answers wrong.
"Would you like some cream on your pudding?" "Yes, but not ."
"Would you like some cream on your pudding?" "Yes, but not too much."
92.3 Complete the sentences. Use too or enough with the words in brackets.
I couldn't concentrate. I was too tired. (tired)
I couldn't concentrate. I was too tired.
Could you turn the music up, please? It isn't loud enough. (loud)
Could you turn the music up, please? It isn't loud enough.
I'm not walking to the station. It's . (far)
I'm not walking to the station. It's too far.
Don't eat at that restaurant. It . (expensive)
Don't eat at that restaurant. It's too expensive.
You won't get all your clothes in this case. It . (big)
You won't get all your clothes in this case. It isn't big enough.
I couldn't solve the puzzle. It . (difficult)
I couldn't solve the puzzle. It was too difficult.
You'll need to rewrite this essay. It . (good)
You'll need to rewrite this essay. It isn't good enough.
I can't stop and chat now. I . (busy)
I can't stop and chat now. I'm too busy.
I got bored halfway through the play. It . (long)
I got bored halfway through the play. It was too long.
92.4 Complete the sentences. Use too (+ adjective) + to (do something).
(I'm not going for a run / cold) It's ...
It's too cold to go for a run.
It's too cold to go for a run.
(I'm not having lunch yet / early) It's ...
It's too early to have lunch.
(they can't buy a house / young) They're ...
They're too young to buy a house.
(nobody swims in the river / dangerous) It's ...
It's too dangerous to swim in the river.
(don't ring your gran now / late) It's ...
It's too late to ring your gran now.
(I couldn't speak / shocked) I was ...
I was too shocked to speak.