CARROTTA
carrotta.net
⚖️ Compendium
Grammar
EN
English — too and enough + infinitive
too means "more than needed" and blocks the action; enough means "as much as needed" and allows it. Both often lead into a to-infinitive that says what the action is.
1
How it works
✓ Rule
Use too + adjective + to-infinitive: The box is too heavy to lift. Use adjective + enough + to-infinitive: She is old enough to drive. Enough goes before a noun: We have enough money to travel.
2
Examples
| Example | Meaning |
|---|---|
| The box is too heavy to lift. | too + adjective: lifting it is not possible. |
| The coffee is too hot to drink. | too + adjective: drinking it now is not possible. |
| She is old enough to drive. | adjective + enough: driving is allowed / possible. |
| He isn't tall enough to reach it. | not + adjective + enough: reaching it is not possible. |
| We have enough money to travel. | enough + noun: the quantity is sufficient. |
| There isn't enough time to finish. | not + enough + noun: the quantity is insufficient. |
3
Good to know
⚠ Note
Word order differs: too and enough come before an adjective is wrong for enough — say old enough, not enough old. With adjectives enough follows (good enough); with nouns it precedes (enough time). To add the doer, use for + object: The box is too heavy for me to lift.