Degree Modifiers: "too" and "enough"

The adverbs too and enough are used in English to modify adjectives, adverbs, and nouns, expressing degree. Too indicates a negative excess (more than is wanted or needed), while enough indicates sufficiency (a satisfactory amount or level). Their positioning in relation to the modified words is highly specific and depends on the part of speech.

Too is placed before adjectives and adverbs (e.g., too hot, too slowly). For nouns, we must use too many for countable nouns or too much for uncountable nouns, placed before the noun. On the other hand, enough is placed after adjectives and adverbs (e.g., warm enough, quickly enough), but before nouns (e.g., enough time, enough chairs). Both can be followed by an infinitive construction starting with to (e.g., too cold to swim).

A major mistake for learners is placing enough before adjectives (e.g., saying He is enough strong instead of He is strong enough). Another common error is using too when meaning "very" in positive contexts (e.g., saying She is too kind when intending to compliment her, which implies she is excessively kind to a fault). Also, ensure you do not use too directly with nouns without much or many (e.g., avoid too sugar).