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Too

Too is an adverb.

Too meaning ‘more than enough’​

We use too meaning ‘more than enough’ in different positions.

Too before adjectives and adverbs​

We use too immediately before adjectives and adverbs:

  • This coffee is too sweet.
  • Not: This coffee is too much sweet.
  • I can’t sleep. It’s too hot.
  • It happened too quickly, so I just didn’t see it.
  • Not: It happened too much quickly.
  • The car was travelling too fast and went out of control.

Too before adjective/adverb + to-infinitive​

  • The water was too cold to swim in.
  • Two hours is too long to wait.

Too much, too many, too few and too little​

When we want to talk about quantities which are more or less than enough, we use too much, too many, too few and too little before a noun:

  • There’s too much salt in this soup. (too much + uncountable noun)
  • There were too many dogs on the beach. (too many + countable noun)
  • I don’t like this book because there are too few pictures in it. (too few + countable noun; more formal than I don’t like this book because there aren’t enough pictures in it.)
  • The trip was cancelled because there was too little interest in it. (too little + uncountable noun)
See also
  • Much, many, a lot of, lots of: quantifiers

Much too and far too​

We can use much and far with too for emphasis. Far too is stronger than much too:

Too and very​

We use very to add emphasis to an adjective or an adverb, but it does not mean the same as too.

Compare

She is very careful.Very makes careful stronger.
She is too careful.Too careful means ‘more careful than is necessary’.

Very much and too much​

We often use very much to emphasise verbs such as like, dislike, hope, doubt. We do not use too much in this way with these verbs:

  • I like it very much because I got it from my husband.

  • Not: I like it too much …

  • I doubt very much that Ronan will be able to come to the party.

  • Not: I doubt too much that …

Too bad​

Spoken English:

In speaking, we can use too bad or that’s too bad as a response token to express that we are sorry to hear about something. This is particularly common in American English:

  • A: The weather forecast says it’s going to rain again on Wednesday.
  • B: Too bad. We were planning to go for a picnic.
  • A: How’s your mother?
  • B: She’s okay but she’s feeling lonely because she lives on her own now.
  • A: That’s too bad. Does she have many friends living nearby?

Too meaning ‘also’​

We can use too to mean ‘also’. It is more common than also in informal situations. We normally use it at the end of the clause:

  • [in a restaurant, A is the waiter]
  • A: Have you decided?
  • B: I think I’ll have the soup.
  • C: I’ll have that too.
  • Catherine decided to join us for dinner, and her husband came along too. (or, more formal, … and her husband also came along.)

In short answers in informal situations, we normally say me too, not I too:

  • A: I love that colour.
  • B: Me too.

In more formal situations, we can use too immediately after the subject:

See also
  • Also, as well or too?

Typical error​

We don’t use too to emphasise adjectives and adverbs. We use very:

  • She was very beautiful. (very emphasises beautiful)
  • Not: She was too beautiful.