Too…to , So…that, Enough to

Difference between Enough to and Too…to

Enough to shows sufficiency. It has a positive meaning.

Verb pattern: Subject + verb + adjective / adverb / noun + enough + to-infinitive

 He is strong enough to lift that box.

The boy wasn’t clever enough to understand that.
We are not rich enough to buy a car.
He didn’t run fast enough to catch the thief.
Was he foolish enough to trust her?
 Note that enough comes after the adjective or adverb it modifies.
 She is old enough to be a grandmother. (NOT She is enough old to be a grandmother.)
He was kind enough to lend me a pound. (NOT He was enough kind to lend me a pound.)


Too…to

Too-to shows undesirable excess. It has a negative meaning.

Subject + verb + too + adjective / adverb + to-infinitive

 It was too hot to go out. (= It was so hot that we / he / they didn’t go out.)
He was too tired to walk. (= He was so tired that he couldn’t walk.)
The coffee was too hot for me to drink. (= The coffee was so hot that I could not drink it.)
She has become too fat to wear her old jeans.
You have become too much of a nuisance to put up with.

Exercise-01 Observe the sentences

1. The news is too good to be true.
2. The news is so good that it cannot be true.
3. The thief ran too fast for the police to catch.
4. The thief ran so fast that the police could not catch him.
5. He is too proud to beg.
6. He is so proud that he will not beg.
7. The tea was too hot to drink.
8. The tea was so hot that I could not drink it. OR The tea was so hot that it could not be drunk.
9. The bag was too heavy for me to lift.
10. The bag was so heavy that I could not lift it.
11. He spoke too fast to be understood.
12. He spoke so fast that he could not be understood.

Exercise-02 join using too..to and so…that

1. He was very nervous. He could not perform well on the stage.
2. He was too nervous to perform well on the stage./ He was so nervous that he could not perform
well on the stage
3. I was very busy. I could not talk to her.
4. The task was very difficult. I could not do it without help.
5. It was very hot. We did not want to go out.
6. The place was very noisy. I couldn’t hear anything properly.
7. He earns very little. He cannot keep his family in comfort.
8. I know him very well. I don’t like him.
9. She was very anxious about her husband. She could not think about anything else.
10.She is very clumsy. She cannot handle glassware carefully.
11.The tea was very hot. I couldn’t drink it.
12.Her behaviour was very rude. I couldn’t tolerate it.
13.The weather was very hot. We didn’t go out.
14.She has become very fat. She cannot wear her old clothes.
15.It was very late. We didn’t go out.
16.She was very angry. She tore the letter up.
17. He was very slow. He couldn’t keep pace with his friends.
18.She is too young. She cannot live on her own.

Exercise-3 Use so that in the following sentences

1. He is too poor to buy clothes.
2. He is too good a man to offend anyone.
3. I am too busy to talk to you.
4. I am too tired to climb the steps.
5. The officer is too honest to take a bribe.
6. His grades are too low to secure admission in a prestigious college.
7. The problem is too complex to be solved easily.
8. She was too tired to walk.
9. It was too cold to go out.
10. The boy has too little intelligence to understand this.

Exercise

1. He is poor. He cannot buy books.

2. He is a good man. He will not offend anyone.
3. The minister is busy. He cannot see you now.
4. He was tired. He could not even stand up.
5. Your grades are very low. You cannot get admission in a prestigious college.
6. His salary is very small. He cannot pay off his debts.
7. My father is old. He cannot climb the steps.
8. The passenger was late. He couldn’t catch the train.
9. I was absorbed in my work. I didn’t hear the doorbell.
10. These cars are very expensive. We cannot buy them.

Exercise
Rewrite the following sentences using the structure too…to.
1. He is so short that he cannot be a police officer.
2. He was so tired that he could not walk.
3. His theories are so difficult that I cannot comprehend them.
4. He is so young that he cannot understand a complex theory like this.
5. Your story is so ridiculous that I cannot believe it.
6. Those people are so selfish that they do not deserve any pity.
7. He was so shocked that he could not speak.
8. There are so many boys in the class that one teacher cannot control them.

Rewrite the following sentences using so…that

1. She is too young to marry.
2. The thief was too clever to be caught by the king’s men.
3. I was too frightened to speak.
4. She is too proud to beg.
5. Portia was too intelligent to be defeated.
6. He was too weak to get out of bed.
7. He was too late to catch the train.
8. He is too shy to deliver a public speech.
9. He is too arrogant to admit his mistakes.

11. It’s too hard to finish the project by Friday.

12. She’s too short to reach the shelf.
13. She draws too terribly to win the first prize.
14. The teacher is reading too quickly for me to catch up with.

Combining two sentences using too...to and so...that

Exercise
1. He is very poor. He cannot send his children to school.
2. The puzzle was very difficult. I could not solve it.
3. He is very strong. You cannot beat him.
4. The house is very small. It cannot accommodate everybody.
5. He is very stupid. He will not pass the test.
6. He is very old. He cannot walk without support.
7. She was very distressed. She could not answer my questions.
8. You are very young. You cannot get married.
9. She is very shy. She cannot perform on stage.
10. His ideas are very complicated. I cannot comprehend them.
11. The water is very salty. I cannot drink it.
12. We arrived very late. We could not have dinner.
13. He was very nervous. He couldn’t perform well on stage.
14. It was very hot. We didn’t go out.
15. The problem was very difficult. I couldn’t solve it.
16. The tea was very hot. I couldn’t drink it.
17. He earns very little. He cannot lead a comfortable life.
18. She is very clumsy. She cannot handle glassware properly.

Enough to, too….to, so …that

1. I didn’t run fast enough to catch the bus.
2. She is old enough to know better.
3. We have bought enough milk.
4. She was prudent enough to lock the car.
5. He was stupid enough to trust her.
6. Many tablet computers are small enough to fit in your pocket.
7. I couldn’t answer enough questions to pass the test.
8. She is old enough to understand better.
9. I earn enough to lead a comfortable life.
10. She didn’t run fast enough to win the race.
11. You aren’t tall enough to be a soldier.
12. We haven’t got nearly enough time to finish the job.
13. She is mature enough to deal with the situation.
14. There was too much work to do.
15. There was so much work that I got hardly any rest.
16. If the water is warm enough, we may go for a swim.
17. The bag was so heavy that I couldn’t lift it.
18. He isn’t tall enough to be a soldier.
19. I haven’t got enough time to take a holiday.
20. The room is spacious enough to accommodate ten people.
21. They are rich enough to buy a car.
22. She wasn’t weak enough / too weak to be discouraged by some of her teachers.
23. She soon grew too deaf to manage without a hearing aid.
24. Rahul was so busy that he could not talk to me.
25. The car is large enough to seat six people.
26. He walked so fast that I could not catch up with him.
27. She is rich enough to buy a car.
28. He was too proud to apologize.
29. None of the mangoes is ripe enough to be eaten.
30. She has so many students in her class that she cannot give them individual attention.
31. He is intelligent enough to solve the problem.
32. The light was not bright enough for one to see things clearly.
33. The coat was too expensive buy it.
34. His theories are too difficult to understand.
35. She is experienced enough to handle this job.
36. She is too immature to handle the situation.
37. It is never too late to start.
38. She is not old enough to be a mother.
39. He was kind enough to give me a lift.
40. Were you foolish enough to trust him?
41. The radio is small enough to put in your pocket.
42. The boy was clever enough to solve the puzzle.
43. She is old enough to understand things better.
44. He is rich enough to buy a luxury car.
45. He is clever enough to solve this puzzle.
46. The mangoes are ripe enough to be eaten.
47. Some tablet computers are small enough to fit inside your pocket.
48. The bag was too heavy for me to lift.
49. I was too busy to talk to them.
50. I haven’t got enough time to take a vacation this year.

Exercise- 02
1. She is old enough to make her own bed now.
2. The tea was too hot for me to drink.
3. The room was hot enough so I turned the heating off.
4. The shirt was too small for me to buy.
5. The tablet is small enough to fit inside your pocket.
6. It is too late to start a new lesson now.
7. I haven’t got enough money to buy the tickets.
8. It was light enough to carry.
9. I didn’t run fast enough to catch the bus.
10. She was prudent enough to lock the car.
11. He was stupid enough to trust her.
12. Have we got enough money for buying the tickets?
13. Many tablet computers are small enough to fit in your pocket.
14. The orator spoke very loudly. I could hear him.
 The orator spoke loudly enough for me to hear him. (Note the use of the structure for me.)
16 There is plenty of time. We can play one more game.
There is enough of time for us to play one more game.
15. The mangoes are ripe. You can eat them.
The mangoes are ripe enough for you to eat.
16. The oranges are cheap enough. You can buy them.
The oranges are cheap enough for you to buy.

Exercise -03
1. My aunt is rich enough to buy a car.
2. We haven’t got enough money to go on holiday.
3. He is not fit enough.
4. The meat is good enough for us to buy.
5. She is not old enough to be a grandmother.
6. It was warm enough for us to go out.
7. The problem was easy enough for me to solve.
8. They are rich enough to buy a luxury car.
9. William plays cleverly enough for his team to win.
10. She was too tired to walk.
11. He isn’t strong enough to lift that box.
12. The boy was clever enough to solve the problem.
13. We are not rich enough to buy a car.
14. His behavior was too impudent for me to tolerate.
15. She has become too fat to wear her old pair of jeans.
16. Was he foolish enough to listen to her?
17. This is too good to be true.
18. I left the coffee for a minute to cool because it was too hot to drink.
19. He wasn't strong enough to lift that heavy box.
20. Do you have enough information to help me with this problem?
21. It is too difficult to do for a little child.
22. He didn't work hard enough to pass the exam.
23. She isn't old enough to start driving.