This Thai curry was too spicy!

It’s pretty cold here in New York today. For me, it’s too cold. And it’s raining, which I guess is better than snow. Last winter there was too much snow, and too many snow storms. Because we had a cold winter last year, the snow melted too slowly. So far this winter it has only snowed once. I love the warmer weather, but spring is too far away. There is too much time between now and the warm days of spring in New York.

We use too to talk about situations where there is more (or sometimes less) of something than what we want or need. Do you know how to use this word? Have a look at the paragraph above and then check out today’s lesson.

We use too to show that there is more (or sometimes less) of something than what we want or need. If you use too, it shows that you are not satisfied about that situation, so too is often used when we complain. There are three patterns that you’ll need to memorize, so let’s look at these patterns and some examples:

Pattern #1. Use too + adjective. Too works like very – it makes the adjective’s meaning stronger. However, the nuance is that you are not satisfied and/or complaining about the situation. Let’s compare too and very:

  • It’s very cold today. This just means it is quite cold.
  • It’s too cold today.  This means it is quite cold and the speaker is not happy about that situation.

Here are some more examples:

  • I can’t go to the gym today because I’m too tired.
  • Emily wanted to go there, but she said it was too far.
  • I don’t like the color you used to paint the room. It’s too dark.

Pattern #2. In a similar way as Pattern #1, we use too + adverb:

  • The snow melted too slowly.
  • The new teacher speaks too quickly.
  • Traffic is moving too slowly this morning.

If you want to emphasize your feeling, you can use much + too + adjective & much + too + adverb” Here are some examples:

  • I can’t go to the gym today because I’m much too tired.
  • Emily wanted to go there, but she said it was much too far.
  • I don’t like the color you used to paint the room. It’s much too dark.
  • The snow melted much too slowly.
  • The new teacher speaks much too quickly.
  • Traffic is moving much too slowly this morning.

Pattern #3. Use too + many + countable noun & too + much + non-countable noun. Here are some examples:

  • There were too many snow storms.
  • Nicole said she has too many bills to pay this month.
  • Last winter there was too much snow.
  • There is too much time between now and the warm days of spring in New York.

Thanks for studying with me today. Can you remember the four patterns? Check yourself with this quiz:

 

Using Too

Congratulations - you have completed Using Too. You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%. What's the result? Well, %%RATING%%
Your answers are highlighted below.
Question 1
That guy on the train has his headphones on ______________.
A
too loud
B
too loudly
C
too much loudly
Question 2
There are ______________ in the subways here.
A
too much delays
B
too much delay
C
too many delays
Question 3
Those books are ______________ for her to carry.
A
much too heavy
B
heavy too much
C
too much heavy
Question 4
Jack said he is ______________ to leave the office now.
A
busy too much
B
much too busy
C
too much busy
Question 5
She was speaking ______________. It was hard to hear her.
A
much too quietly
B
much too quiet
C
too much quiet
Question 6
The curry was tasty, but ______________ for me.
A
too many spicy
B
too much spicy
C
much too spicy
Question 7
I heard her vacation was nice, but it was ______________.
A
expensive too much
B
much too expensive
C
too much expensive
Question 8
There was ______________ this week. The street flooded twice.
A
too many rains
B
too rain
C
too much rain
Question 9
The questions on the quiz show go ______________.
A
too quick
B
too much quickly
C
too quickly
Question 10
She bought ______________. How can we eat them all?
A
too much bananas.
B
many bananas.
C
too many bananas
Question 10 Explanation: 
If you say "She bought many bananas" it would be strange to say "How can we eat them all?" in the next sentence.
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