too
part of speech
adverb (too)
meaning for a pupil
1) Too means also, as well: I want to come too. tree →
2) Too means more than is wanted or more than is good: too hot, too many. tree →
3) «Too ... to» means so much that something cannot happen: too heavy to lift. tree →
4) «Not too» means not very: not too bad. tree →
5) (casual) «Me too» and «same» agree; «too right» (Australia, NZ, UK) means yes, I agree completely. tree →
6) (casual) «Too much» can mean very funny or hard to believe: «that's too much!»; «too cool» means very cool. tree →
7) (rough, sarcastic) «Too bad» or «tough» means I don't care that you are upset: «Too bad, they're mine.» tree →
8) (formal) «Likewise», «additionally», «excessively» and «in excess of what is required» are stiff words for too. tree →
sense in the lessons
Maths: «too» as «also» means the same amount again, so add the groups; «too many» hints at a surplus, found by subtracting; «too few» hints at a shortage. Everyday: me too, too bad, too late. Safety: too close to the road, too deep to swim, too hot to touch. In casual talk: «me too», «too right», «way too much». In the exam voice: «likewise», «an excess of 4 chairs». Phrases: «too bad», «too late», «all too», «only too happy», «one too many».
examples
- Ben has 5 apples, and Sam has 5 too. tree →
- The box is too heavy to lift. tree →
- She bought too many eggs. tree →
- Ann went to the park too. tree →
- The water is too deep for little children. tree →
- It's too late to go out now. tree →
- «I love pizza!» «Me too!» tree →
- There are too many chairs and not enough tables. tree →
- 3 slices each?? way too much lol (casual) tree →
- «Pizza tonight?» «Too right!» (casual, Australia) tree →
- Too bad, loser, I got there first. (rough) tree →
- Sam likewise possesses 5 apples; determine the aggregate held by both boys. (formal exam) tree →
note
Trap: «too», «to» and «two» sound the same: too (also / more than enough), to (towards), two (2). «Too» as «also» means the same amount again, so add the groups. «Too many» hints at a surplus, found by subtracting: surplus = have − need. «Too few» hints at a shortage: need − have. «Not too bad» means quite good. «Too bad» (rough) is often unkind. Formal «likewise» = too, also; «an excess of» = too many by.
In the corpora
- Burnout means being worn down by too much work and stress for too long, until even small tasks feel huge.
- Benefits are paid for by everyone's taxes as a safety net, and many families who work get some help too.
- Minds need looking after too.
- Burnout is exhaustion from too much stress for too long, usually from work; the person feels drained and cannot concentrate.
- Diabetes is not caused by eating one too many sweets, and with care people with diabetes live normal lives.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «too» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.