Learning a language is never easy, and it can throw up challenges that are very difficult and too confusing. Sometimes the challenges are too difficult and very confusing, but we just have to overcome them with a bit more practice and hard work. Young Post's English Clinic is here to make things that are very difficult and too confusing easy to understand. Very and too are small words that can create big problems. Do you know the difference between them?
Very and too are both used in front of an adjective to tell us more about that adjective. Think of four steps going up from one level to another. On the first step, there is an adjective. Let's use the adjective loud. Taking one step up, we find the word very. It goes in front of the adjective to emphasise its meaning. So, on this second step, we have very loud.
One step further up, on the third step, we have the word too, which means more than is wanted or necessary. We are complaining when we use too in front of the adjective. Too loud is louder than it should be (in our opinion). On the fourth step, we have much too, which is a strong complaint or opinion that the adjective is much more than it should be. Look at these four sentences and you will get the idea.
The music is loud.
The music is very loud.
The music is too loud.