Too and to - too meaning in excess

The Quick Answer
Too is used in expressions like too chubby and too expensive to give the idea of in excess or more than it should be.

Too Meaning In Excess or Overly

There is sometimes confusion over the words too and to. The word too has two uses. The one covered on this page is the use of too meaning in excess, overly, or more than it should be.

All the uses of too and to are shown in the lesson the difference between to and too.

Examples:

  • My Labrador eats too much and is too chubby.
    • (eats more than it should and is chubbier than it should be)
  • Karen cannot reach Southampton in an hour; it is too far.
    • (in excess of what she can achieve in a hour)

  • I tried to catch you, but I was too slow.
    • (overly slow or slower than I should have been)
  • A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies. Oscar Wilde (1854 - 1900)
    • (cannot be overly careful)
  • You can fool too many of the people too much of the time. James Thurber (1894 - 1961)
    • (more people than you should be able to and more times than you should be able to)
  • If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee — that will do
    them in. (Bradley's Bromide)
    • (overly powerful or powerful in excess)

    Summary of To and Too

    This infographic summarises the different uses of to and too:



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    See Also

    To (infinitive verb) and too To and too (meaning as well) To (preposition) and too