too S1 W1 /tuː/ BrE AmE adverb
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: to 'to, too' ]
1 . [+ adjective/adverb] more than is acceptable or possible:
Do you think the music’s too loud?
You’ve put too much salt in the soup.
There are too many cars on the road.
much/far too
Amanda is far too young to get married.
too ... for something/somebody
I was getting too old for romantic relationships.
My boots were three sizes too big for me.
too ... to do something
He was too ill to travel.
too ... for somebody to do something
The box was too heavy for me to lift.
GRAMMAR
Do not use too after 'a' before an adjective and noun. Put too and the adjective before 'a':
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It is too high a price to pay.
Do not use too much before an adjective. Just use too :
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The houses would be too expensive (NOT too much expensive) for local people.
2 . also:
There were people from all over Europe, and America too.
Can I come too?
‘I’m feeling hungry.’ ‘Me too.’
It’s a more efficient system and it’s cheaper too.
GRAMMAR
Too is usually used at the end of a clause:
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He was a teacher too.
In formal writing, too can be put after the subject, or after an adverb or prepositional phrase at the beginning of a clause:
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We too must play our part.
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Here, too, matters are not so simple.
3 . [+ adjective/adverb] spoken used with a negative to mean ‘not very’:
She doesn’t seem too upset about it.
‘What was the weather like?’ ‘Oh, not too bad.’
She was none too pleased (=not at all pleased) when I told her.
4 . all too/only too used to emphasize that a particular situation exists when you wish it did not exist:
Beggars are becoming an all too familiar sight in our cities.
I regret to say that these rumours are only too true.
5 . used to emphasize a remark that you are adding:
‘He’s been banned from driving.’ ‘A good thing too!’
‘A woman farmer?’ asked Gabriel. ‘Yes, and a rich one too.’
6 . I am/he is/you are etc too! especially American English informal used to emphasize that you disagree with what someone has said about someone or something:
‘You’re not smart enough to use a computer.’ ‘I am too!’
7 . be too much for somebody used to say that something is so difficult, tiring, upsetting etc that someone cannot do it or bear it:
Working full-time was too much for her.
The shock was too much for him.
8 . [+ adjective/adverb] spoken formal very:
Thank you. You are too kind.
9 . be only too glad/pleased to do something to be very willing to do something:
I’d be only too pleased to assist you.
10 . too little, too late used to complain that not enough is being done to solve a problem and that the action did not start early enough:
Doctors have criticized the government’s response to the crisis as too little, too late.