IELTS, TOEFL & TOEIC grammar: too vs. very

ScottsEnglish

IELTS, TOEFL and TOEIC will test your grammar skills. Knowing when to use 'too' and 'very' will be important...

How do you distinguish between too and very?

Too and very are adverbs used to make an adjective stronger. Look at the following sentences:

The new car is very expensive. I.e., the new car costs a lot of money.

The new car is too expensive. I.e., the new car costs more money than I can pay.

Examples:

That computer is very old. But it stlll works so we'll keep it.
That computer is too old. We can take it to be recycled.

Now, try a few questions with too and very!

1. These questions are _________________ hard. A good challenge!
2. The test was _________________ difficult. I think I failed.
3. Houses right now are ________________ expensive. We need to wait for prices to drop.
4. A new washing machine is ______________ expensive, but we need one immediately.


Click below for the right answers!

1. These questions are very hard. A good challenge!
2. The test was too difficult. I think I failed.
3. Houses right now are too expensive. We need to wait for prices to drop.
4. A new washing machine is very expensive, but we need one immediately.