‘Too’ and ‘To’ are homonymous words, which means that they sound similar, but have an entirely different meaning. ‘To’ is a preposition, while ‘too’ is an adverb, but some people may confuse one word for the other. We have already told you when you use the word whom instead of who. Here at OneHowTo.com, we are going to discuss when you use the word ‘too’ instead of ‘to’.
Uses of ‘to’ and ‘too’
First of all, you need to be aware that ‘To’ has two uses. First, it is used as a preposition, where it always comes before a noun. For example, 'she is going to the garden', 'I went to America', or 'this pen belongs to Pooja'. Secondly, it may be used to indicate an infinitive, where it comes before a verb. For example, 'I want to meet you', or 'she is going to sneeze'.
‘Too’ has two uses as well. First, it is used as synonymous for ‘also’ or 'as well'. For example, 'I want it too', 'I went to American too', or 'she is going to the garden too'. Secondly, it may be used to mean ‘excessively’, where it comes before an adverb or adjective. For example, 'I’m too hungry', 'he’s speaking too loudly', or 'she eats too much'.
Differences between ‘to’ and ‘too’
‘To’ is a widely used word in English language, and has hundreds of different parts of speech and definitions. Most commonly, you can use it as part of an infinitive verb phrase, like ‘to eat’, ‘to go’, ‘to sleep’ etc. You may also use it as preposition with a number of connotations, like ‘give that to me’, ‘let’s go to the garden’ etc.
On the other hand, ‘too’ may mean addition, such as ‘I want to go to Paris too’, or ‘I hate eating mushrooms too’. You may also use it to refer to degree or excess as well, such as ‘she is too funny’, ‘I ate too much’, or ‘he was not too happy to see me’.
Pronunciation
Both ‘to’ and ‘too’ are pronounced similarly, but they can’t be used alternatively. Now that you know the uses and differences between the two words, you can use them appropriately, and create a perfect draft next time.
If you have difficulty with some of the uses of words in the English language, these OneHowto articles may also be useful for you:
- What is the difference between few and Little?
- When do you use the word Whom instead of Who?
- How to improve your English online for free
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