English Grammar: The Difference between So & Too

 Too is used for emphasis also, but it means ‘more than needed’ or ‘more than enough.’ It is used to show that something is bad (negative) or that something is over the desired limit. Take a look at these ideas:

1. John is so tall. He plays basketball well. (His tallness is not a bad thing)
2. John is too tall. He cannot sit comfortably on an airplane. (His tallness is a bad thing)

The second sentence means that he is very tall and that is a bad thing. His height is over the limit. He is 2 meters tall. Therefore he cannot fit on an airplane. John is too tall.

Let’s look at more examples.

1. You work so hard. I wish everyone worked like you. :)
2. You work too hard. You should take a break. :(

Again, the second sentence is a negative comment. You are saying that the person works more than enough and should work less.

Because too describes something bad (negative), the below sentences do not make sense.

• • This is too delicious! = This is so delicious.
  • I am too happy! = I am so happy
  • She is too beautiful! = She is so beautiful.

These sentences all describe good (positive) things, so we do not use too.

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Note: Too is often used in the structure too + adjective/adverb + infinitive

• The pizza is too hot to eat. = (The pizza is too hot. I cannot eat it)
• You are too young to watch that movie. = (You are not old enough)
• I was too tired to do my homework. ( = I didn’t do it. My tiredness was ‘over the limit’, so I slept).
• She ran too slowly to win the race. (= Her speed was too slow; she could not win)
• She speaks too poorly to get a job. (= Her writing is not good enough; she cannot get a job)