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  2. B1-B2 grammar
  3. Using 'enough'

Using 'enough'

Using 'enough'

Do you know how to use the word enough? Test what you know with interactive exercises and read the explanation to help you.

Look at these examples to see how enough is used.

She's not old enough to walk yet.
We are not acting fast enough to stop climate change.
I don't read enough.
Is there enough coffee for everyone?
We've had enough of their lies.

Try this exercise to test your grammar.

Grammar test 1

'enough': Grammar test 1

Read the explanation to learn more.

Grammar explanation

enough means 'as much as necessary'. It can be used with an adjective, an adverb, a verb or a noun. It can also act as a pronoun.

With adjectives and adverbs

enough comes after adjectives and adverbs.

I'm not tall enough to reach the top shelf.
Your marks are good enough to study engineering at university.
I couldn't write quickly enough and I ran out of time.
I've helped at conferences often enough to know what can go wrong.

With verbs

enough comes after verbs.

I make sure I drink enough during the day.
I don't read enough but I'm going to start downloading books to my phone. 

With nouns

enough comes before nouns.

There isn't enough bread to make sandwiches.
Have you got enough money?

As a pronoun

enough can also be used without a noun. 

I'll get some more chairs. There aren't enough.
A: Do you want more coffee? B: No, I've had enough, thanks.

We know what the noun is because of the context.

With an adjective and a noun

When enough is used with an adjective and a noun, two positions are possible but the meaning changes.

We haven't got big enough envelopes. 
We haven't got enough big envelopes.

When enough is after the adjective (big enough envelopes), it describes the adjective – the envelopes are too small. When enough is before the adjective (enough big envelopes), it describes the noun phrase – we have some big envelopes, but we need more.

enough of

We normally only use enough of when it is followed by a determiner or a pronoun (a/an/the, this/that, my/your/his, you/them, etc.).

There isn't enough of that bread to make sandwiches for everyone.
I've seen enough of his work to be able to recommend him.
There's enough of us to make a difference.

Do this exercise to test your grammar again.

Grammar test 2

'enough': Grammar test 2

Try another grammar lesson

Language level

B2 Upper intermediate
Average: 4.4 (36 votes)

Submitted by newguy530 on Mon, 16/01/2023 - 10:01

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I don't really know how phrase enough of works, could someone help me in the details? Thank a lot.

Hello newguy530,

As it says in the explanation above, we use 'enough' before nouns and 'enough' when the noun has a determiner or pronoun before it. So, for example, we say:

  • Is there enough bread? (speaking about bread in general)
  • Is there enough of that bread? (speaking about a specific kind of bread ('that bread'))
  • Is there enough of grandma's special gluten-free bread? (speaking about a specific kind of bread)

In all three examples, 'bread' is the thing being asked about, but in the second and third cases, the words before 'bread' make it more specific.

Does that make sense?

All the best,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Ramazan Altınışık on Sat, 17/12/2022 - 07:55

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I noticed that I wasn't using the phrase enough correctly before I took this course. I think "enough" is a phrase that can be used incorrectly. I wanted to write a few examples with "enough".

The team didn't play well enough to win tonight's match
She wasn't confident enough to speak in front of the public or we can also say that she hasn't enough confidence to speak.
There are not enough comments on this website.
He hasn't enough subscribers.

Hi Ramasan. First of all, enough is not a phrase but a word. A phrase by definition is a group of words, it means we need more than one word to make a phrase.
almost all your usage is correct except for when you are using enough with the auxilliary to have.
she does not have enough confidence.....
he hasn't got enough subscribers.

Submitted by Victoria7 on Wed, 08/06/2022 - 19:57

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Hello. I have a question regarding the structure of too+adjective/adverb+to-infinitive. Is it grammatically correct to use it in the negative form? As in "she isn't too young to drive" or should I use "she's old enough to drive" to avoid obscurity in terms of meaning? I know that the formula too+adjective/adverb+to has already a negative connotation but I was just wondering if it's correct to use it with a negative form in terms of grammar. Thanks in advance

Hello Victoria7,

Yes, it's perfectly fine to use that construction. In fact, there are a few common sayings which use it. For example:

It isn't too late to stop, you know.

If it isn't too much trouble, could you help me?

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team