Every day you judge amounts: the coffee is TOO hot to drink, the room is big ENOUGH for the meeting, the movie was SO good that you watched it twice, it was SUCH a long day. These four little words — too, enough, so, such — let you say not just what something is like, but whether it is more than you want, sufficient for your goal, or surprisingly strong. That is the language of complaints, requests, compliments, and decisions.

Learners often know all four words but put them in the wrong place, especially 'enough', which moves around depending on the word next to it. A misplaced 'enough' or a mixed-up 'so/such' makes sentences like 'heavy enough to carry not' — every word is English, but the sentence collapses. The fix is a handful of position rules, and they never change.

Start with 'too'. 'Too' goes BEFORE an adjective and means 'more than is good or possible': 'The box is too heavy.' Careful: 'too' is negative in feeling. 'Too hot' means a problem, not 'very hot' in a nice way. If you just mean a high degree with no problem, use 'very': 'The soup is very hot' (fine), 'The soup is too hot' (I cannot eat it). You can add who it is a problem for and what fails: 'too heavy for me to lift.'

'Enough' is the tricky one, because it changes position. With an ADJECTIVE, 'enough' comes AFTER it: 'The bag is light enough.' 'He is old enough to drive.' With a NOUN, 'enough' comes BEFORE it: 'We have enough chairs.' 'There is enough time.' So the rule is: adjective + enough, but enough + noun. To say the amount is missing, make the verb negative: 'The room is not big enough.' 'We do not have enough money.' Never attach 'not' to the end of the sentence.

'So' and 'such' both make a quality stronger, often with a result. 'So' goes with an adjective alone: 'The bag was so heavy.' 'Such' goes with a noun phrase, usually adjective + noun: 'It was such a heavy bag.' Notice the article: with singular nouns, 'such' is followed by a/an: such A heavy bag, such AN easy test. Both can add a result with 'that': 'The bag was so heavy that I took a taxi.' 'It was such a heavy bag that I took a taxi.'

A useful mental picture. Ask: what kind of word comes right after? Adjective alone → use 'so' before it, or 'enough' after it, or 'too' before it. Noun in the phrase → switch to 'such' (before a/an + adjective + noun) or put 'enough' in front of the noun. The word class next door decides everything.

Finally, 'too ... to' and 'enough ... to' are mirror twins for talking about ability: 'She is too young to drive' (she cannot) equals 'She is not old enough to drive.' Practicing pairs like this — too + opposite adjective versus not + adjective + enough — is a fast way to make both patterns automatic.

1. 1. This tea is too sweet for me.

   'Too' before the adjective signals a problem, not a compliment.

2. 2. The suitcase is small enough for the plane.

   With an adjective, 'enough' comes after it: small enough.

3. 3. We do not have enough milk for breakfast.

   With a noun, 'enough' comes before it: enough milk.

4. 4. It was so cold that we stayed home.

   'So' + adjective, and 'that' introduces the result.

5. 5. It was such a cold day that we stayed home.

   'Such' + a + adjective + noun carries the same meaning.

6. 6. He is too tired to cook tonight.

   'Too + adjective + to + verb' shows what cannot happen.

7. 7. Is the water warm enough for swimming?

   In a question, 'enough' still follows the adjective.

8. 8. She is old enough to travel alone.

   'Adjective + enough + to + verb' shows what is possible.

9. 9. The music at the party was too loud.

   'Too' alone can end the complaint; no result clause is needed.

10. 10. There are not enough seats for everyone.

    Make 'enough' negative with 'not' on the verb, not at the end.

11. 11. You are such a kind neighbor.

    'Such' works for compliments with a noun phrase: such a kind neighbor.

12. 12. The test was so easy that everyone passed.

    'So' stays with the bare adjective; no noun follows it.

13. 13. This jacket is not warm enough for winter.

    'Not + adjective + enough' says the quality is missing.

14. 14. I was so hungry that I ate two dinners.

    'So ... that' links a strong feeling to its surprising result.

15. 15. They had such good weather that they stayed another week.

    With uncountable nouns like 'weather', 'such' takes no article.

The classic error is misplacing 'enough' and 'not', as in 'The box is heavy enough to carry not.' Two problems hide here. First, negation: 'not' belongs with the verb, never at the end — 'The box is NOT light enough to carry.' Second, meaning: if the box is a problem, the natural sentence uses 'too' with the problem adjective: 'The box is too heavy to carry.' Choose one clear frame: too + heavy, or not + light + enough.

The second big mistake is putting 'enough' before an adjective: 'He is enough old to drive.' Remember the flip rule: enough follows adjectives ('old enough') but precedes nouns ('enough money'). If you can replace the word after 'enough' with a thing, 'enough' goes first; if it is a describing word, 'enough' goes after.

The third mistake is mixing up 'so' and 'such', or using 'too' as a compliment. 'It was a so nice day' is wrong; with a noun phrase you need 'such': 'It was such a nice day.' And 'This cake is too delicious' sounds odd, because 'too' means a problem — say 'so delicious' or 'really delicious' when you are being positive.

• 'Too' means a problem; 'very' is just a high degree. Too hot = cannot drink it.
• Enough AFTER adjectives (light enough), BEFORE nouns (enough time).
• Put 'not' on the verb: It is NOT big enough — never at the end.
• 'So' + adjective alone; 'such' + (a/an) + adjective + noun.
• Add results with 'that': so tired that I slept; such a long day that I slept.
• Twins to remember: too young to drive = not old enough to drive.