Gramática inglesa de nivel avanzado paso a paso (English Grammar Step by Step)
Fill in the blanks as appropriate, using the word or words in brackets.
He's strong enough to lift that drum.
You don't come often enough.
There aren't enough packets of biscuits.
is placed after adjectives and adverbs, but before nouns. In modern English, it is not very usual to put enough
after nouns. It can also appear alone: That's enough!
It can take of
if it is followed by a pronoun or a determiner + a noun:
I have enough of this
We don't have enough of these penknives
It means "sufficient".
You haven't bought __________ (blueberries).
This soil is not __________ (rich) to plant vegetables.
We don't have __________ (blood donors).
This garage is not __________ (large).
I'm not __________ (well) to go on working.
He's too ill to move/to be moved.
He works too quickly.
They have too many milk bottles.
They have too much beer.
We put too
before adjectives or adverbs; too many
, before plural nouns; too much
, before uncountable nouns. We can omit the noun if there is no need to mention it again:
They have two many
They have too much
and too much
require the preposition of
if they are followed by a pronoun or a determiner + a noun: Too many of us
have betrayed our master. All of these forms mean "more than enough".
__________ (cooks) spoil the broth.
You're __________ (cruel) to people. You should be kinder, more polite and not so sarcastic.
There is __________ (violence) on the streets nowadays.
He's __________ (stingy) to give you that!
I don't want to pay him a visit today; he lives __________ (far) away from here!
This dress is pretty enough for her to wear at the wedding.
It's too wonderful to be true.
Notice that we can place a for
-phrase and/or an infinitive with to
This zip is __________ (big) __________ those trousers. You need a smaller one.
She's only 15. Don't you think she's __________ (young) __________ marry?
This car's __________ (good) __________ him __________ drive in the race. In fact, it's one of the best cars on the market.
He's __________ (liberal) __________ us. We need a more conservative person.
This poison is __________ (strong) __________ kill a bull.
4 Revision exercise.
I think I have drunk __________ for tonight. If I drank more, I wouldn't be able to drive later on.
She's eighteen, so she's __________ (old) __________ order a beer.
The generation gap between us is __________ (strong) __________ break/__________ be broken. We're like chalk and cheese.
You smoke __________. You should smoke less.
We can't eat all this butter in a week! There's __________.
These earrings are __________ (ugly)! I will never wear them!
She can't be the main character in Beauty and the Beast: She's __________ (ugly)!
We can't fight back. There are __________ them. We must wait for the reinforcements. They're due to arrive soon.
There's an outbreak of cholera, and we don't have __________ (means) __________ stop it.
They have cut off the power: I don't have __________ (light) __________ finish reading this book.
I've eaten __________ these canapés. My stomach aches terribly as a result.
It's not surprising that you have failed your exams. You've been going out __________ (often).
This barrow is not __________ (big) __________ carry all this rubble. We need a bigger one.
He's __________ (short) __________ be a basketball player. He's only 1.60 metres tall.
He's __________ (tall) __________ be a policeman. He's 1.80 metres tall.
"Is she __________ (angry) __________ beat them?"
"Well, I think she is."
She's __________ (jealous) __________ go out with someone. She's always thinking that her partner is cheating on her.
The music's __________ (loud). If you turn up the volume control, it will be __________ (loud) __________ us; so, please don't!
"How many flowers do we need to go around?'
"We have __________. Don't worry about it. We have the right amount."
This field __________ (large) __________ cultivate crops. You don't need another field!
"Are there __________ (wafers)?"
"Yes, there are. We won't be able to eat them all."
We don't have __________ this gelatine. Go and get some more!
You're being __________ (nasty)! Can't you behave yourself once and for all?
Don't go out! It's __________ (windy). Can't you wait until it dies down?
There aren't __________ (needles and thread) __________ us __________ sew these garments. We'd better go and buy some more.
We don't have __________ (soup spoons) __________ go round. We're twenty people, and there are only fifteen!
She's so intelligent (that) everybody in her class wants to study with her.
She's such an intelligent person (that) everybody in her class wants to study with her.
They live so far from the city centre (that) they have to take a bus to go shopping.
They stayed at such expensive hotels (that) they ran out of money in a week.
It's such good butter (that) it's selling like hot cakes.
goes before adjectives and adverbs; such a(n)
, before an adjective
plus a singular noun; such
, before an adjective plus a plural or uncountable noun. We can also drop the that-clause: I like her a lot. She's so tolerant!/She's such a tolerant person!
It is possible as well to use "so
+ an adjective + as + a full infinitive": She was so stupid as to tell her parents the whole truth
. The meaning is very similar to the one expressed by enough: She was stupid enough to tell her parents the whole truth
. The former suggests that she told her parents the whole truth; the latter merely states that she was capable of telling her parents the whole truth, but maybe she did not. Nonetheless, this difference is not always noticeable:
He is so generous as to give you what you ask him.
He is generous enough to give you what you ask him.
The first example is more emphatic.
I love talking to him. He's __________ (nice)!
She has __________ (curly hair) she can't wear it long.
He eats __________ (fast) he doesn't chew his food well.
We had __________ (clear sky that night) we could see millions and millions of stars.
She's __________ (skittish girl) she has no sense of responsibility.
I made so many mistakes in my literature paper (that) I failed.
He bought so much milk (that) it went sour.
must be followed by a plural noun; so much
, by an uncountable noun. It is possible to leave out the noun if it is implied in the context: He bought so much that it went sour
. If we have a pronoun after either of them or the noun is preceded by a determiner, of
is required: There were so many of
our soldiers (that
) they didn't have the courage to attack us.
He's got __________ (enemies) he needs an armed escort.
__________ (caffeine) is not good for you.
He has murdered __________ (people) his heart is as hard as nails.
They've seen this movie __________ (times) they've learnt it word for word.
I ate __________ (that cheese) I got diarrhea.
He's so tough a criminal/such a tough criminal that everyone fears him.
Instead of such a(n) + an adjective + a singular countable noun
, we can use so + an adjective + a + a singular countable noun
. This structure is rather formal, and that
should therefore be kept. The same construction is possible with too
It's too good an offer to say "no"/This offer is too good to say "no".
How good a student you are!/What a good student you are!
She's __________ (severe a mother)! I think she ought to be gentler.
He told me __________ (fascinating story) it was difficult to believe
He told her __________ (corny a joke) she begged him not to tell her any more jokes.
He told her __________ (corny joke) she begged him not to tell her any more jokes.
Two million pounds! I'm not going to buy __________ (expensive a house).
8 Revision exercise.
The water was __________ (clear) we decided to drink some.
He's got __________ (a lot of floppy disks) he can lend you as many as you wish.
He was __________ (delighted at the news of the ceasefire) he went out to celebrate it.
If you go on singing, you'll get a sore throat. Don't you think you have sung __________?
The air in the country is __________ (clean)! You feel __________ (good) when you breathe deeply.
Would you be __________ (kind) as not to disturb me?
Would you be __________ (kind) to lend me a walking stick?
It took him __________ (long to carve out her bust out of stone) night fell.
He hasn't been to his home town for __________ (long time) he can hardly recognize it.
Our hotel is __________ (far from here) we should take a taxi.
This crate is __________ (heavy) __________ a woman of your age __________ carry. I'll do it for you.
She flies off the handle __________ (easily) you'd better not tell her a word about it.
This bloodhound is __________ (good) __________ you __________ go hunting. If I were you, I'd take it.
You're __________ (long way from the truth) you'll never be able to find it out.
She's __________ (pretty a girl) every boy in her class is mad about her.
She's __________ (pretty girl) every boy in her class has fallen madly in love with her.
He brought __________ (long rope) they had to cut it in two.
There were __________ (people at that party) we decided to leave.
It's __________ (good a day) we should go out for a walk.
We need __________ (money) we won't be able to get it for tomorrow evening.
He was __________ (forgetful) as to leave his keys at home almost every day.
This stretch of road isn't __________ (long) __________ a plane __________ take off or land. We need a longer stretch of road.
He's __________ (nuisance a boy) to spend the evening!
She tells __________ (lies) no-one believes a word she says.
They were __________ (helpful) as to do everything for us.
She's __________ (old) __________ you! You're only a boy of fourteen, and she's a fully grown woman.
See unit 5
and unit 18, section 16 (footnote 14)
Observe the following as well: Such is her beauty that she always obtains what she wishes/Her beauty is such that she always obtains what she wishes
. See unit 29, section 2
The adjective is not always necessary:
When she got there, the house was in such a mess (that) she couldn't believe her eyes.
She talked such rubbish (that) everybody laughed at it.
("Rubbish" is an uncountable noun, so we do not use "a".)
Instead of so many
and so much
, we may use such a lot of
I made such a lot of mistakes in my literature paper (that) I failed.
He bought such a lot of milk (that) it went sour.
If we remove the noun, of
must be dropped:
I made such a lot (that) I failed.
He bought such a lot (that) it went sour.
See unit 4, section 22