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

Language level

Average: 4.6 (30 votes)
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Submitted by nadyanightingale on Sat, 30/04/2022 - 15:56

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I managed to do this exercises from the first time, it means I was smart enough.

Submitted by Linn Mao on Fri, 04/02/2022 - 04:47

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it's quite handy to choose the correct one yet the explanations are very clear and effective.

Submitted by Moe_Kyaw on Fri, 28/01/2022 - 13:57

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Explanations are quite clear to understand for me. I'd love to share about them to others.

Submitted by annedjomo on Thu, 30/12/2021 - 21:23

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I had enough time to go through this lesson and I really appreciate the logic of its présentation.

Submitted by Guida on Wed, 24/11/2021 - 20:16

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I' appreciated enough this grammar lesson.

Submitted by siddhuk on Tue, 09/11/2021 - 13:35

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Hello Team LearnEnglish
Is it ok to say a big enough house or a house big enough?? Which of the two is correct??

Hello siddhuk,

Here 'enough' goes with the adjective 'big' and so it comes after the adjective: 'big enough'. Together, these words tell us more about the house, so 'a big enough house' is the correct form.

Best wishes,
Kirk
The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by Larrie on Fri, 15/10/2021 - 19:34

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Hello Staff
Can 'enough' always be considered a quantifier?

Thanks in advance