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: 4.4 (34 votes)
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Profile picture for user zabiullah

Submitted by zabiullah on Tue, 14/04/2020 - 15:30

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thanks alot, it is helpful lesson for me. after that, i can use it correctlly and confidenetly. some one wants enough time to get know better but i understand.

Submitted by Ekowe on Thu, 09/04/2020 - 14:49

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i' appreciated enough this grammar lesson. I'm Togolese and i have choosed british council web site to improve my english ant take my IETLS

Hello Ekowe

I just wanted to recommend you a couple of links that might be helpful for preparing for the IELTS. The first is the website TakeIELTS, where you can find loads of useful information and even some free practice materials. The other is our Skills section, which, although not designed specifically to help you prepare for the IELTS, could help you too.

Thanks also for letting us know you were happy enough with the lesson to write a comment.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Hello, "i' appreciated enough this grammar lesson" on this sentence the correct way of using enough with enough of: I appreciated enough of this grammar lesson.
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Submitted by Peter M. on Thu, 12/11/2020 - 10:51

In reply to by shakirovu

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Hello shakirovu,

Enough carries a meaning of 'sufficient' or 'not too little'. We would not use it in this kind of context, but rather we would say 'I really appreciated...' or 'I appreciated... very much'.

 

Peter

The LearnEnglish Team

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Submitted by Zabihullah on Thu, 02/04/2020 - 17:05

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These are clear enough explanations to get them fully. Merci!

Submitted by kindpao on Fri, 27/03/2020 - 01:10

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Thank u a lot for this lesson! However I still have some trouble identifying which tense corresponds to which verb TnT but I think with practice I'll improve.
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Submitted by Aishaika on Thu, 05/03/2020 - 10:04

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i started to run in the jungle when I saw a lion chasing me and I wasn't able to ran fast enough to escape from his head, I was about to give up when I turned my head back and saw the lions was very near to me. I cried loudly to seek help from anybody who probably could be around the jungle.