Error No.: 2
Error: too + Adj + to + VP
Some common examples
1. ? He is too happy to see you. (meaning: He is very happy to see you.)
2. ? He is too excited to have a chance to meet the Chief Executive. (meaning: He is so
excited to have a …)
3. ? Peter is too interesting to talk to. (meaning: Peter is very interesting to talk to.)
4. ? She is too diligent to work all the time. (meaning: She is so diligent that she works all
the time.)
Core grammatical problem
The intensifier too is inappropriately used in a structure where very/so is more
appropriate.
e.g. ?He is too happy to see you.
In the above sentence,
He is very happy to see you. OR
He is so happy to see you.
is more appropriate.
Probable causes of this structural problem
L1-related factor:
The Chinese intensifier 太 , which is the literal translation of the English intensifier too,
suggests a positive and high degree of meaning conveyed by the adjective.
e.g. 他 見 到 你 太 高 興 了.
L2-related factors:
1. Students are not aware that there is implicit negation in the English structure too ADJ
to VP and that the structure is normally used to account for why the speaker cannot/should
not/does not do the action denoted by the verb in the infinitive clause.
e.g. He is too tired to walk.
means
He is so tired that he cannot walk.
2. Many students regard the intensifier too as a substitute for very or very, very.
Correction procedure
To help students (Ss) overcome the structural problems such as:
?He is too happy to see you.
teacher (T) can go through the following procedure with students (Ss):
1. T shows a correct sentence first.
e.g. She is too tired to walk.
2. Ss underline the infinitive clause after the adjective.
e.g. She is too tired to walk.
3. Ss circle the verb/verb phrase of the infinitive clause.
e.g. She is too tired to walk.
4.
T asks the question: “Can Subject [Verb/Verb Phrase]?” OR
“Is Subject going to [Verb/Verb Phrase]?”
e.g.
Can she [walk]? OR
Is she going to [walk]?
5. T asks for the reason why the Subject cannot do the action denoted by the Verb/Verb
Phrase.
e.g. Why can’t Mary walk? (too tired)
6. T tells Ss that when the answer to the question is No, the intensifier too is
appropriate.
7. T shows an inappropriate sentence.
e.g. ?He is too happy to see you.
8. T goes through steps 2–4 as described above.
9. When the answer to the question is Yes, the intensifier too is inappropriate.
10. Ss rewrite the sentence by changing the intensifier to so, or very.
e.g. He is so/very happy to see you.
Follow-up exercise
Correct the following sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
John is too excited to have a chance to go to Japan next week.
I am too happy to be the winner of the race.
Mary is too busy to talk to you.
Susan is too glad to receive your letter.
Peter is too eager to do the work.