Jenny is so hungry.
Jenny is too hungry.
What is the difference between these two sentences? Let’s find out!
Jenny is so hungry.
‘So’ is used before an adjective to put more emphasis on it.
Jenny is hungry.
Jenny is so hungry.
As you can see, the second statement is stronger. This is also applicable to sentences that have ‘so much/many’ + noun, for example:
Jenny has many friends.
Jenny has so many friends.
Remember: ‘So’ should not be used before nouns. Hence do not say anything like this:
• Tom is so handsome man.
• Preeti is so good girl.
Instead say that,
• Tom is such a handsome man.
• Preeti is such a good girl.
Jenny is too hungry.
‘Too’ also puts emphasis. It means ‘more than enough’ or ‘more than required’ and shows that something is either over the desired limit or bad (negative).
Take a look at these examples:
Jenny is too hungry all the time, so she exercises a lot. (not bad)
Jenny is too hungry, and at times eats more than she should. (bad)
The first one implies that though Jenny is hungry all the time, she does exercise to keep her weight under check. This is not a bad thing. However the second sentence conveys that she eats more than she should, which is definitely a bad thing.
Here’s another example:
• Sheila works hard, you should be like her.
Sheila works so hard, she should relax a bit.
Remember: ‘Too’ describes negative things, hence it cannot be used for positive sentences.
Incorrect: This pudding is too delicious!
Correct: This pudding is so delicious!