Too and enough for children (A2, ages 9–12): compare materials and write a costume repair story

Household words and describing words

Picture a costume party where everything comes from the cupboard: a sponge prints stars, a piece of cloth becomes a cape. Note that “cloth” is material; what we wear is “clothes”.

For comparing, add opposite pairs: soft and rough, light and heavy, bright and dark, long and short.

• sponge – soft, with holes, for washing
• feather duster – feathers on a stick
• lampshade – the cover over a lamp
• rubber gloves – for washing up
• washing line – where wet clothes dry
• broom – a long brush for the floor
• sack – a big, rough bag
• cloth – material for clothes or a cape

Too and enough: is it right for the job?

“Too” means more than is good for a purpose, so there is a problem: “The sack is too rough.” “Enough” means as much as we need, so it works: “It is light enough.” With “not”, it shows what is missing: “The string is not long enough.”

“Too” comes before the adjective, “enough” after it. Add “to” and a verb to name the purpose: “too heavy to carry”, “light enough to wear”.

• “The cape is too long.”: a problem
• “It is short enough to wear safely.”: problem solved

As … as, -er than and the -est

“As … as” says two things are equal: “The sponge is as soft as the cloth.” “Not as … as” says the first has less. Your child probably knows “-er than” for two things (“The feather duster is softer than the broom.”) and “the -est” for one in a group (“The lampshade is the brightest item on the table.”).

The key pattern joins a comparison and a decision with “but”: “Is the cloth as bright as the lampshade?” “No. It is not as bright, but it is light enough to wear.” The cloth loses the comparison but still gets the job.

Predict, listen and check

Before listening, ask “What do you think will happen to the costume?” and let your child answer with “I predict that… will…”. Then play the conversation, ask “Who ties the rope?” and replay to check.

The prediction uses “will” because it is about the future; the steps use the present simple (“cuts”, “ties”), as in a story summary.

Writing a costume repair story

A repair story has four parts: a start, a problem with “too” or “not … enough”, a repair, and an ending with “enough”. Write it for a real reader, such as a younger cousin.

A model to change: “The music started, but the silver cape was too long. The two friends folded it and fixed it with cloth tape. It was short enough to wear safely. The dancers entered together, and the audience cheered.”

• Plan: the costume, the problem, the fix
• Write: four past simple sentences with “too” and “enough”
• Check: one comparison, capital letters, full stops

Common mistakes and quick fixes

These are normal at A2: repeat the sentence correctly and carry on.

• “It is enough light.”: “enough” follows an adjective: “It is light enough.”
• “The cape is too much long.”: no “much”: “The cape is too long.”
• “Your costume is too beautiful!”: with no problem, use “really”: “Your costume is really beautiful!”
• “too heavy for carry”: before a verb, use “to”: “too heavy to carry”.
• “as bright than”: say “as bright as” or “brighter than”.

A home game: the costume challenge

Collect a few safe things, such as a scarf, a tea towel, a paper bag and a box, and choose a costume, such as a superhero cape. Your child holds up each thing and decides: “The tea towel is too small.” “The scarf is long enough.” You ask: “Is the bag as strong as the box?”

Then swap roles and predict: “What do you think will happen to the box?” “I predict that it will become a robot head.”

What comes next

When too and enough feel easy, your child can join ideas with linking words: “The cape was too long, so we folded it.” That leads to short information texts that explain reasons and results.