A helicopter on Mars? Too and enough + to-infinitive, with for + someone

Q: How do you use too and enough?

Too means more than is OK , so something can't happen: It's too windy to fly. Enough means as much as we need, so it can: It was light enough to lift off. Not … enough means less than we need: The wind isn't strong enough to push it. The B1 lesson A helicopter on Mars? on edio.ai teaches all three with a drone in a park and a helicopter on Mars.

Q: What is the rule for too and enough + to?

Too goes before the adjective, enough after it : too thin , light enough . With a noun, enough goes first: enough sunlight . Then comes to + the base form: too thin to fly in , enough time to finish . To say who, add for + a person before to : This drone kit is easy enough for kids to build.

Q: What are some examples of too and enough?

These come from A helicopter on Mars? , a B1 lesson on edio.ai: The air is too thin for most helicopters to fly in. Gabriela's drone is small enough to fit in her backpack. Darius was too close to the trees to turn like that. There's enough sunlight to charge the batteries. Each one says whether something can happen , and why.

Q: What's the difference between too and very?

Very means a lot, with no problem ; too means more than is OK, so there's a problem. It's very cold, but we can fly is fine, while It's too cold to fly means we can't. That's why too so often comes with to + the action that can't happen. A tip in the scheme of A helicopter on Mars? , a B1 lesson on edio.ai, sets the two side by side.

Q: Is it "enough strong" or "strong enough"?

It's strong enough : enough follows the adjective . It isn't strong enough to fly is right, and It isn't enough strong is a common slip. Before a noun, the order flips: enough time , enough space . Two more traps to watch: too much thin for too thin , and light enough for lift off for light enough to lift off .

Q: What was the Ingenuity helicopter?

Ingenuity was a 4-pound NASA helicopter that made the first powered, controlled flight on another planet, on Monday, April 19, 2021, at Jezero Crater on Mars. The air there is about 1 percent as dense as Earth's. NASA planned up to five test flights, and Ingenuity flew 72 times before its last flight on January 18, 2024.

Q: How could a helicopter fly in the thin air on Mars?

The air on Mars is too thin for a normal helicopter to fly in , so NASA built Ingenuity very light, with rotor blades much bigger than an Earth helicopter of the same weight needs, spinning much faster. Mars is also too far away for anyone to fly it with a joystick, so it flew itself. A solar panel gave it enough energy for one 90-second flight each Martian day.

Q: How do I teach too and enough to B1 students?

Teach the meaning with can and can't : It's too cold to swim means we can't swim, and It's warm enough to swim means we can. Then show the word order and add for + a person. A helicopter on Mars? on edio.ai sets up the meaning with a drone in a park and a helicopter on Mars before the scheme and five drills.

Q: What's a good game for practicing too and enough?

Open the box and explain the problem : boxes hold prompts such as Your friend wants to fly a drone at night in the rain. Say why it's a bad idea: It's too … or Plan a Fly Day for your class: Is the weather good enough? Is there enough space? The student who opens a box answers aloud with too or enough .

Q: What's good homework for too and enough?

Good homework checks word order and meaning separately : gaps where students order words such as (enough / fresh) , a quiz that asks “It's too cold to swim.” Can we swim? , and a club notice to complete. In A helicopter on Mars? on edio.ai, all nine homework tasks check themselves, the last being Darius's answer to Gabriela about her drone.

This B1 ESL lesson plan teaches too and enough with to + verb, as in too thin to fly, through Ingenuity, NASA's small helicopter on Mars.

Grammar: Too + adjective + to (It's too windy to fly.), adjective + enough + to, enough + noun + to and for + a person before to.
Topic: Ingenuity, the helicopter that made the first powered, controlled flight on another planet, and a first drone flight in a park, with words such as hover, lift off, rotor and solar panel.
Activities: A feature to read, a drone lesson and a listener's question to hear, five self-checking drills, a chat to plan a flight and open boxes.

What's inside

Chapter 1Ready for takeoff?
- PictureUnlock
- Spin the wheel and answerSpin the wheelUnlock
- Study the words: flying machinesVocabularyTry it
- Look at the pictures and chooseChoose by pictureUnlock
Chapter 2Story time: four pounds on Mars
- Look at the picture: a helicopter on MarsPictureUnlock
- Read the story: four pounds, 72 flightsArticleUnlock
- Read and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
- Read again and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
Chapter 3Listen up: Darius takes the controls
- Listen to Darius and KelseyListeningTry it
- Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
- Listen and choose the right answerQuizUnlock
- Listen to the Listener's TakeListeningUnlock
- Transcript, for the teacherUnlock
- Listen and mark true or falseTrue or falseUnlock
Chapter 4Grammar: too thin to fly, light enough to lift off
- Study the scheme: too and enough + toGrammar schemeTry it
- Choose the correct optionChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: use too or enoughFill in the gapsUnlock
- Drag the words into the gapsDrag and dropTry it
- Fill in the table: too … to and not … enough toFill in the tableUnlock
- Choose the right sentenceQuizUnlock
Chapter 5Let's talk: is it easy enough?
- Choose the right replies: plan a drone flightChatTry it
- Open a box and answer: too or enough?Open the boxUnlock
Chapter 6Homework
- Match the words and the meaningsMatchUnlock
- Unscramble the wordsAnagramUnlock
- Fill in the gaps with the lesson's wordsFill in the gapsUnlock
- Choose the correct wordChoose the optionUnlock
- Fill in the gaps: put the words in the right orderFill in the gapsUnlock
- Put the words in the correct orderUnjumbleUnlock
- Choose the correct answerQuizUnlock
- Drag the words into the gaps: a club noticeDrag and dropUnlock
- Choose the correct option: Darius answers GabrielaChoose the optionUnlock

Vocabulary

12 words and phrases from the lesson, each with a picture and audio in edio.

+9 more with pictures and audio in the lessonMore words

helicopter
rotor
blade
drone
joystick
solar panel
rover
airfield
battery

Grammar: too and enough + to-infinitive

Too and enough with to + verb say whether something can happen: The air is too thin to fly in. It was light enough to lift off. With Ingenuity on Mars and Darius's first drone, learners place each word on the right side of the adjective, add for + a person and keep to + the base form.

too … to, … enough to

too = more than OK, so it can't happen. enough = as much as we need, so it can happen. not … enough = less than we need, so it can't happen.

Too + adjective + to: it can't happen

Too means more than is OK, so the action can't happen: It's too windy to fly today. Too goes right before the adjective: too thin, never too much thin. The verb after it is to + base form.

tooadjectiveto + verb

It's too windy to fly today. (We can't fly.)

Mars is too far away to fly a helicopter there with a joystick.

The air is too thin for most helicopters to fly in.

Adjective + enough + to: it can happen

Enough means as much as we need, so the action can happen: Ingenuity was light enough to lift off. Enough comes after the adjective, and not turns it into a problem: The wind isn't strong enough to push the drone.

adjectiveenoughto + verb

Ingenuity was light enough to lift off. (It could lift off.)

The wind isn't strong enough to push the drone. (It can't push it.)

Is Darius old enough to join the club? Yes, he is!

Enough + noun + to

With a noun, enough moves to the front: There's enough sunlight to charge the batteries. We don't have enough time to fly today. For + a noun can replace to + verb: enough energy for one flight a day.

enoughnounto + verb

There's enough sunlight to charge the batteries.

We don't have enough time to fly today.

Or enough + noun + for + a noun: enough energy for one flight a day.

For + a person before to

To say who can or can't do it, put for + a person between the adjective and to: It's too windy for me to fly. The air on Mars is too thin for it to fly in. Pronouns after for are object forms: him, us, them.

Who	too + adjective + to	not + adjective + enough + to	for + person + to
I	I'm too young to join.	I'm not old enough to join.	It's too windy for me to fly.
you	You're too young to join.	You aren't old enough to join.	It's too windy for you to fly.
he	He's too young to join.	He isn't old enough to join.	It's too windy for him to fly.
she	She's too young to join.	She isn't old enough to join.	It's too windy for her to fly.
it (the drone)	It's too heavy to lift off.	It isn't light enough to lift off.	The air on Mars is too thin for it to fly in.
we	We're too young to join.	We aren't old enough to join.	It's too windy for us to fly.
they	They're too young to join.	They aren't old enough to join.	It's too windy for them to fly.

Too or very? And never for + verb

Very means a lot, with no problem: It's very cold, but we can fly. Too means there's a problem. After too and enough, use to + verb, not for + verb or a that clause: too windy to fly, not too windy for fly.

too or very?

too = more than OK, so there's a problem: It's too cold to fly. (We can't.) very = a lot, but no problem: It's very cold, but we can fly. Put too right before the adjective: too thin, not too much thin.

to + verb, never for + verb

After too … and … enough, use to + the base form: light enough to lift off (not: light enough for lift off), too windy to fly (not: too windy for fly). for goes only before a person or a thing: too windy for us to fly, too cold for my drone. And no that after too: not too thin that it can't fly.

In the park and on Mars

The drone was light enough to lift off.
It was too windy to fly yesterday.
Darius was too close to the trees to turn like that.
Gabriela's drone is small enough to fit in her backpack.
Ingenuity had enough energy for one 90-second flight each day.
Is the air on Mars too thin for her drone to fly?

Common mistakes

The air is too much thin.
The air is too thin.
too + adjective
It isn't enough strong to fly.
It isn't strong enough to fly.
adjective + enough
It's too windy for fly.
It's too windy to fly.
to + verb (or for + person + to)
The air is too thin that a drone can't fly.
The air is too thin for a drone to fly.
no that-clause after too

More lessons on this grammar: Adjectives and adverbs lessons and exercises

Try the too and enough exercises

Try them yourself: these are the same exercises your students do in edio.

What's in the lesson

18 auto-checked exercises
4 games
1 article
1 grammar scheme
1 set of word cards
2 audio clips
2 pictures
2 transcripts

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

say something can't happen with too + adjective + to: It's too windy to fly today. You're too close to the trees to turn like that!
say something can or can't happen with (not) adjective + enough + to: It was light enough to lift off. The wind isn't strong enough to push it.
put enough before a noun and for + a person before to: There's enough sunlight to charge the batteries. It's easy enough for kids to build.
tell too from very and avoid too much thin, enough strong and too windy for fly: It's very cold, but we can fly.

Lesson 12 closes Space and discovery, unit 3 of English B1.1 · Stories That Travel. A2.1 lesson 16 taught too + adjective, (not) adjective + enough and too or very; this lesson adds enough + noun and for + a person before to, which lesson 9 used in It's hard for me to… Lesson 13 opens Life online. A helicopter built for air about 1 percent as dense as Earth's had to be light enough, and a park on a breezy day can be too windy.

Students spin a wheel of questions about drones, Mars and building things, then learn twelve words, from hover and lift off to joystick and rover, with pictures and audio. Jade's feature on Ingenuity comes with true-or-false statements and a quiz. Darius flies his first drone in a Kansas City park with Kelsey from a model aircraft club and crashes it into a bush, and Gabriela, 15, from California, asks about Mars; both are AI-voiced. Five self-checking drills follow the scheme, including Kelsey's flying tips with phrases to drag in. Then Sabrina plans a drone flight with the student in a chat, and open boxes ask what's too hard or easy enough.

All nine homework tasks check themselves: a word match, an anagram and a word gap-fill, then a choice of the right words, gaps where students order the words, sentences to unjumble, a meaning quiz, a club notice for Fly Day with words to drag in and Darius's answer to Gabriela with choices.

Grammar:: too + adjective + to · adjective + enough + to · enough + noun + to · for + someone + to
Topic:: Ingenuity · Mars · helicopters · drones · NASA · the Wright brothers · model aircraft · Stories That Travel

Teaching tips

Start with the weather outside: ask whether it's warm enough to eat lunch outdoors today, or too cold to swim. Students answer with too or enough, and the class says whether that means yes or no.
Bring a tissue box to class: Ingenuity's body was about that size. Ask what a helicopter that small would need to fly on Mars, then let students read the feature to check.
Follow each drill with a can-or-can't question: It isn't light enough to lift off. Can it lift off? Students answer No, it can't, which checks the meaning, not just the form.
Play the drone flight twice: first to find out why Darius crashes, then for every too and enough. Students raise a hand at each one and say whether the drone can fly.

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The whole course: English B1.1 · Stories That Travel

32 lessons for adults at B1 in American English, each built around a true story. Riley, Jade and Darius make a podcast in Kansas City about true American stories, and each lesson tells one, from a seaplane airport in Alaska to the Marfa Lights of West Texas. Learners compare the present perfect with the past simple, use future forms, modals and quantifiers, and give their own opinions. The practice exercises check themselves.See the course

Unit 1 Travel smart
the present perfect vs the past simple, for and since, indirect questions, be used to and get used to
Unit 2 Dream jobs, new jobs
will have to and won't be allowed to, the present perfect continuous, simple vs continuous, would vs used to
Unit 3 Space and discovery
it's + adjective + to, What's it like to…?, future forms compared, future time clauses, too and enough + to
1. Lesson 9What's it like to work in space?It's + adjective + to and What's it like to…?
2. Lesson 10Who will walk on the Moon next?Future forms compared by meaning
3. Lesson 11A message for the starsFuture time clauses
4. Lesson 12 · you're hereA helicopter on Mars?Too and enough + to-infinitive
Unit 4 Life online
the more…, the more…, be supposed to, ought to and had better, let, make and allow
Unit 5 Screen and page
-ed and -ing adjectives, gradable and extreme adjectives, present tenses for a plot, articles for things in general
Unit 6 Green living
few and a few, little and a little, all, most, some and none, each and every, fewer and less
Unit 7 Sporting moments
could, was able to and managed to, for, during and while, present tenses for live commentary, question tags
Unit 8 Mysteries and lost worlds
both… and, either… or and neither… nor, uncountable nouns, how sure we are about the future, unless, as long as and in case

Questions about this lesson

How do you use too and enough?

Too means more than is OK, so something can't happen: It's too windy to fly. Enough means as much as we need, so it can: It was light enough to lift off. Not … enough means less than we need: The wind isn't strong enough to push it. The B1 lesson A helicopter on Mars? on edio.ai teaches all three with a drone in a park and a helicopter on Mars.

What is the rule for too and enough + to?

Too goes before the adjective, enough after it: too thin, light enough. With a noun, enough goes first: enough sunlight. Then comes to + the base form: too thin to fly in, enough time to finish. To say who, add for + a person before to: This drone kit is easy enough for kids to build.

What are some examples of too and enough?

These come from A helicopter on Mars?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai: The air is too thin for most helicopters to fly in. Gabriela's drone is small enough to fit in her backpack. Darius was too close to the trees to turn like that. There's enough sunlight to charge the batteries. Each one says whether something can happen, and why.

What's the difference between too and very?

Very means a lot, with no problem; too means more than is OK, so there's a problem. It's very cold, but we can fly is fine, while It's too cold to fly means we can't. That's why too so often comes with to + the action that can't happen. A tip in the scheme of A helicopter on Mars?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, sets the two side by side.

Is it "enough strong" or "strong enough"?

It's strong enough: enough follows the adjective. It isn't strong enough to fly is right, and It isn't enough strong is a common slip. Before a noun, the order flips: enough time, enough space. Two more traps to watch: too much thin for too thin, and light enough for lift off for light enough to lift off.

What was the Ingenuity helicopter?

Ingenuity was a 4-pound NASA helicopter that made the first powered, controlled flight on another planet, on Monday, April 19, 2021, at Jezero Crater on Mars. The air there is about 1 percent as dense as Earth's. NASA planned up to five test flights, and Ingenuity flew 72 times before its last flight on January 18, 2024.

How could a helicopter fly in the thin air on Mars?

The air on Mars is too thin for a normal helicopter to fly in, so NASA built Ingenuity very light, with rotor blades much bigger than an Earth helicopter of the same weight needs, spinning much faster. Mars is also too far away for anyone to fly it with a joystick, so it flew itself. A solar panel gave it enough energy for one 90-second flight each Martian day.

How do I teach too and enough to B1 students?

Teach the meaning with can and can't: It's too cold to swim means we can't swim, and It's warm enough to swim means we can. Then show the word order and add for + a person. A helicopter on Mars? on edio.ai sets up the meaning with a drone in a park and a helicopter on Mars before the scheme and five drills.

What's a good game for practicing too and enough?

Open the box and explain the problem: boxes hold prompts such as Your friend wants to fly a drone at night in the rain. Say why it's a bad idea: It's too … or Plan a Fly Day for your class: Is the weather good enough? Is there enough space? The student who opens a box answers aloud with too or enough.

What's good homework for too and enough?

Good homework checks word order and meaning separately: gaps where students order words such as (enough / fresh), a quiz that asks “It's too cold to swim.” Can we swim?, and a club notice to complete. In A helicopter on Mars? on edio.ai, all nine homework tasks check themselves, the last being Darius's answer to Gabriela about her drone.

How do you practice too and enough one-to-one?

Plan a trip that keeps going wrong: the teacher adds problems, such as rain, a full bus or a weak phone battery, and the student explains each one with too or enough. The chat in A helicopter on Mars?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, works without a partner: Sabrina plans a drone flight, and the student picks replies such as Seven is too early for me to get up on a Sunday!

Are there interactive exercises for too and enough?

Yes. This page plays three parts of A helicopter on Mars?, a B1 lesson on edio.ai, with no account: Darius's first drone flight with Kelsey, Kelsey's tips in the park with too and enough phrases to drag into the gaps, and Sabrina's chat about a drone flight. Students see at once whether each answer is right. Signing up opens the rest.

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About this lesson

What's inside

Vocabulary

Grammar: too and enough + to-infinitive

Too + adjective + to: it can't happen

Adjective + enough + to: it can happen

Enough + noun + to

For + a person before to

Too or very? And never for + verb

In the park and on Mars

Common mistakes

Try the too and enough exercises

What's in the lesson

The main objectives of this lesson are to:

Teaching tips

Teach the whole lesson in edio

Start a free trial

Open the lesson

Teach it live or as homework

The whole course: English B1.1 · Stories That Travel

Unit 1 Travel smart

Unit 2 Dream jobs, new jobs

Unit 3 Space and discovery

Unit 4 Life online

Unit 5 Screen and page

Unit 6 Green living

Unit 7 Sporting moments

Unit 8 Mysteries and lost worlds

Questions about this lesson

Teach this lesson with your students