You Already Know

Many times, you have heard the words “too much.” In grammar class, you have learned that we use this to say that there is more of something than someone needs. And, you have learned that we use “too much” for uncountable nouns.

Example: There is too much cheese on my sandwich.

Another meaning

But maybe you do not know that there is another meaning for “too much.” Informally, we use “too much” to say that someone is very very funny.

Synonyms: hilarious

We can tell a person that he/she is “too much.” We can also say to a person that someone who is not in the conversation is “too much.”

Examples

Rose, you’re too much. = Rose, you’re hilarious.

That Angela, she’s just too much. = That Angela, she’s so hilarious.

Olga’s too much. A laugh so much, I almost can’t teach her. = Olga’s hilarious. I almost can’t teach her.

The Difference

But teacher, how do I know the difference? When you are reading, you can see the difference. When you read the words “too much” before a noun, adjective+noun, or at the end of a sentence, it is usually the informal meaning.

I have too much business.

I have too much red cabbage in my soup.

$100, that’s just too much.

But be careful. Sometimes when you see the words “too much” at the end of a sentence, it might have the informal meaning.  Or if you see “too much” with a comma after, it is often the informal usage.

David’s just too much.

She’s just too much, I can’t stop laughing.

When you are listening to native speakers, you can hear the difference. You can hear when the words are at the end of a sentence because the speaker’s tone goes down a little. You can also hear the difference in stress. When you hear more stress on the word “too,” when the word is a little louder and the vowel is a little longer, you are usually hearing the formal meaning, more than enough. When the stress is on the word “much,” when the word is a little louder and the vowel is a little longer, you are usually hearing the informal meaning, very very funny or hilarious.

The bed way to know the difference

More Usage

Can you give examples of using “too much” in an informal way? Write them in the comment section. And if you want to get some listening practice and hear the pronunciation difference, click here.