Two, Too, To (Word Usage)

Two, Too, To

Although successive teachers in every year of our schooling try their best to untangle this diabolical knot of confusion, it never fails that university English professors still have to hold a class after the first papers have been marked to once again explain the difference between the three identical sounding words that are not spelled the same. Whenever a word has exact homonyms (words spelled differently but sounding the same), there is a tendency to use them interchangeably, and while this is unnoticeable in speech, in writing it can lead to errors that make teachers cry. Interestingly, non-native speakers are not very likely to make these mistakes once they become fluent writers, probably because they learn the written form of the word at the same time or even before they learn how it is pronounced, unlike native speakers who learn how the word sounds first, and the written forms only later.

It is easiest in this case to deal with the most distinct form of the three words first, that being "two." Because this form is the most distinct of the three, using it incorrectly is also considered to be the worst error, and if you make it in a classroom much beyond third grade you will likely receive ridicule from classmates and teachers alike. Spelled this way, the word refers to the number 2, and nothing else. It is the only one with a "w," and this distinction alone should be enough to cement it in your mind.

The other forms are not so distinct either graphically (as written on the page) nor semantically (with regard to their meanings), and so confusion between these can last much longer, and plague my email inbox to this day. It is easiest to look at the form "too" first, as its meaning is far easier to articulate. Spelled this way, it means "as well," "in addition to," or "an excess or excessive amount." The first two meanings listed here are for the most part interchangeable, and either phrase can be substituted for "too" in the following sentence: "I want pickles, relish, and mustard too!" In this case, the person wants mustard in addition to, and as well as, pickles and relish. The third meaning occurs when "too" is used as a modifier of an adjective, as in the sentence "He was too big." Whenever you want to suggest that a certain quality is there to a greater degree than is desirable, "too" is the word to use. As an easy way to remember the spelling of this word if you have difficulties doing so, just remember that "too" has an additional "o," an extra "o," or maby an overabundance of "o's." In short, if you remember that there are too many "o's" in "too," you should not confuse it with its other forms any longer.

By the process of elimination, we are left with the final form, "to," and this is perhaps also the best way to identify when to use it. When you want to use one of the tree forms of this word in a sentence, but are unsure as to which one you should pick, think first whether the number two is appropriate, and then consider if you are speaking about an abundance, excess, or addition , which would require "too." If it is neither of these things, it must be the simple, short "to." We use this form of the word so often that not many of us have a positive definition of it. It is a preposition which can indicate motion from one place to another, or which can more generally specify the direction of some action, as in giving something to someone. It is also the first part of the infinitive of verbs, as in "to eat" and "to be." However, since these definitions rely so heavily on grammatical concepts and more complex linguistic concepts than the other forms of the word, the process of elimination is a fine way to ensure you are not using "to" in the wrong place.