Combining Two Sentences Using Too...To And So...That
Combine the following sentences using too...to and so...that.
Too...to...usually expresses a negative idea. When we connect two clauses with too...to... we get a simple sentence consisting of an independent clause and an infinitive phrase.
Study the example given below.
- She is very clever. She cannot be fooled.
We can combine these two sentences using too...to.
- She is too clever to be fooled. (This is a simple sentence)
We replaced very with too and then reduced the second clause to the infinitive phrase to be fooled.
We can also combine these two sentences using so...that...
- She is so clever that she cannot be fooled. (This is a complex sentence)
- The tea is very hot. I cannot drink it.
Here the two clauses have different subjects. Hence, while connecting them using too...to..., we have to add the expression for + pronoun before the infinitive phrase.
- The tea is too hot for me to drink.
Another example is given below:
He is very old. He cannot work.
We can combine these two sentences using the structures too...to and so...that.
The words too and so are adverbs that can replace the word very.
He is too old to work.
He is so old that he cannot work.
Exercise
1. He is very poor. He cannot send his children to school.
2. The puzzle was very difficult. I could not solve it.
3. He is very strong. You cannot beat him.
4. The house is very small. It cannot accommodate everybody.
5. He is very stupid. He will not pass the test.
6. He is very old. He cannot walk without support.
7. She was very distressed. She could not answer my questions.
8. You are very young. You cannot get married.
9. She is very shy. She cannot perform on stage.
10. His ideas are very complicated. I cannot comprehend them.
11. The water is very salty. I cannot drink it.
12. We arrived very late. We could not have dinner.
Answers
1. He is too poor to send his children to school. / He is so poor that he cannot send his children to school.
2. The puzzle was too difficult for me to solve (it). / The puzzle was so difficult that I could not solve it.
3. He is too strong for you to beat (him). / He is so strong that you cannot beat him.
4. The house is too small to accommodate everybody. / This house is so small that it cannot accommodate everybody.
5. He is too stupid to pass the test. / He is so stupid that he will not pass the test.
6. He is too old to walk without support. / He is so old that he cannot walk without support.
7. She was too distressed to answer my questions. / She was so distressed that she could not answer my questions.
8. You are too young to get married. / You are so young that you cannot get married.
9. She is too shy to perform on stage. / She is so shy that she cannot perform on stage.
10. His ideas are too complicated for me to comprehend (them). / His ideas are so complicated that I cannot comprehend them.
11. The water is too salty to drink. / The water is too salty for me to drink (it). / The water is so salty that I cannot drink it.
12. We arrived too late to have dinner. / We arrived so late that we could not have dinner.
Combine the following sentences using too...to and so..that
1. The watch was very expensive. I could not buy it.
2. She is very arrogant. She will not apologize.
3. The task is very difficult. I cannot finish it.
4. It is very dark. I cannot see anything.
5. They are very poor. They cannot have three meals a day.
6. His ideas are too complex. I cannot understand them.
7. The boy is very stubborn. He will not listen to anybody.
8. The evening was very cold. We could not enjoy our outing.
9. Sahara is very dry. Plants cannot grow there.
10. Germs are very small. They cannot be seen with the naked eye.
11. She is very frail. She cannot walk without support.
12. It is very early. We cannot predict the outcome now.
13. He is very short. He cannot be a policeman.
14. She is very shy. She cannot be a public speaker.
15. The blouse was very tight. She could not wear it.
Answers
1. The watch was too expensive for me to buy. / The watch was so expensive that I could not buy it.
2. She is too arrogant to apologize. / She is so arrogant that she will not apologize.
3. The task is too difficult for me to finish. / The task is so difficult that I cannot finish it.
4. It is too dark for me to see anything. / It is so dark that I cannot see anything.
5. They are too poor to have three meals a day. / They are so poor that they cannot have three meals a day.
6. His ideas are too complex for me to understand. / His ideas are so complex that I cannot understand them.
7. The boy is too stubborn to listen to anybody. / The boy is so stubborn that he will not listen to anybody.
8. The evening was too cold for us to enjoy our outing. / The evening was so cold that we could not enjoy our outing.
9. Sahara is too dry for plants to grow. / Sahara is so dry that plants cannot grow there.
10. Germs are too small to be seen with the naked eye. / Germs are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye.
11. She is too frail to walk without support. / She is so frail that she cannot walk without support.
12. It is too early to predict the outcome. / It is so early that we cannot predict the outcome.
13. He is too short to be a policeman. / He is so short that he cannot be a policeman.
14. She is too shy to be a public speaker. / She is so shy that she cannot be a public speaker.
15. The blouse was too tight for her to wear. / The blouse was so tight that she could not wear it.