To vs. Too vs. Two
To, too, and two are so often confused in the English language. These three little words are pronounced exactly the same, but their meanings are different. You may have seen them used incorrectly many times and just not realized it. Let's take about two minutes to look at how they are used, and you, too, can begin using them correctly!
To is a little word that is very powerful. It is most often used as a preposition or as part of an infinitive phrase (to + verb). When used as a preposition, it shows the directional relationship between the object of the preposition and another word in the sentence.
1. We are going to the movies. (preposition)
2. Will you be able to come to my birthday party? (first one is part of the infinitive; second is a preposition)
3. The tide is rising up to the dunes. (preposition)
4. I would like to cook lasagna for dinner. (part of the infinitive)
Too is an adverb that means also, in addition, or an abundance/higher degree.
1. I think Daniel is going to go with us, too.
2. There is too much food on my plate, but it looks so good!
3. If you think the children are being too loud, you can ask them to be quiet, too.
Two is a number, so it can be used as an adjective to show how many, or you could use it as a noun if you are referring to the actual number.
1. We saw two elephants at the zoo.
2. Mr. Benson gave us two questions to answer for homework tonight.
3. Two is the number of brothers that I have.
Like with other often confused words, a little thought goes a long way with to, too, and two. If you carefully consider the meaning of your sentence, you can easily decide which word to use!
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