“Also” and “too” can be used in the same way. However, we put them in different places.
We use “also” and “too” in positive sentences and we use “either” in negative sentences.
Here are the rules for “also”.
1. After be verbs
- He is tall. I am also tall.
- She is nice. I am also nice.
- He is going to the party. I am also going to the party.
- I am studying English. She is also studying English.
2. Put after a modal and before a verb
- He can go. I can also go.
- He will come. She will also come.
- We should go. We should also go.
- He could help. I could also help.
3. Put after a modal and before the verb “to be”
- He will be tired. I will also be tired.
- She will be okay. He will also be okay.
- The hotel will be cheap. The plane tickets might also be cheap.
- I might go. He might also be going to.
- She is a doctor. He might also be a doctor.
4. Put before regular verbs
- He dances well. I also dance well.
- They work here. I also work here.
- She walks to work. She also walks home.
- We watch movies together. We also go dancing sometimes.
Now, let’s look at “too”. We can use the word “too” in two ways.
1. Put “too” at the end of the sentence when it has the same meaning as “also”.
- He is tall. I am tall too.
- She is nice. I am nice too.
- He is going to the party. I am going to the party too.
- I am studying English. She is studying English too.
- He can go. I can go too.
- He will be angry. She will be angry too.
- I should go. You should go too.
- He could help. I could help too.
- He dances well. I dance well too.
- They work here. I work here too.
2. We can also use “too” in a similar way as “very”. When used this way, “too” always has a negative meaning. When we use “too” this way, put it before an adjective (too + adjective).
Look at the difference.
- It is very hot. I love it! Let’s go swimming!
- It is too hot. Let’s stay inside.
- The cake is very sweet. It is so good.
- The cake is too sweet. I don’t want to eat it.
Even with positive words, “too” adds a negative meaning. Sometimes, this is used in joking a way.
- She is too beautiful. I can’t stop looking at her. I can’t do my work.
- You are too good at basketball. It is not fun to play with you.
- The weather is too nice. I can’t focus on my studying.
Now, let’s look at the word “either”. We can use “either” in two ways.
1. “Either” can be used in a similar way as “also” and “too”, but we can only use it for negative sentences. We put “either” at the end of a sentence just like “too”.
- He doesn’t like pizza. I don’t like pizza either.
- He is not nice. She is not nice either.
- It is not hot in Paris. It is not hot in London either.
- It wasn’t cold today. It will not be cold tomorrow either.
- It doesn’t smell good. It doesn’t taste good either.
2. We can also use “either…or” to give choices. We use “either” to connect to words, phrases or sentences.
- We can either go to the mountain or go to the beach.
- I will either study math or science at university.
- She will either be at the coffee shop or the park this afternoon.
- Paula is either at home or at work now.
- Either be quiet or leave.
- He either sleeps or plays video games all day.
Use this free English grammar lesson to make sure that you understand this basic English grammar well. It is important to know if you want to speak English fluently. Practice making your own sentences to practice. Look at the example sentences in this lesson and try to create similar sentences.
