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Is there a difference between "also" and "too" in the following sentences? or it's just a matter of style? If it is just a matter of style what's consider more colloquial and what's more formal?

a) This product has two colors too.

b) This product has also two colors.

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Native speakers would use a slightly different word order when using also

This product also has two colors.

Both sentences mean the same thing, however I would certainly use the also form. This is a matter of style. I see also as a better choice because:

  1. trivially, two and too have more or less the same pronunciation, so two orders too sounds odd
  2. The also comes earlier in the sentence, and so emphasisers the continuity of thought from the previous sentence.

Note however that also and too are not quite interchangeable when used in a slightly different way. In a case where we are talking about our own preferences

I like apples.

Both of the following work:

I also like pears

I like pears too.

and this does not when following I like apples

I too like pears

However when are comparing our preferences with another person's preferences

Peter likes apples

Then too works well, we can use either ordering

I too like apples

I like apples too

though the first one sounds better, we emphasise our similarity with Peter.

and here the use of also is not correct, we can't use also to modify the subject of the sentence: I

I also like apples (wrong in this context)

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  • This is a great answer, except for the very last bit. "Peter likes Apples. I also like apples" is perfectly correct, and means the same thing as "too" in this context. Note that "also" and "too" can both be used before the verb or at the end of the phrase, but it is more common for "also" to be used before the verb, and more common for "too" to be used at the end of the phrase. Switching the places is often used for emphasis. ("I too like apples" is stronger than "I like apples too")
    – Foogod
    Commented Oct 13, 2019 at 21:09
  • This is an interesting comment. I wonder why I (still) feel that "also" is not quite right in this context.
    – djna
    Commented Oct 14, 2019 at 5:06

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