I've heard people saying "I'm not too sure" on the internet. I guess it means the same as "I'm not very sure".
Is such a usage of the word "too" actually colloquial or could you also use it in a formal text?
asked Apr 22, 2020 at 19:32
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In a formal text you might not even use the word 'sure' but 'certain' and so this would be 'uncertain'.– Weather VaneCommented Apr 22, 2020 at 19:38
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So in a formal text you would say "I'm uncertain about this." instead of that, did I understand that correctly?– mathematics-and-caffeineCommented Apr 22, 2020 at 19:52
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Yes, that's it, although your sentence could be focused on exactly what you are uncertain about.– Weather VaneCommented Apr 22, 2020 at 19:54
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In formal text, you'd likely say it is uncertain. While you can increasingly use I in formal text, it's still far more common to avoid doing so, especially in this particular context. (You would use I if you were talking about something you did, not something you felt or believed.) Of course, the nature of the formal text also makes a difference. Is it a scientific paper or a blog post?– Jason BassfordCommented Apr 22, 2020 at 21:08
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I'm not too sure, =speech not writing. Unless it is an informal email or note. It is 100% idiomatic English. Too means very.– LambieCommented Apr 28, 2021 at 20:14
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1 Answer
If your question is about 'too,' not the phrase 'too sure,' then yes, too can be used in a formal text. This is from Grammerly.com
How to Use Too
Too is also a useful little word, but it’s not a preposition like to, and it doesn’t have as many meanings. You can use it instead of “besides,” “in addition,” “also,” or “as well.” But you can use it for other things, too, like when you want to indicate excessiveness. If you find grammar tough, you can say that it’s too hard. In casual speech, speakers sometimes use too in the sense of “very”: That gal is too funny!
It's probably that final sense that you're worried about; 'very' is a degree adverb, used before adjectives, verbs or other adverbs to show intensity. 'Too' denotes excessiveness.
"She was very angry," tells us she was more than a little angry. If you said, "She was too angry," it implies she was angrier than the situation demanded, or unreasonably angry.
When using too in an ironic sense (that is, to mean the opposite), as in "Too cute!" or "Too funny!," what you're really implying is that whatever you're talking about is very cute or very funny, as in 'too marvelous for words;' so marvelous you can't describe it.
Because of this seemingly contradictory meaning, you should be careful not to use 'too' unless you really mean excessive, and not as an intensifier.
answered Apr 22, 2020 at 21:33
