Liz’s World

Hi everyone! The new Writing Fundamentals course is online at passGED.com, so if you have the GED Academy passGED study program, just log on to see the new course! In the meantime, Stan Branklyn wrote in to ask:

In what way do you use the word to, and too?

Great question! That’s one of the most easily confused words, and it’s one that shows up on the GED writing test a lot.  I’ll add “two” to the list, too…even though it’s a little less commonly confused.

The word “two” is the number 2, so it’s pretty easy to figure out when to use it.

The word “too” means “also,” as in, “I’m going to the supermarket, and I’ll stop at the drugstore, too.” It can also mean an excess… as in “I’ve got too much coffee.” or “It’s too late to change your mind.” You can usually figure out when to use “too” by testing whether you’re trying to say ‘also’ or that there’s more than enough of something.

That leaves the word “to.” That’s the hard one…the easy solution is to check the meaning and eliminate “two” and “too” first. If neither “two” nor “too” is correct, the right spelling is “to.” The word “to” can be a preposition showing a direction you’re going, as in “I’m going to the store.” Or, it can be part of what’s called an “infinitive.” In other words, it’s next to a verb… it goes with the verb, like “I like to fish.” or “I got to see the Eiffel Tower on my vacation.” If it’s in front of a verb, then it’s an infinitive.

Hope this helps!

For more information about the GED test and GED test preparation, visit The GED Academy at passGED.com.