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Thread: cannot... too

  1. #1
    jasonlulu_2000 is offline Member
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    Default cannot... too

    It seems that "cannot...too" means differently.
    For example, "you cannot be too strict with him" means that you should be strict with him.

    What about "I was not able to walk. Fortunately, my electric wheelchair gave me lots of freedom.However, as I became older, I realized I couldn’t be too dependent on my electric wheelchair"?

    This sentence seems contradictory to the rule. Should "too" be removed from this sentence?

    Thanks!


  2. #2
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    bhaisahab is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: cannot... too

    Quote Originally Posted by jasonlulu_2000 View Post
    It seems that "cannot...too" means differently.
    For example, "you cannot be too strict with him" means that you should be strict with him. Not necessarily.
    What about "I was not able to walk. Fortunately, my electric wheelchair gave me lots of freedom.However, as I became older, I realized I couldn’t be too dependent on my electric wheelchair"?

    This sentence seems contradictory to the rule. Should "too" be removed from this sentence?
    No, it's fine.

    Thanks!

    Bhai.
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    Rover_KE is offline Moderator
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    Default Re: cannot... too

    Quote Originally Posted by jasonlulu_2000 View Post


    This sentence seems contradictory to the rule.

    What rule?

    Both of your examples have the same meaning for 'too' — 'overly' or 'excessively'.

    Rover
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    jasonlulu_2000 is offline Member
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    Default Re: cannot... too

    Sorry!

    I didn't put it clearly.

    I learn on the book that if "cannot is followed by too", it just means the opposite.
    For example, "You cannot be too careful when crossing a busy road." It means that you had better be careful when it comes to crossing a road.

    So that's what I was referring to as a rule.

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    Default Re: cannot... too

    Quote Originally Posted by jasonlulu_2000 View Post
    So that's what I was referring to as a rule.
    As you see, this is not a good 'rule'. The meaning of 'cannot ...too' depends on context.
    Context is important. Please provide enough for us to be able to deal effectively with your question.
    Your thread title should include all or part of the word/phrase being discussed.
    If you just want to know the meaning of a word, try OneLook Dictionary Search first.


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