Enough or Enough? Are you surprised by the question? You are not the only one, as most Brazilian Portuguese speakers are used to using the term in the singular, that is, “quite a lot”. It turns out that not always "enough" should be used in the singular, and to know when it should be flexed in the plural, it is necessary to be aware of its different uses and different roles within a prayer.
Now that you know that enough and enough they exist and both are correct in the standard mode of the language, it remains to be seen that this word can be an adverb, adjective and also an indefinite pronoun, that is, it has a thousand and one uses! The fact of presenting themselves in different ways and in different grammatical classifications can confuse the less cautious with the language, but follow the explanation below and learn to deal with this very word. curious:
A lot of people have doubts about the correct use of "enough", which can be quite uncomfortable at the time of writing
► When "enough" is an adverb of intensity:
This is its most common use, the one we are most used to. When we want to intensify an idea, then we use “enough”, which means “much”. When to act as a adverb, the word “enough” will not vary, that is, it will not be inflected in the plural and will be linked to a verb, adverb or adjective. Look at the examples:Do not stop now... There's more after the advertising ;)
the children ate quite in the afternoon snack!
the friends are quite dear!
we study quite for the assessment of Portuguese.
► When "enough" is an adjective: Unlike when it acts as an adverb, the word "enough", when adjective, is variable, that is, it can undergo number inflection, and the subsequent term in the clause must agree with this variation. When in doubt about whether or not to use it in the plural, replace it with the word “sufficient”. Watch:
already there enough toys in your room!
(There are already enough toys in your room!)
already there enough books on the shelf.
(There are enough books on the shelf already.)
► When "enough" is an undefined pronoun: When the word "enough" assumes the function of indefinite pronoun, it will express indefinite qualities or quantities and will appear in the sentence before a noun with which it will agree in number, that is, it is variable. Examples:
enough people took to the streets to protest against corruption. (Many people, it is not possible to specify how many)
Saw enough books in the library. (Several books, it is not possible to quantify them)
As you have seen from the examples used, what will define whether the word "enough" will be used in the plural form or it is not the function it will play in the sentence. It will not only vary in number when it assumes the role of an adverb of intensity, but when it acts as an adjective or indefinite pronoun this variation may occur. Good studies!
By Luana Castro
Graduated in Letters
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PEREZ, Luana Castro Alves. "Enough or Enough?"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/gramatica/bastante-ou-bastantes.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
