Last week's assignment was … for me.

Analyze the question

You are asked to pick the phrase that correctly completes: "Last week's assignment was __ for me." This tests the correct use of intensifiers (too, much) with adjectives.

Explain the concept

• Too means "excessively" and goes before an adjective: too difficult, too hard, too big.
• Much can strengthen too, and it goes before too: much too difficult (meaning "far more than is needed or acceptable").
• Too much is used with nouns or as a quantity: too much work, too much noise. It is not used directly before an adjective.

Step-by-step solution

1. The word after "was" must describe the assignment, so we need an adjective phrase: difficult.
2. The adjective must be preceded by its intensifier, so difficult too (C) and much difficult too (D) are wrong because too comes after the adjective.
3. Too much difficult (B) is wrong because too much cannot modify an adjective directly. You would need a noun, as in too much difficulty.
4. Much too difficult (A) is correct. Much intensifies too, and too modifies difficult.

Complete sentence: "Last week's assignment was much too difficult for me."

Answer: A

Exam tip

Remember the pattern "much too + adjective" and "too much + noun":

• much too hot (adjective)
• too much heat (noun)

Check what follows the blank: an adjective means much too, a noun means too much.