Enough vs. Plenty
Since it is a common question. Let us go through it.
What Are Their Differences?
Differences
What 'Enough' and 'Plenty' Mean
- 'Enough':
means as much as it is necessary or as much as it is needed. When something is considered as enough it means we do not need any more of it.
We have
I think we struggled
- 'Plenty':
means enough or more than enough. So, it can refer to a larger amount compared with 'enough'.
We've got
Students have
Grammatical Functions
- 'Enough':
comes after another adverb or an adjective, or even after verbs as an adverb. As a pronoun, it is used without a noun directly after it. 'Enough' as a determiner comes before a noun whether plural countable or uncountable.
The runner was fast
Here in this example 'enough' is used as a pronoun and it is obvious that we mean 'enough evidence'.
She has
'Enough ... (for) .... to ...'
It is common to use an infinitive after 'enough'. It raises a question: " When do we use the term 'for' before the infinitive? ". The answer is; If we need another subject before the infinitive 'for' is required. Check out the examples to be more clarified.
We have
There is hardly
- 'Plenty':
As an adverb is used before an adjective. As a pronoun it means more than enough or enough. As you know, pronouns cannot be followed by a noun directly. However it might be rare for you, 'plenty' can be used as an uncountable noun, too.
"Here, drink some chocolate milk." "It is
They lived on a land of
My uncle was
'Plenty of' and 'Enough of'
'Plenty' can be followed by [of + noun]. The point is that 'enough' can be added to [of + determiner + noun]. Remember you can use enough as a determiner before nouns with no determiners or before pronouns.
Don’t go to the groceries we have
They have
She has taken up
Let's go home. I have seen
Similarities
- 'Enough' and 'plenty':
As it was mentioned earlier, they are really close to each other based on their meanings. Actually, in some cases, they can mean exactly the same.
This a
This progress is huge
- 'Enough' and 'plenty':
both can be pronouns and adverbs. Remember, the rules of using them can be different, ut their word classes as pronouns and adverbs are the same. Do not forget that 'enough' can be a determiner and 'plenty' can be a noun, too.
I have had
She has made
In the time of
- 'Enough' and 'plenty':
Both refers to a quantity. Enough is used to refer to a sufficient amount, while plenty can refer to a sufficient amount or even more.
We have
It will be ok if more guests are added up to us, we have
Do not go out to buy stuff. We have