Difference between あまり , あまりに and あまりにも


I would like to know the difference between these three ways (using the word
あまり) to say 'so much ... that'. Which extra sense give the particles に and にも?

I can't see the difference between あまり
(<http://japanesetest4you.com/flashcard/learn-
jlpt-n3-grammar-%E3%81%82%E3%81%BE%E3%82%8A-amari/>) and あまりに / あまりにも
(<http://japanesetest4you.com/flashcard/learn-
jlpt-n3-grammar-%E3%81%82%E3%81%BE%E3%82%8A%E3%81%AB-amari-ni/>).

Please feel free to provide example sentences so I can see clearly the
difference.

Thank you so much in advance for your answers!




The root meaning of あまり is _overdose_ (of something). Like something is too
much or over the top limit.

It comes from 余る (surplus).

It can be used as a noun. For example:

> 苦痛のあまり **に** 泣いた。 : She cried **on** an overdose of pain. (if it makes
> sense)

It can be used as an adjectival participle. For example:

> 値段が余りに高い。 : the price is too high. (it is overpriced, basically)

It can be used as an adverb (usually in a negative sentence). For example:

> **余り** 出来がよくない。 : He does not do **very** well.

It can be used as a suffix. For example;

> 百名余りの従業員。 : Employees over a hundred names. (more than 100 employees)

<https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/6483/meaning/m0u/>

As you can see all of the usages basically are the same あまり and the meaning
don't differ that much.

Now with the examples I think you can understand what に does, so I will only
explain も:

も often brings a nuance of emphasis to what's behind it, as if it is something
unexpected and/or a too much:

> 二回 **も** やったよ。 : I **even** did it twice!
>
> 2時間 **も** かかった。 : It **even** took 2 hours.

[https://www.weblio.jp/content/余りにも](https://www.weblio.jp/content/%E4%BD%99%E3%82%8A%E3%81%AB%E3%82%82)

The も in あまりにも is doing nothing more than emphasis what comes behind it. You
can see examples on this page:

<https://ejje.weblio.jp/content/%E4%BD%99%E3%82%8A%E3%81%AB%E3%82%82>

**EDIT** :

When used to mean "so much... that", the only difference is the usage. It is
not the actual meaning of あまり that you have a problem with here. You just have
troubles understanding the particle に.

As it is mentioned on Japanesetest4you:

> あまりに and あまり both mean “so much… that”, however the placement is different.
> あまりに is placed before verbs, adjectives and Nouns, not after.

Now if you have specific sentences you struggle with I can explain it better

**EDIT 2** :

I don't feel like there is a difference in meaning between two phrases like:

> あまりの興奮に前後を忘れて,
>
> 興奮のあまりに前後を忘れて,

But, I just found a phrase in which replacing one by another would change the
meaning:

> あまりの不思議をみせられて,
>
> 不思議のあまりをみせられて,

I feel like the second one isn't quite right. I can't find an explanation to
it but I'll edit my answer when I can think of something.

As for your other question, it really depends on the case, when あまり is used as
an adverb, it cannot be after the verb.

> あまり～しない/する

If you use あまり after the verb in this case, it would not be an adverb but a
noun. As for the meaning, it would basically be the same as I explained
earlier.

> Also, when saying "to much ... that", which extra nuance gives あまりに/あまりにも?

Here again it depends on the nature of あまり. If it is an adjectival participle
for example like in 値段が余りに高い。, the に is part of あまり because あまり acts like an
adjective.

But if it is a noun like in 嬉しさのあまり, the difference between it with に and
without に basically comes down to its relation with the verb. If you know the
difference between something like するとき and するときに, you should have no problem
understanding this. When に is used, it is directly linked to the verb of the
following proposition.

> 苦痛のあまりに泣いてしまった。
>
> 苦痛のあまり泣いてしまった。

Can you see the difference?

