In spoken English or informal writing, the placement of only is rarely an issue, so go with your ear. Here is an example:
Tea only tastes good when I’m sad. Tea tastes good only when I’m sad.
Both sentences have the same meaning: I like the taste of tea only when I’m sad.
In academic writing, though, be careful with the placement of modifiers to avoid introducing ambiguity and attracting criticism from reviewers.
Does the placement of only in a sentence matter?
In some cases, yes.
The word only can be an adverb, an adjective, or a conjunction. Some writers tend to misplace only when they use it as an adverb or adjective. A misplaced modifier can distort the meaning of the sentence, or it can emphasize a word or phrase the author did not intend to emphasize.
Let’s look at a few examples to help you understand why the placement of only in a sentence matters.
The author only proposed the solution a year ago.
This means the author has done nothing else with the solution except propose it a year ago. Here only modifies proposed.
The author proposed the solution only a year ago.
This means it’s no more than a year ago that the author proposed the solution. The author might have demonstrated or done something else with the solution since then. The emphasis is on how recent the proposed solution is. Here only modifies a year ago.
The insect only feeds during the day.
This means that the insect does nothing during the day except feed itself.
The insect feeds only during the day.
This means that the insect feeds during the day but not during the night.
In short, where do you place only in a sentence?
A misplaced only doesn’t always introduce ambiguity. So, in most cases it makes little difference whether you place only close to the word or phrase it modifies or you misplace it. In either case, the reader can understand the meaning from the context.
However, especially in formal writing, the correct placement of only in a sentence helps you achieve clarity and accuracy.
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Related posts:
- The dangling modifier: What it is and examples
- Common preposition errors and non-errors: Examples and explanations
- How do you refer to a company in third person: it or they?
Last revised on 15 August 2022
