The Lonely Only

 by Val D Greenwood

      Whether you have already written your magmum opus or are still just thinking about it, there are probably several things you can do to improve the quality of your writing. Whole books have been written on the various aspects of the writer’s craft (indeed there are hundreds of such books). And though I do not wish to demean any of those books or diminish their value in any way, I have chosen to focus here on just one small issue: the proper and precise use of the adverb “only.”

      Though this issue is primarily centered in the proper use of adverbs, it is more complicated than just that. So let us consider together the difficulties associated with the proper use of this pesky little word.

     To help us understand the issue, let’s look at adverbs in general−what they are and how they are used. First let’s define what an adverb is and show how it is different from an adjective. Such a discussion seems elementary, I know−you learned this in your high school English class−but please bear with me. An adverb can modify a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a phrase, or a clause.  An adjective, on the other hand, can  modify only a noun or a pronoun. An adverb is used to describe or limit the meaning of the word, clause, or phrase that it modifies by telling us when, where, why, how, or to what extent.

     Many adverbs can be identified by an ly at the end−as by adding ly to the end of an adjective. Adverbs such as quickly, carefully, hastily, naturally, or beautifully are created from the adjectives quick, careful, hasty, natural, and beautiful. 

    This can also get a bit complicated, however, if you have adjectives that end in ly.  And there are also cases where the same word may be used as an adverb in one situation and as an adjective in another.  It all depends on how that modifier is used in the given situation. There are also many words that do not end in ly that are adverbs. These include such words as quite, far, near, often, well, even, and almost.

     The word only is unique because it can be used as an adverb, an adjective, and also, occasionally, as a conjunction. When we say, “He was the only boy present,” only is an adjective, modifying the noun boy. But when we say, “He comes only when it is convenient,” then only is an adverb, modifying the phrase when it is convenient by telling to what extent. An example of the informal use of only as a conjunction is this sentence: “I would contribute, only I don’t have any money.”

     Most of us who speak the English language routinely place many of our adverbs in the wrong place in daily communications. And the adverb only is misplaced more than any other. We have little concern about this misplacement in our oral communications because the meaning of what we say is usually quite clear. Unfortunately, however, the practice carries over into both our written communications and in the media. We see it in newspapers, in magazines, and in many books. And this misplacement of only has become pervasive in television and radio advertising and in both local and network news broadcasts.

     The following examples will help us understand the problem better. Each example has either two or three sentence. In the first sentence, only is a misplaced adverb. In the second sentence, only is placed in its correct position. And in the third sentence (when there is one) a second correct alternative is shown. There are two things you should note from these examples: when only is used as an adverb (1) it never modifies the verb and (2) it always tells to what extent.

    Some observations follow each example.

         1. The mad scientist only cared about the final  results.

            The mad scientist cared only about the final results.

            The mad scientist cared about only the final results.

     (Both the second and third sentences of this example show correct usage. Which one is correct depends on the intended meaning.  In the second sentence, only is an adverb used to modify the prepositional phrase about the final results.   In the third sentence, only is an adjective that modifies results [as do also the and final].)

       2. The children only wander away when the gate is open.

           The children wander away only when the gate is open.

     (To have the adverb only modify the verb wander produces an imprecise result. Only more appropriately modifies the phrase when the gate is open as shown in the second sentence. However, if we were to change the extent of the problem by using frequently, seldom, or never as the adverb (instead of only), those adverbs would modify the verb [wander], and would thus be positioned correctly where only is incorrectly positioned in the first sentence of the example.)

         3. She only attends the class on Tuesdays.

            She attends the class only on Tuesdays.

     (If the extent of class attendance were changed and we used another adverb, such as frequently, seldom, or never (instead of only), the proper placement of the adverb would be before the verb [attends] in all three cases. The adverb only, however, modifies the prepositional phrase on Tuesdays.)

           4. They only read the Bible on Sundays.

              They read the Bible only on Sundays.

     (The adverb only does not modify the verb read, but rather the phrase on Sundays. It indicates the extent. If we were to change the extent by using such adverbs as never, frequently, or always (instead of only), they would modify the verb [read] and would thus be correctly placed before the verb.)

             5. Call only this number in an emergency.

               Call this number only in an emergency.

     (The first sentence suggests that there is only one number to call in an emergency. The second suggests that the number one calls in an emergency should never be called for any other reason or at any other time. Though the first sentence is the most likely to be used, this meaning is probably not completely accurate in many cases.)

     Apart from all other grammatical issues that you and I  deal with in our writing, our proper use and placement of the word only will help set us apart as meticulous writers who are careful to get things right.