only
part of speech
adverb (only); adjective (only); conjunction (only — informal: but)
meaning for a pupil
1) Only means no more than, or just one. «Only 3 are left» means just 3 are left. tree →
2) Only means nothing or nobody else: «Only Sam knew». tree →
3) An only child has no brothers or sisters. tree →
4) «If only» shows a wish: «If only it would stop raining». tree →
5) (informal) Only can mean «but»: «I'd come, only I'm busy.» tree →
6) (casual, sarcastic) «Only the best for you» or «oh, only 3 hours late» says the opposite of what it means. tree →
7) (rough) «Only a muppet would…» is a put-down; «you only had one job» mocks someone who failed. tree →
8) (formal) «Solely», «exclusively» and «merely» are stiff words for only: «Admission is restricted exclusively to members.» tree →
sense in the lessons
In maths: tells a small amount or that a group is the whole; often marks what is left; «only half». In everyday life: rules («staff only», «for ages 8 and up only»). In science: «only one of the plants grew» picks out one result. In stories: «the only way out». In casual talk only is often sarcastic. In the exam voice: «solely», «a mere 4 items remain». Phrases: «only just» (barely), «not only … but also», «if only», «the one and only», «only child».
examples
- Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath; (Torah DEU.29.14, JPS 1917) tree →
- Only flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. (Torah GEN.9.4, JPS 1917) tree →
- He that sacrificeth unto the gods, save unto the LORD only, shall be utterly destroyed. (Torah EXO.22.20, JPS 1917) tree →
- And as for your answers, there remaineth only faithlessness? (Writings JOB.21.34, JPS 1917) tree →
- Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee. (Writings PRO.5.17, JPS 1917) tree →
- By pride cometh only contention; but with the well-advised is wisdom. (Writings PRO.13.10, JPS 1917) tree →
- Only 4 apples are left. tree →
- She has only 2 dollars. tree →
- He is the only boy in the class. tree →
- Only half of the cake was eaten. tree →
- She is an only child. tree →
- This door is for staff only. tree →
- If only I had brought my umbrella! tree →
- The only way out was through the window. tree →
- only 2 quid left after the shop, gutted (casual, UK) tree →
- Oh, only an hour late, well done (sarcastic) tree →
- You had one job — carry 6 eggs — and you broke 4. (rough) tree →
- Subsequent to the sale, a mere 4 items remained; the vendor had initially possessed 19. Determine the number sold. (formal exam) tree →
- But the Skin Horse only smiled. tree →
note
«Only» does not change the number; it stresses that it is small. Trap: «only 4 are left» gives the end amount, not the amount taken away. Where you put «only» changes the meaning: «Only I ate cake» (nobody else ate) vs «I ate only cake» (nothing else). «Only just» means barely (only just made it). Sarcasm trap: «only an hour late» means very late. «Not only … but also» adds two things. Formal «merely» and «solely» = only.
In the corpora
- Only flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
- Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
- (22-19) He that sacrificeth unto the gods, save unto the LORD only, shall be utterly destroyed.
- only the cattle we took for a prey unto ourselves, with the spoil of the cities which we had taken.
- Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «only» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.