Only the Lonely [little words].
Contributed by Chuck Lustig, of ExcitingWriting Communications
I owe a debt to J.W. Burkey for sending me an article by syndicated columnist James J. Kilpatrick which gives advice on the proper placement of the word “only.” Indeed, placement of the little word can drastically alter the meaning of a sentence. I remember how I used to struggle with that! And long before that, I can remember when I never gave it a thought. So, with thanks to Mr. Kilpatrick, J.W. and his sister (who sent J.W. the article), this month I only present to you a treatise on the word “only.” Or, is it a treatise only on the word?
When push comes to shove, those with only talent for expressing themselves can survive and thrive
Those who have multiple talents don’t do as well.
When push come to shove, only those with talent for expressing themselves can survive and thrive.
They need that talent and that talent only, but they may have other talents.
When push comes to shove, those with talent for only expressing themselves can survive and thrive.
Their talent is narrowly centered on expressing themselves, nothing else.
Notice how the placement of the word only changes the meaning of the sentences above. The Longman Handbook for Writers and Readers, (Anson & Schwegler) makes a good point about how English works: “In some languages, such as Latin or German, words change form to indicate their role in a sentence. In English, however, modifiers tend to change location, not form, to show which words they describe; for that reason, that position can make a big difference.”
I have found that being aware of the word “only” and taking a moment to think out the different meanings based on its placement is all I need to get a headache.
Kilpatrick gets it right when he quotes someone who sent him this conundrum based on the simple sentence “She told me that she loved me.”
Kilpatrick writes:
“Only she told me she loved me.
No one else has told me that.
She only told me that she loved me.
Not the gabby type.
She told me only that she loved me.
Pretty closemouthed. She had nothing more to say.
She told me that only she loved me.
The lady is claiming exclusive rights.
She told me that she only loved me.
She doesn’t adore me, worship me, idolize me. She only loves me.
She told me that she loved me only.
Ahhhh!”
Anson and Schwegler point out two other thoughts to keep in mind:
One, the same shades of meanings can occur when using the words “simply” and “even.”
She simply told me she adored me.
She told me she simply adored me.
Not even one student made it through the newly designed curriculum.
Not one student made it through even the newly designed curriculum.
The second thought concerns squinting modifiers: “When readers encounter a modifier that appears to modify both the word(s) before and the word(s) after, they become understandably confused.
People who enjoy listening to Aaron Copeland’s music often claim that he was the finest American composer of the twentieth century.
Does this mean that they listen often to the music or that they often claim something about Copeland?”
Anson and Schwegler edit the sentence two ways:
“People who enjoy listening often to Aaron Copeland’s music also tend to claim that he was the finest American composer of the twentieth century.
People who enjoy listening to Aaron Copeland’s music will often claim that he was the finest American composer of the twentieth century.”
You want to know what writing is about? I’ll tell you what it’s about. It’s about twisting your brain around and staying aware of these grammatical oddities without letting them give you a headache. Which is to say, it is not necessarily about memorizing grammatical oddities. Or, is it not about memorizing necessarily these grammatical oddities? Just be aware of them, okay? And whatever you do, don’t get a headache! (I, for one, am going to get some aspirin.)