ONLY

​As a Modifier like- ADJECTIVE, ADVERB, CONJUNCTION- Only tends to be placed immediately before the word or words it modifies.

Only can be used in the following ways:

as an adverb: 
It’s only an idea, but I thought we could try it out.
She was only 18 when she had her first child.
I only hope we can finish this in time.
She had been there only twice in her life.
There are only two more weeks until summer vacation.
It's only a matter of time before someone gets hurt.
Do you really have to leave? It's only eight o'clock.
He was only a baby when his father died.
Leave her alone. She's only a kid.
The building is only about 10 years old.
It was quiet in the room, but only for a moment.
She is only partly to blame.
The club is for women only.

1a: as a single fact or instance and nothing more or different : MERELY

has only lost one election—George Orwell
I was only fooling when I said I saw a shark in the water- nothing more than
1b: SOLELY, EXCLUSIVELY
known only to him
2: at the very least
it was only too true
3a: in the final outcome
will only make you sick
3b: with nevertheless the final result
won the battles, only to lose the war
4a: as recently as/as in late : not before/not long ago
only last week
only in the last year did she get recognition
we won the election only six days ago
4b: in the immediate past
only just talked to her
5: as in just
for nothing other than
you're doing that only to annoy me
as an adjective (always before a noun/pronoun): 
I was an only child.
You’re the only person who can help me.
the only way to really appreciate the beauty of the forest is to walk through it.
that is the only possible right answer
Synonyms of only
1: unquestionably the best : PEERLESS
is convinced that his team is the only one

2a: alone in a class or category/being the one or ones of a class with no other members : SOLE/as
in one
the only one left
the only known species
She's the only person you can really trust.
that is the only possible right answer
we were the only passengers on the tour bus
2b: having no brother or sister
an only child
3: FEW
one of the only areas not yet explored
That was one of the only times I saw him cry.
4: as in exceptional
having no equal or rival for excellence or desirability
the only way to really appreciate the beauty of the forest is to walk through it

as a conjunction: 
You can come, only make sure you’re on time.
I'd love to sing along, only I don't know the words.
They did have a radio, only it was broken.
We wanted to buy that painting, only it was far too expensive.
1a: with the restriction that : BUT
you may go, only come back early
if it were not for the fact that
that's a very nice idea, only it won't help
1b: and yet : HOWEVER
they look very nice, only we can't use them
2: were it not that : EXCEPT
I'd introduce you to her, only you'd win her—Jack London

1. used for showing that a statement does not apply to anything or anyone

else except the person, thing, action, place etc that you are mentioning
She wouldn’t say where she was going – she only said she’d be back as soon as she could

The flowers grow wild only on the island of Maui.

Everyone promised they would come, but in the end only Ted and Jack showed up.

I only design the dresses, I don’t actually make them.

Only in this house do I feel safe and secure.

Nowadays she performs only on very special occasions.

They were being nice to Charlie only because they didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

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2. used for showing that there are no other things or people of the
same kind as the one or ones that you are mentioning

the/someone’s only: 

David’s the only one of us who has a computer.

This is the only letter my father ever wrote to me.

My only reason for coming here was to see you.

Johnson was born in Aberdeen in 1942, the only son in a family of six children.

The only people who understand the problem are the scientists.

The only thing we can do is wait and see.

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3. used for emphasizing that an amount, number, size, age, percentage 
etc is small or smaller than expected

The police station was only 150 metres away.

The company was established in Lanarkshire only eight months ago.

She was only 18, but she was as smart as someone twice her age.

The mobile phone market makes up only a small part of Scottish Telecom’s business.

The two men spoke with each other only briefly.

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4. used for emphasizing that something must happen before something el
can happen

You pay the agent only if you sell the house.

A further statement will be issued only when the investigation has been concluded.

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5. used for saying that something is not better, worse, more important,
more difficult etc than you are saying it is

Don’t get upset – I was only joking.

We are only trying to help.

‘What was that noise?’ ‘Don’t worry – it’s only the wind.’

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6. no earlier than a particular time, day, week etc
I met him for the first time only last week.

only now/only then: 

It is only now that the technology exists to transmit high quality images.

I picked some roses and only then did I notice that my mother’s  favourite vase was missin

only when: 
Only when the government stops interfering will we see any improvement in our schools.
7. used for adding a comment to something that you have just said which makes it
less true or correct

Fiction is like real life, only better.
Her car is like mine, only it has four doors.

​ a. SPOKENused when you are going to mention a problem or a reason why something
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not possible
I would offer to baby-sit, only I’m going out myself.
the only thing is...: I’d really like to come to the party.
The only thing is, my sister is coming to town that day.
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8. used for saying that the result or effect of something is bad or
not wanted and has no positive qualities

His failure to respond to the criticism only made matters worse.

I never complain – it only causes more trouble.
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9. used for showing that something or someone is the best

You should get a motorbike. Believe me, it’s the only way to travel.

In my opinion, Bond is the only man for the job.

Only as an adjective
We use only as an adjective to mean that there is just one or very few of something, or that there are no others:
He was the only person in the room.
Being healthy is the only thing that is important to me.

Only as an adverb
We use only as an adverb to mean that something is limited to some people, things, an amount or an activity:
This phone is only available in Japan.
Only a few hundred houses survived the hurricane without any damage.
Only can mean ‘simply’:
He’s only joking.
Spoken English:
In speaking, only can be used with just for emphasis. It can mean ‘very recently’ or ‘almost not’:
She’d only just moved into her new house last July. (very recently)
The building had survived the earthquake of two years before, but only just. (It almost didn’t survive the earthquake.)

Only: position
As an adjective, we use only in front of a noun or one, or before another adjective or a number:
Is that your only copy of the book?
He was the only one who could read in the village.
But Not: He was the only who could read …
That was the only large t-shirt left in that colour.
There were only four United fans in the room.
We can use only as an adverb in different positions, depending on its focus. If the subject is the focus, we put only in front position:
Only Jason knows where the key is kept.
Only a very small bed will fit in this room.
If the focus is on another part of the sentence, we usually put only in the normal mid position for adverbs (between the subject and the main verb, or
after the modal verb or first auxiliary verb, or after be as a main verb):
I only go home once a month. (between subject and main verb)
She had only arrived at midnight the night before. (after the first auxiliary verb)
She’s only sixteen. (after be as a main verb)
If the focus is a whole clause, we can put only in front position:
My arm hurts but only when I try to raise it.
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Keep in mind that "only" is a modifier. This means that it helps explain what you are trying to say and acts as a descriptive wor

When the word "only" is placed incorrectly in a sentence, it becomes a "misplaced modifier". This means the modifier ("only

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Be aware of the casual use of "only". You may notice that in everyday speech people tend to place "only" in the wrong place i

It’s important, however, to use the correct placement of "only" when writing a formal letter, a paper, or something
for public consumption to ensure you do not confuse your reader.

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Notice the common misplacement of "only" in everyday speech. When we are talking informally we might use "only" to indica
In this sentence the speaker probably means to say that she had strawberries for dinner and nothing else. The speaker is trying to modify "strawberries" when,
in fact, "only" is placed before (and thus modifies) the verb "ate". This implies that the subject in the sentence, "she", does nothing with the strawberries but
eat them for dinner. She doesn’t pick them. She doesn’t prepare them. She just eats them.
The correct placement of "only" in this sentence, based on the probable intended meaning, is: "She ate only strawberries for dinner". The modifier "only" is
next to the noun it's meant to modify and is now grammatically correct. At first, it can feel awkward to say this sentence out loud, because sentences like this
are so often misspoken or miswritten. However, once you realize that the wrong sentence construction doesn't mean what you want it to mean, the correctly
constructed sentence will start to feel more comfortable.

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Create examples of the different ways to use "only" in a sentence. The best way to get a sense of the proper use of the word "

For example, consider these six different placements of "only" in the same sentence:
"Only I like dancing at a party".
"I only like dancing at a party".
"I like only dancing at a party".
"I like dancing only at a party".
"I like dancing at only a party".
"I like dancing at a party only"

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Use "only" before a subject to modify the subject. For example: "Only I like dancing at a party". In this sentence, "only" is mod

You could view this sentence another way: "Only John danced at the party". In this construction no one but John danced at the party. If this is the intended
meaning, that John was the only dancer at the party, you would place "only" at the beginning of the sentence so that it modifies "John".

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Place "only" before the verb in a sentence to modify the verb. For example: "I only like dancing at a party". In this sentence, "o

The third "practice" sentence above -- "I like only dancing at a party" -- means that the person likes dancing and no other activities (talking, eating, etc) at a
party.
In the fourth sentence above, "only" could be seen as modifying "dancing" or "at a party". Because the distinction could be important, in speech you would
have the option of orally stressing the word or words being modified.
In the fifth sentence above, "only" modifies "a party", meaning no other location or event. This is a clearer usage than the fourth sentence.
The final sentence above places "only" after "party". It more clearly expresses the same meaning as the previous sentence.

You could look at these placements in a different situation or setting. For example: "John only cooks meat for his family". This sentence works if John is a
vegetarian and does not buy, prepare, or eat meat. But when he is with his family, who are diehard meat-eaters, he will cook meat for them. In this case, the
modifier is correctly placed, as the sentence indicates that John will cook meat for his family but not do anything else with the meat.

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Use "only" before a second verb in a sentence to modify the second verb. For example: "I like only dancing at a party". In this sentence, "only" is
modifying "dancing". ("Dancing" in this case is a verb form known as a gerund, which acts as a noun.) This means that "I" like only one thing at a
party -- dancing -- not talking, singing, chatting, or drinking.
The use of "only" works better in a sentence that indicates the speaker does just one thing in a certain situation. For example: "I eat only vegetables". This
sentence means that you consume vegetables but no meat or other food products. "I only eat vegetables," on the other hand, means that you do nothing with
vegetables except eat them.
While the above is academically true, so many people say, "I only eat..." when they mean, "I eat only..." -- or similar phrases -- it has become common and
easily understood usage.

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Place "only" before the ending phrase in a sentence to modify the phrase. For example: "I like dancing only at a party". In this

You can look at this use of "only" another way: "John drinks scotch only with his dad". This sentence means that John drinks scotch with his dad and with no
one else.

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Adjust your use of "only" in your writing. Now that you have looked at the four different ways "only" can be used in a sentenc
Remember to place "only" next to (usually before) the item you want to modify, so your meaning is not confusing or awkward for your reader or listener.
Review the above examples to determine which placement of "only" best expresses your intended meaning.

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Try searching your document (if it is on a word processor) for the word "only". Check that you are using the word correctly in each sentence. Adjust
the placement of "only" if it causes a sentence's meaning to be unclear.