| 词组 | only |
| 释义 | only Only is used as an adjective or an adverb. ◊ used as an adjective You use only in front of a noun or 'one' to say that something is true about one person, thing, or group and not true about anyone or anything else. In front of only you put 'the' or a possessive. Grace was the only survivor. I was the only one smoking. 'Have you a spare one?' ---'No, it's my only copy unfortunately.' When only has this meaning, you must use a noun or 'one' after it. You cannot say, for example, 'He was the only to escape'. If you do not want to use a more precise noun, you can use 'person' or 'thing'. You can say, for example, 'He was the only person to escape'. He was the only person authorized to issue documents of that sort. It was the only thing they could do. Note that if you use another adjective or a number, you put only in front of it. Further expansion of the airport would be the only practicable option. The only English city he enjoyed working in was Manchester. At that time, they were the only two republics on earth. Only is not normally used after 'an'. There is one common exception: if you say that someone is an only child, you mean that they have no brothers or sisters. I was an only child. ◊ used as an adverb Only is used as an adverb to say that something is the one thing that is done, that happens, or that is relevant in a particular situation, in contrast to all the other things that are not done, do not happen, or are not relevant. If only applies to the subject of a clause, you put it in front of the subject. Only his close friends knew how much he idolized his daughters. ...the belief that only a completely different approach will be effective. If the verb is 'be', you put only after it. There is only one train that goes from Denmark to Sweden by night. If the verb is not 'be' and only does not apply to the subject, you usually put it in front of the verb or after the first auxiliary, regardless of what it applies to. For example, instead of saying 'I see my brother only at weekends', you usually say 'I only see my brother at weekends'. The motorist only encounters serious traffic jams in the city centre. We could only choose two of them. New technology will only be introduced by mutual agreement. ◊ emphatic uses However, if you want to be quite clear or emphatic, you put only immediately in front of the word, word group, or clause it applies to. He played only instrumental music. You may borrow only one item at a time. There were other tollbooths but they were staffed only during the day. We excavate only when something interesting is found. For extra emphasis, you can put only after the word or word group that it applies to. We insisted on being interviewed by women journalists only. This strategy was used once only. In writing and formal speech, you can put only at the beginning of a sentence, followed by the word, word group, or clause it applies to. After this word, word group, or clause, you put an auxiliary or 'be' followed by the subject of the main clause. Only here was it safe to prepare and handle hot drinks. Only then did Ginny realize that she still hadn't phoned her mother. Only when the injured limb is fully mobile will the runner be encouraged to restrengthen it. An alternative way of emphasizing is to start with 'It is only...' or 'It was only...' and the word or words that you want to emphasize. You put the rest of the sentence in a 'that'-clause. It is only now that his virtues are beginning to be more widely appreciated. It was only when the plans threatened middle-class areas that they ran into trouble. ◊ 'not only' You use not only with 'but' or 'but also' as a way of linking words or word groups. For a full explanation, see entry at ↑ |
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