word order: I only have five dollars vs I have only five dollars.

[optimistic pessimist]

Dear all,

Between the sentences below, which word order is better?

I only have five dollars.

I have only five dollars.


Thank you!

OP

[5jj]

I have only five dollars.

[emsr2d2]

Be warned though that you will hear the other word order very frequently from native speakers. Most people wouldn't notice. However, when it is the amount of money that is the important thing in the sentence, "only" should go directly before it. That is how you should phrase it when learning and in any test or exam situation.