What part of speech is 'only'

[Barman]

Please consider the sentence below:

1) Only he agreed to help that boy ( i.e., no one else agreed to do it ).

In the above sentence what part of speech is Only?

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

You can easily Google only def. I just did.

 

[Barman]

You an easily Google only def. I just did.

I don't understand what do you mean here.

 

[emsr2d2]

Charlie made a typo. It should read "You can easily Google ...". He means that if you Google "only definition" (or "definition of only"), you will easily find the answer. We like users to show that they have done their own research before asking here.

 

[Barman]

Charlie made a typo. It should read "You can easily Google ...". He means that if you Google "only definition" (or "definition of only"), you will easily find the answer. We like users to show that they have done their own research before asking here.

Now, it is clear to me. But I was perplexed with the type of part of speech. Was it adverb or adjective there?

 

[GoesStation]

Now, it is clear to me. But I was perplexed with the type of part of speech. Was it adverb or adjective there?

What is the part of speech of the word it modifies?

 

[Barman]

What is the part of speech of the word it modifies?

In this sentence, clearly the word Only modifies the pronoun 'he'.

 

[GoesStation]

In this sentence, clearly the word Only modifies the pronoun 'he'.

Correct. What part of speech is the word "he"?

 

[Barman]

Correct. What part of speech is the word "he"?

Pronoun

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

Charlie made a typo. It should read "You can easily Google ...". He means that if you Google "only definition" (or "definition of only"), you will easily find the answer. We like users to show that they have done their own research before asking here.

Whew. Thanks. My prufereeder takes Sundays off.

Just fixed it. Sorry, Barman!

 

[Tarheel]

Barman, what's the answer to your question?

 

[Barman]

Barman, what's the answer to your question?

As the word Only qualifies the pronoun he, the part of speech should be adjective.

 

[Barman]

Can the word Only be an adverb in this sentence?

 

[PaulMatthews]

As the word Only qualifies the pronoun he, the part of speech should be adjective.

That's wrong, I'm afraid.

[Only he] agreed to help that boy.

"Only" belongs to two parts of speech, adjective and adverb. Here it is an adverb functioning as a focusing modifier in the bracketed noun phrase.

The difference is that focusing modifiers like "only" do not modify nouns or nominals (as opposed to noun phrases). In, for example, "my only reservation", "only" is an adjective modifying the nominal "reservation".

 

[Barman]

That's wrong, I'm afraid.

[Only he] agreed to help that boy.

"Only" belongs to two parts of speech, adjective and adverb. Here it is an adverb functioning as a focusing modifier in the bracketed noun phrase.

The difference is that focusing modifiers like "only" do not modify nouns or nominals (as opposed to noun phrases). In, for example, "my only reservation", "only" is an adjective modifying the nominal "reservation".

If the word Only is an adverb, how can it modify the pronoun he in this sentence?

 

[PaulMatthews]

If the word Only is an adverb, how can it modify the pronoun he in this sentence?

Why shouldn't it?

Pronouns are a subclass of noun, so "only" is modifying the noun phrase "he".

 

[TheParser]

If the word Only is an adverb, how can it modify the pronoun he in this sentence?

NOT A TEACHER


Barman, I suggest that you consider these sentences that I have made up.

1. "Tom is my only friend."
2. "Only Tom is my friend."

In No. 1, "only" is an adjective that modifies the noun "friend." You could use any appropriate adjective, and it would still be correct English: "Tom is my best friend."

In No. 2, "only" is what some sources call a focus adverb because it focuses "our attention by adding information." Here are two of my source's examples: "Only Tom knows the answer." (i.e. nobody else does); "Tom knows only half of it." (i.e. nothing else)


-- L.G. Alexander, Longman English Grammar (1988), page 141.

 

[GoesStation]

It looks like my question about the part of speech of the word that "only" modifies in the sentence wasn't helpful. Sorry.

I've learned about focus adverbs here for the first time. My previous ignorance had no effect at all on my mastery of written or spoken English.