the one thing, the only thing

Status
Not open for further replies.

diamondcutter

Senior Member
Joined
Oct 21, 2014
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Chinese
Home Country
China
Current Location
China
Andrea takes classes in everything. She probably even takes a class in how to be annoying, because that’s the one thing she’s good at.
Source: My Weird School 14, Miss Holly Is Too Jolly, Dan Gutman

That’s the one thing she’s good at.

Does this sentence here mean #1 or #2?
1. That’s one of the things she’s good at.
2. That’s the only thing she’s good at.
 
The use of "the one thing" means it's the only thing.

It's one thing she's good at = She's good at other things too.
It's the one thing she's good at = It's the only thing she's good at.
 
Can we also take “That’s the one thing she’s good at” here to mean “That’s the thing she’s best at”?
 
No. That would imply that there were other things she might be good at, merely not so good.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Ask a Teacher

If you have a question about the English language and would like to ask one of our many English teachers and language experts, please click the button below to let us know:

(Requires Registration)
Back
Top