The only challenge

[Erik_Kowal]

Find the best place to insert the word 'only' in the following sentence:

She told him that she loved him.

[Wizard of Oz]

.. very clever Erik .. a true conundrum ..

Only WoZ

[Shelley]

Only, is there only one answer to only this challenge only?

[prevaildeep]

It is amazing!

[BonnieL]

Similar to William Safire's comments on "I Only Have Eyes For You." So much depends on what you really want to say!

[tony h]

I won't sign off any report that has "only" in it as it is almost impossible for it not to be ambiguous. Unless, of course, the intent is to be ambiguous.


As a matter of interest, how many "onlys" can you get in that sentence and still make it make sense? Any advance on three?

[Wizard of Oz]

For me only can be inserted after every word, one at a time, and it still makes sense to create 8 new sentences. You mean how many can be inserted in just the one sentence?

Only WoZ

[trolley]

She told him that she loved him.

1) Only she told him that she loved him…she was the only person to tell him

2) She only told him that she loved him… she didn’t tell him anything else

3) She told only him that she loved him…she didn’t tell anyone else

4) She told him only that she loved him...same meaning as #2

5) She told him that only she loved him… she told him that she was the only one who loved him

6) She told him that she only loved him… she had no other feelings for him but love

7) She told him that she loved only him… she didn’t love anyone else

She told him that she loved him, only…same as #7

[Wizard of Oz]

Yes they are the 8 that I mentioned in my post.

[tony h]

For me only can be inserted after every word, one at a time, and it still makes sense to create 8 new sentences. You mean how many can be inserted in just the one sentence?

Only WoZ

Yes!
Only she told him that only she only loved him.

Any more?

[trolley]

Only she told only him that only she loved only him.

[andrewmcm]

I don't know why but I like:

She told him only that she loved him.