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7.4.1 The single word only

Example: I only told Jim to bring five cartons.

Certain common single-word modifiers are hard to place well. "Only" leads the pack in difficulty. In the sentence above, I think "only" probably goes with "five." As an editor, however, I can never be sure exactly what the writer had in mind.

Rewrite: I told Jim to bring only five cartons.

Courtesy of John Mercer Associates, www.MercerWriting.com

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