'Only' and I
Sunday, 3 October 2010
S. A. Mansoor
DICTIONARY shows that "only" can be an adjective, adverb as well as a conjunction! Small wonder then, that this very commonly used word has an uncommon flexibility in its usage and application in spoken and written English language. It can fit anywhere in any sentence, and yet it has an appropriate, though far different meanings.
My encounter with 'only' began way back in mid 1940s, as a ten-year old school boy. I came across the versatility of this word, used in a sentence in Calcutta trams. I often rode these trams from (then) Wellesly S to the then Park Circus tram depot, to see my paternal uncles, (Late) Dr.A.M.O Ghani and (Late) Dr.Abu Sayeed Ayub; the former a physician and politician, and the later a renowned philosopher and an authority on Robindro Nath
Tagore. Both of them lived at Balu Hoqaq Lane in Park Circus, subsequently renamed as Dr.AMO Ghani Road, to honour my uncle after his demise.
Tram cars used to stop and start at their regular stops, by a simple rope pulled hand bell. It was normally operated by the conductor; one bell meaning the tram should stop to let passengers get off, and two bells indicating that it can now start.
A prominent notice in bold characters in English, for general information of all the passengers, stated as follows: "Only the conductor will ring the bell'. Sitting alone, I would concentrate on this sentence, and with nothing to do, play around with the words. I noticed with surprise, that the word "only" could easily be shifted to any place in the sentence; and it still appeared correct, yet the sentence had different meanings! In this case, "only" had several positions. These were as follows: Starting from "Only the conductor can ring the bell", we can have "The only conductor will ring the bell", followed by "The conductor will only ring the bell". Next comes: "The conductor will ring only the bell"; following it we have; "The conductor will ring the only bell."
That was my great discovery as a young school boy-- though there was no prize in it for me, for this remarkable finding; all on my own, while reading in class seven! Anyone can try out this experiment with any sentence; and then add "only" at the beginning and follow it up after one word and then next and so on, till "only" is at the end!
Later in school, I told this to my class friends. It led to a lot of discussions and experiments using "only" in various sentences and in various positions. Some times later, in English grammar class by common request of the students, I described my experience in the tram car, which was followed by many examples given by my class friends, on the peculiarity of "only". My reward was the teacher's smile, and his complimentary words, appreciating my budding analytical skills.
sam07@dhakacom.com
DICTIONARY shows that "only" can be an adjective, adverb as well as a conjunction! Small wonder then, that this very commonly used word has an uncommon flexibility in its usage and application in spoken and written English language. It can fit anywhere in any sentence, and yet it has an appropriate, though far different meanings.
My encounter with 'only' began way back in mid 1940s, as a ten-year old school boy. I came across the versatility of this word, used in a sentence in Calcutta trams. I often rode these trams from (then) Wellesly S to the then Park Circus tram depot, to see my paternal uncles, (Late) Dr.A.M.O Ghani and (Late) Dr.Abu Sayeed Ayub; the former a physician and politician, and the later a renowned philosopher and an authority on Robindro Nath
Tagore. Both of them lived at Balu Hoqaq Lane in Park Circus, subsequently renamed as Dr.AMO Ghani Road, to honour my uncle after his demise.
Tram cars used to stop and start at their regular stops, by a simple rope pulled hand bell. It was normally operated by the conductor; one bell meaning the tram should stop to let passengers get off, and two bells indicating that it can now start.
A prominent notice in bold characters in English, for general information of all the passengers, stated as follows: "Only the conductor will ring the bell'. Sitting alone, I would concentrate on this sentence, and with nothing to do, play around with the words. I noticed with surprise, that the word "only" could easily be shifted to any place in the sentence; and it still appeared correct, yet the sentence had different meanings! In this case, "only" had several positions. These were as follows: Starting from "Only the conductor can ring the bell", we can have "The only conductor will ring the bell", followed by "The conductor will only ring the bell". Next comes: "The conductor will ring only the bell"; following it we have; "The conductor will ring the only bell."
That was my great discovery as a young school boy-- though there was no prize in it for me, for this remarkable finding; all on my own, while reading in class seven! Anyone can try out this experiment with any sentence; and then add "only" at the beginning and follow it up after one word and then next and so on, till "only" is at the end!
Later in school, I told this to my class friends. It led to a lot of discussions and experiments using "only" in various sentences and in various positions. Some times later, in English grammar class by common request of the students, I described my experience in the tram car, which was followed by many examples given by my class friends, on the peculiarity of "only". My reward was the teacher's smile, and his complimentary words, appreciating my budding analytical skills.
sam07@dhakacom.com