Placing 'only' — Sentence Correction Aptitude Question
Placing 'only': Which sentence means that she was given the prize and nobody else? Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Sentence Correction
- Section: Verbal Ability
- Difficulty: Hard
- Time target: 70 seconds
Question
Which sentence means that she was given the prize and nobody else?
Options
- Only she was given the prize.
- She only was given the prize.
- She was given only the prize.
- She was only given the prize.
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: A. Only she was given the prize.
Worked solution
- Only restricts the word that follows it.
- 'Only she was given the prize' limits the recipient to her alone.
- 'Only the prize' would limit what she received; 'only given' would limit the action.
Answer: Only she was given the prize.
The idea
Move 'only' next to the word you mean to restrict. Its position changes the meaning of the sentence entirely.
Shortcut. Add 'and nobody else' after the word 'only' governs: 'Only she (and nobody else) was given the prize' fits the brief, while 'only the prize (and nothing else)' and 'only given (not sold)' limit other things.
Common trap. "She was only given the prize." — the everyday position of 'only', so it sounds natural, but it limits the verb (she was merely given it), not the recipient.