\t\t\t\tOkay, this is off topic. But because it involves the glamorous Willie and the use of proper grammar, I\u2019m going to call it:<\/p>\n
GLAMMAR Lesson # 1:<\/p>\n
I Only Have Eyes for Willie<\/p>\n
(Technically this could be a Great Find or a Giveaway. I\u2018m sure you\u2019ll let me know if it\u2019s of value to you. It’s technically just for me. Only me? You decide. Smiley face.)<\/p>\n
Ready? Here goes.<\/p>\n
I only want to talk to my Willie … if only I could figure out what that means!<\/p>\n
Have you ever noticed how the word “only” likes to wander where it shouldn’t?<\/p>\n
(“Even,” “still,” and “just,” have this problem, too.)<\/p>\n
But wanderlust notwithstanding, each “only” is like a chicken run amok in the lettuce bed\u2014you have just GOT to reign that bugger in! Here, I’ll show you:<\/p>\n
MaryJane only wanted to talk to her Willie. (Yeah, I JUST wanted to talk to him!)<\/p>\n
MaryJane wanted only to talk to her Willie. (And I wanted nothing else!)<\/p>\n
MaryJane wanted to talk only to her Willie. (Everyone else should march a great distance through a rural area.)<\/p>\n
MaryJane wanted to talk to her only Willie. (I’ve only got one Willie. And I wanted to talk to him.)<\/p>\n
MaryJane wanted to talk to her Willie only. (Only … what? He was busy singing? He was buried at the bottom of my purse and his screams were muffled by the vintage wallpaper squares I\u2019d just scored?)<\/p>\n
While each sentence is technically<\/em> correct, those delicate variations really change the meaning. And we can’t afford to be unclear where Willie’s concerned.<\/p>\n My advice? We need to reread sentences with “only” and make sure it refers to the right word or phrase. If we’re really not sure, we can always take the easy way out: eliminate “only” altogether. Most times, we’ll still get our point across. Like so:<\/p>\n MaryJane wanted to talk to her Willie. (Still works! Am I helpful or what? Don’t answer that.)<\/p>\n But as for catching wayward chickens in the lettuce bed … that’s up to you and only<\/em> you.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Ever messed up “only” with hilarious results?\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Okay, this is off topic. But because it involves the glamorous Willie and the use of proper grammar, I\u2019m going to call it: GLAMMAR Lesson # 1: I Only Have Eyes for Willie (Technically this could be a Great Find … Continue reading