emphasis You use only to emphasize that you are talking about a small part of an amount or group, not the whole of it. These are only a few of the possibilities Only a minority of the people supported the Revolution
emphasis You use only to emphasize how small an amount is or how short a length of time is. Child car seats only cost about £10 a week to hire. spacecraft guidance systems weighing only a few grams I've only recently met him
emphasis You can use only too to emphasize that something is true or exists to a much greater extent than you would expect or like. I know only too well that plans can easily go wrong When the new baby comes along it is only too easy to shut out the others
without any others being included or involved; "was entirely to blame"; "a school devoted entirely to the needs of problem children"; "he works for Mr Smith exclusively"; "did it solely for money"; "the burden of proof rests on the prosecution alone"; "a privilege granted only to him"
with nevertheless the final result; "He arrived only to find his wife dead"; "We won only to lose again in the next round" in the final outcome; "These news will only make you more upset" as recently as; "I spoke to him only an hour ago" except that; "It was the same story; only this time she came out better" never except when; "call me only if your cold gets worse
You use only to introduce the thing which must happen before the thing mentioned in the main part of the sentence can happen. The lawyer is paid only if he wins The Bank of England insists that it will cut interest rates only when it is ready
In written English, only is usually placed immediately before the word it qualifies. In spoken English, however, you can use stress to indicate what only qualifies, so its position is not so important
being the only one; single and isolated from others; "the lone doctor in the entire county"; "a lonesome pine"; "an only child"; "the sole heir"; "the sole example"; "a solitary instance of cowardice"; "a solitary speck in the sky"