100
Modern English Only and If Only
- Longman (s.v. only ) sees it as occurring before limiting conditions and
unfortunate events. - Halliday and Hasan ( 1976 : 250, 253) call it an adversative with the meaning
‘contrary to expectation,’ ‘in spite of the facts’ (like yet , though , however ,
nevertheless , despite this , all the same ). - Williams ( 1895 : 6) argues that its meaning “would take different forms
according to circumstances”; for example, it could mean “ this being under-
stood solely (with or without that); – this being reserved , excepted , changed ,
asked , begged , etc. , solely (with or without that) .”
The two meanings are not entirely clearly distinguished in the OED either,
which gives the following two meanings for conjunctive only (OED: s.v. only ,
defs. B 1 and 2):^2
- The only thing to be added being, with this restriction, drawback, or excep-
tion, but (adversative); on the other hand, on the contrary. - Were it not that, but that.
4.2.2 Comparison with But That , Except That , and Save That
The ‘exceptive’ sense of only compares to the use of but in “[i] ntroducing a
statement of the nature of an exception, objection, limitation, or contrast to
what has gone before; sometimes, in a weakest form, merely expressing dis-
connexion, or emphasizing the introduction of a distinct or independent fact”
(OED: s.v. but , def. C 25):
(6) a. Feversham passed for a good- natured man: but he was a foreigner (1849
Macaulay, Hist. Eng. I. 615 [OED])
b. H e would be culled from Jeremy’s circle, but that was not so uncommon.
(2012 Levine, The enemy of the good [COCA])
This usage is similar to the meaning of but that (OED: s.v. but , def. C 8 and
9)^3 as well as save that (OED: s.v. save , prep. and conj., def. B 1), except that
(OED: s.v. except , adj., prep., and conj., def. C 1) and only that (not discussed
in the OED), as shown in these examples:^4
2 In the MED (s.v. ō^ ̆ nl ī [adv.]), the ‘adversative’ but not the ‘exceptive’ meaning is listed: “3. As
conj.: but, however; – also joining an elliptical construction.”
3 OED treats but that as a preposition, but except that and save that as conjunctions.
4 The forms are interchangeable in their conjunctive use, but not in the prepositional use, e.g.:
(i) The candidates are similar, but/ except/ save (that)/ only John is older than Bill.
(ii) Do not cross the railroad tracks but/ except/ ?save (*only) by the bridge (see Evans and
Evans 1957: s.v. only ).
According to the OED (s.v. save , def. B 1a), save is now always accompanied by that when it
functions as a conjunction.