115
4.4 If Onlyb. If only she would admit her so- called crimes, they would let her go. (2010
Harper’s Bazaar [COCA])
c. If only he could act, without anticipation, without consideration, he would
make things right again for him and Ms. Gray. (2007 Massachusetts Review
[COCA])
In these uses, initial position of the if only clause is preferred and then occurs in
the apodosis only extremely rarely (cf. Dancygier and Sweetser 2005 : 222– 223).
The ‘wish’ use is to be distinguished from the focusing use, where if only
has scopal focus over a subordinate element in the clause (a subordinate
clause, an NP or VP, an infi nitive, or an adverb) (see Jespersen 1946 : 379– 380;
Huddleston and Pullum 2002 : 757; Dancygier and Sweetser 2005: 226):^20
(21) a. I might open a book- store, if only because I know I’ll always have at least
one loyal customer: myself. (2011 Bicycling [COCA])
b. it’s still worth showing up, if only for the people- watching factor. (2011
Atlanta Journal Constitution [COCA])
c. lost in the wilderness, if only the relatively tame wilderness of the Pine
Barrens, (2011 Oates, New Jersey noir [COCA])
d. He’d go to Tripp’s party, if only to catch a little local color. (2011 Iowa
Review [COCA])
e. It would mean everything to know he was rooting for her, if only silently.
(2012 Castle, Midnight reckoning [COCA])
COCA evidence suggests that the full biclausal structure (as shown in 20) is
the minority usage.^21 Rather, if only typically occurs in an “independent” clause
expressing a hypothetical wish or exclamation (Quirk et al. 1985 : 842, 1093;
Huddleston and Pullum 2002 : 751), as in the following examples:^22
(22) a. If only memories could be as easily erased. (2012 Ganshert, Wildfl owers
from winter: A novel [COCA])
b. If only there was a way to bring him back. (2010 Literary Review [COCA])
c. If only he knew exactly how to say it. (2011 San Francisco Chronicle [COCA])
d. If only she could muster up the courage to overcome a minor setback. (2008
George, For the sake of Elena [COCA])
20 When only is separated from if , a similar scopal focus is also expressed, e.g., If she would
only give me $50; if she would give me only $50; if she would give only me $50. The wish
sense occurs only in cases where only has clausal scope: If only she would give me $50 (see
Dancygier and Sweetser 2005 : 225).
21 A random sample of 100 sentence- initial if only clauses in COCA produces 27 full biclausal
structures, only 1 with then in the apodosis.
22 The OED (s.v. if, conj. and n., def. A7) notes the use of if- clauses standing alone “as an excla-
mation to express (a) a wish or determination, e.g. If I had only known! ... ( b) surprise or indig-
nation, e.g. If ever I heard the like of that! ...” However, none of the adduced examples contain
if only. Likewise, see the MED (s.v. if (conj.), def. 1d) on the use of independent if- clauses in
which “the conclusion is either elliptical or implied.”