121(26) a. “ If only they would return too. Yes! That would be a glorious end to the
struggle you have made, if you can bring them back with you from follow-
ing after the Evil One!” (1863 Trollope, Rachel Ray [UofV])
b. Whatever objections lie against dancing elsewhere must veil their faces
there. If only men would not dance! (1863 Hamilton, Gala- days [COHA])
c. “If she were here! O, mother, if only you were here!” moaned Dora, (1864
Austin, Dora Darling; the daughter of the regiment [UofV])
d. If only I had you all here! How Rainie would play in the temple, Maurice
fi sh in the Nile, and you go about with your spectacles on your nose. (1866–
69 Gordon, Letters from Egypt [CLMET3.0])
e. If only the Astor would keep open after sunset! (1868 Hale, If, yes and per-
haps four possibilities and six exaggerations with some bits of fact [COHA])
f. The Bellman looked uffi sh, and wrinkled his brow. “ If only you’d spoken
before!” (1876 Carroll , The hunting of the Snark: An agony in eight fi ts
[UofV])
g. If only she had the tent the king wanted to send with her! (1881 Ward, Milly
and Olly [CEN])
In these cases, the reconstructed apodoses must be of a very general nature,
e.g., “If only they would return [that would be very nice/ I would be very
happy, etc.].” But there are some restrictions placed on the reconstructed apod-
osis: It must be positive. Thus, “If only they would return, I would be very
unhappy” is pragmatically odd (see Verstraete et al. 2012 : 125).
The earliest independent uses of if only (not the repetition of an earlier if
only clause) seem to date from the mid twentieth century:^31
(27) a. They held hands. It could be saved yet. If only , if only, Burr thought. Peace.
(1958 Weldman, Enemy camp [COHA])
b. Everything was working out so wonderfully, if only ... Please, God, she
prayed, don’t let it happen. Not right now. (1963 Smith, Joy in the morning
[COHA])
c. ATTORNEY GENERAL COLE I was hoping I could talk you into a game
after the meeting, sir. PRESIDENT HALE (sighs) Ah, if only. I took a few
practice strokes with your driver. I couldn’t resist. (1970 Feiffer, The White
House murder case [COHA])
d. you could see the lightning coiled behind them, ready to fl ash out, that
incredible power ... that could be mine ... if only ...” (1977 Coover, Public
burning [COHA])
The negative sense (i.e., ‘that is not the case’) is a twenty- fi rst- century
development:
(28) a. But that gives the wrong impression, for there was nothing whatever con-
trived about the effect. If only! (1985– 94 Dibdin, Dirty tricks [BYU- BNC])
31 A search for if only [y*], that is, if only followed by punctuation, was undertaken in COHA.
4.4 If Only