Consider the sentence: “The teacher gave me the book.” 1 2 3 4 5 6 Where the words are numbered for convenience of reference. Consider also the insertion of a single word ‘only’ into this sentence to indicate a desired emphasis. Where this word shall be inserted if the emphasis is to be (i) On the recipient (ii) On the uniqueness of the item given (iii) On the giver respectively (only one at a time)?
- A(i) Between 3-4 (ii) After 6; (iii) Between 2-3
- B(i) Between 3-4 (ii) Between 5-6; (iii) Before 1
- C(i) Between 4-5 (ii) Between 3-4; (iii) After 1
- D(i) Between 2-3 (ii) Between 4-5; (iii) Between 1-2
Explanation
The word “only” emphasizes the word immediately following it. Emphasis on the recipient (“me”) needs “only” right before “me”, i.e. between words 3 and 4: “The teacher gave only me the book.” Emphasis on the uniqueness of the item needs it before “book” — “the only book”, i.e. between 5 and 6. Emphasis on the giver needs it first: “Only the teacher gave me the book”, i.e. before 1. This gives (i) between 3–4, (ii) between 5–6, (iii) before 1 — option (B).