Be Careful Where You Put That Word!

Be careful with your word order; it could entirely change the meaning of what you’re saying.

Some words seem to be very easily misplaced. They slip in and out of sentences so stealthily that it’s hard to keep track of them. They are usually small, slippery words, like “all,” “not,” and “only.” Here are some examples.

“Not all roses are red” versus “All roses are not red”

Look, there are two slippery words in there (“all” and “not”). The first sentence means that some roses are pink or yellow or some other color, and that you cannot lump all roses into the same category. The second sentence means that all roses are something other than red.

“I only speak the truth” versus “I speak only the truth”

This one gets me every time I listen to the Moulin Rouge soundtrack.

The first one means “I do nothing but speak the truth,” which means that the speaker literally does nothing else. She does not eat, sleep, or walk the dog. She only speaks the truth. The second means “I speak nothing but the truth. I tell no lies.”

These slippery words modify, limit, or describe the words that come after them. When wondering where to put a slippery word, ask yourself, “What concept (or word) does this word modify?” For instance, does “only” limit the action (“speak”) – am I only speaking and doing nothing else? Or does it limit that which is being spoken (“the truth”) – am I speaking anything else besides the truth?

And if all else fails and your head is in a jumble, start over and say it in a different way. What’s another way of saying “Not all roses” without using the word “not”? Answer: “Some roses.” Then, you can go with either “some roses are yellow” or “some roses are red” and your sentence will be much clearer.

This post is adapted from a blog I originally wrote and posted in 2011.