Learn English – Does changing the position of an adverb change the meaning of these sentences

adverbs

I always get confused between the placement of adverbs:

  1. She has only ten dollars.
  2. Only she has ten dollars.
  3. I answered only four questions.
  4. I only answered four questions.

I think the meaning is the same for both sentences. My teacher says that the sentences have different meanings.

Could anyone explain the different meanings of the above sentences?

Best Answer

I would interpret the first sentence as saying she has 10 dollars, and nothing else (e.g. she doesn't have 20 dollars); I would interpret the second sentence as meaning she is the only present person who has 10 dollars.
I would interpret the other two sentences as, respectively:

  • You answered 4 questions, not 5 or more.
  • You limited yourself to answering 4 questions; you didn't do anything else, such as voting to close those questions, flagging them for moderation attention, or down-voting them.
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