‘Only’ is a tricky word. Basically it means “without others; alone; solely; exclusively,” as in “This document is for your eyes only.” (I get my credibility from Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary.) In this instance, the meaning is very clear.
However, according to my dictionary, there are at least nine other shades of meaning, some of which are more or less clear than the example above. Take, for instance, “Only you will regret your harsh words to me.” This implies that the harsh words directed to me are from you and that no one else will ever regret harsh words toward me. But if you said, “You will regret only the harsh words you directed toward me”; then the meaning suggests that there are words that you and I have had that you do not regret. It’s less of an absolute.
It’s most probable that one’s entrance into college does not hinge on where this four-letter word hides in a sentence. It’s also most probable that the world will not end because of where the word ‘only’ is placed.
In fact, my dictionary says that ‘only’ is placed in front of a verb more and more often and that the meaning is usually understood. For instance, “She only sold her stock because she was destitute” suggests she wouldn’t have sold it otherwise. And “He only dropped out of school because his mother was ill” suggests the same thing.
At the same time, I’m a purist. So when I compare the last two sentences with the one in the first paragraph, I see hair-splitting differences. Which cause me to think that the last two sentences could be written as: “She sold her stock only because she was destitute” or “He dropped out of school only because his mother was ill.”
This takes ‘only’ away from its verb component and makes the meaning of the sentence clearer. I for one think that’s important.
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