KINDLY advise on how to use the word “only”. Here are some examples:

a) There are only two units left in the box.

b) We have two units only.

c) The shop is open only on weekdays.

d) The shop is open on weekdays only. – Ruth

“Only” can be an adjective or an adverb. As an adjective, it comes before the noun it qualifies (describes), for example in “She is an only child.” or “My friend and I were the only people at the park this morning.”

Your sentences all use “only” as an adverb. “Only” is called a “focusing adverb” which draws our attention to the most important part of a clause or sentence. Other focusing adverbs include “also”, “just”, “simply” and “mainly”, among others. Like other focusing adverbs, “only” is usually placed immediately before the word or phrase it refers to. This is seen in your sentences a and c. However, other positions are possible, so long as there is no ambiguity

In sentence a, “There are only two units left in the box.”, the phrase “two units” is the most important part of the sentence, and “only” is placed before it.

In c, “The shop is open only on weekdays.”, the phrase “on weekdays” is the most important part of the sentence and “only” is placed before it.

However, we can also write:

“The shop is only open on weekdays.” where “only” comes after the main verb “is”.

“Only” can also come between an auxiliary verb and the main verb in a sentence. For example, if we are window-shopping and the shop assistant asks us what item we are interested in buying, our usual answer would be: “Oh, we’re only looking!”

The structure of your sentences b and d, where “only” comes at the end of the sentence, after what it applies to, is less commonly used, but acceptable, because it does not make the sentence ambiguous. This structure is used sometimes to denote exclusivity as in “This area is reserved for members only.”

“Only”, like other focusing adverbs, is seldom used to begin a sentence. We can use it in this position, though, when what it focuses on comes immediately after it. Here are some examples from the Internet:

“Only in defeat do we witness his true beauty.” (about the tennis player Rafael Nadal, in Bleacher Report, June 4, 2009)

“Only half the troops intended for a joint UN-African Union peacekeeping force for the Sudanese region of Darfur will be deployed by 2009 ...” (BBC News webpage Sept 18, 2008)

You can read more about “only” as a focusing adverb at: www.oxfordadvancedlearnersdiction ary.com/dictionary/only_2

Equivalent phrases

1. What is the equivalent phrase for bahasa pasar? Market language?

2. What is proper English for common bahasa pasar phrases such as:

a) Mana boleh? (Where can?)

b) Mana ada? (Where got?)

3. What is the equivalent proverb for hangat-hangat tahi ayam? Is it “New broom sweeps clean”? – Loke

1. No, not “market language”, but colloquial or informal language. The Malaysian version of colloquial English that you refer to in question 2 is known as Manglish.

2. a) “Where can?” is the Manglish equivalent of “It’s not possible!”

b) “Where got?” is the Manglish equivalent of “It’s not here.” or “There’s no such thing.”

I am a little out of touch with Manglish (which I spoke with friends in my student days), and so will stand corrected by current speakers.

3. “Hangat-hangat tahi ayam” means not doing something wholeheartedly or continuously.

The nearest saying I can think of in English is the old saying “Faint heart never won fair lady” (faint-hearted = half-hearted). This is “used to tell someone that they must make a lot of effort if they want to achieve something difficult” (online Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary).

“New brooms sweep clean” has a related meaning which is that when we start something new, we make more effort, but as we get used to it, we may lose interest.

Translation for ‘ever’

I refer to your answer to the question on “ever” (MOE, Feb 3) and I would like to add some words in Malay which correspond to the word.

“Ever” can be rendered as pernah, biasa or bisa, which are commonly used in Bahasa Indonesia as in these phrases:

1. Jangan pernah tinggalkan diriku untuk dirinya (a line from a song by Kris Dayanti, Menghitung Hari); and

2. Bagaimana kamu bisa (boleh) melakukan yang sedemikian?

These can be translated as:

1. Don’t ever leave me for a new lover; and

2. How did you ever manage to do it? – Shawal

Thank you for your contribution to the discussion on the Malay equivalents of the word “ever”.

However, the use of the word “pernah” as a translation of “ever” in your sentence 1 may be used in Bahasa Indonesia, but not in Bahasa Malaysia, where “pernah” is only used for past events. The BM version of the line from the Indonesian song would be :

“Jangan sekali-kali tinggalkan diriku kerana dirinya”

“Ever” is only used to talk about the past in questions, where it can be translated as “pernah”, e.g. the question “Have you ever been to India?” can be translated as “Pernahkah awak pergi ke India?”

Defining ‘between’

In this sentence. “Pick a number between three and five”, does it mean I can choose either three, four or five? Or can I only choose four? – Tiek

I think you may only choose four. The online Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines “between” with respect to amount in this way: “If something is between two amounts, it is greater than the first amount but smaller than the second.”

One of its examples is “She weighs between 55 and 60 kilograms.” According to the above definition, that must mean that she can’t be 55kg but may be 55.1kg in weight. And she can’t weigh 60kg but may weigh 59.9kg.

Mathematicians may think differently, but I am not very good at mathematics.

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