Position Of Only And Even

The word only should be written in front of and next to the word or phrase it modifies.

Compare:

• Only David may sleep on the bed. (David and nobody else may use the bed.)
• David may sleep only on the bed. (David may sleep nowhere else.)
• David may sleep on the only bed. (David may sleep on the only bed there is.)
• David may only sleep on the bed. (David may sleep – but do nothing else – upon the bed.)

Position of the word even

The word even should be written in front of and next to the word it modifies.

Read the sentences given below.

• Even Alice could not see the bird in the picture. (Alice, let alone anyone else, could not see it.)
• Alice could not even see the bird in the picture. (Alice could not see other things, let alone the bird.)
• Alice could not see even the bird in the picture. (Alice could not see the bird, let alone the one in the picture.)