Which option completes the sentence to express exclusivity with the word 'only'?

Which option completes the sentence to express exclusivity with the word 'only'?

• A. Only the valedictorian was chosen.
• B. The valedictorian only was chosen.
• C. The valedictorian was chosen, only.
• D. Only the valedictorian was chosen by the committee.

Answer: (A)

Express exclusivity by placing only directly in front of the thing you want to limit. Here, the focus is on who was chosen, so the natural, clear way to convey that no one else was chosen is: Only the valedictorian was chosen. This keeps the scope tight and idiomatic. Other placements feel off or awkward. The form with only after the noun (the valedictorian only) sounds unnatural and can be misread. Ending the sentence with only (the valedictorian was chosen, only) isn’t standard usage and disrupts flow. Adding extra words like by the committee changes the emphasis and makes the sentence longer without needed change in meaning for the basic expression of exclusivity.

Express exclusivity by placing only directly in front of the thing you want to limit. Here, the focus is on who was chosen, so the natural, clear way to convey that no one else was chosen is: Only the valedictorian was chosen. This keeps the scope tight and idiomatic.

Other placements feel off or awkward. The form with only after the noun (the valedictorian only) sounds unnatural and can be misread. Ending the sentence with only (the valedictorian was chosen, only) isn’t standard usage and disrupts flow. Adding extra words like by the committee changes the emphasis and makes the sentence longer without needed change in meaning for the basic expression of exclusivity.