Where should “Only” Go?

People frequently put “only” at the beginning of the clause that contains the target word. For example Mom might say “you can only have one piece of pie before supper.” But “only” modifies the word directly after it. Is having the piece the only thing? Can’t he see it, or smell it? What she means is that you can have only one piece of pie. But sometimes, the first word in the clause is the target. Not often, but sometimes. And sometimes “only” could go in more than one place! See below:

Being allowed looks like a good thing for “only,” doesn’t it? But the number of items makes a good target for “only,” too. (…allowed to carry only one item…”)

So be careful where you put “only” when you write.