From the Google website:
"At this time we are accepting questions written in English only."

Should this not read:

At this time we are only accepting questions written in English?

Hi there!

Actually, either is correct.  The structure on the website is used to
indicate that the rule is firm.

The word "only" is an adjective, describing the proper noun "English".
 In everyday usage, adjectives typically precede the noun which they
modify.  *However*, they may be placed *after* the nouns which they
modify for emphasis.


Hope this helps!

missy-ga

Dear Londonlinks,

Thanks for the interesting question, to which the answer is "Probably
not".

There are differing opinions on the positioning of the word "only"
within a clause and, indeed, on whether it matters where it goes. 
Some say it doesn't matter, and some - I expect I can include you here
- put the word where it feels most natural, without regard to sense. 
But there is an argument that different meanings can be indicated by
choosing different places for the word.  Consider these sentences:

 - Only at this time we are accepting questions written in English. 
(Only now: later we may permit other languages.)

 - At this time only we are accepting questions written in English. 
(No-one else presently accepts questions in English.)

 - At this time we are only accepting questions written in English. 
(We are accepting English questions but we are not doing anything else
with them, e.g. publishing them or allowing them to be answered.)

 - At this time we are accepting only questions written in English. 
(We are not accepting answers or comments in English.)

 - At this time we are accepting questions written only in English. 
(We are not accepting questions in other languages.)

 - At this time we are accepting questions written in English only. 
(Ditto)

Some suggest that these distinctions of meaning are useful and that it
is therefore sensible to position such words in this way.  That was
Google Answers' choice in the original sentence.

I trust this helps.

Only in that the original text could be interpreted as meaning that
Google Answers accepts questions which contain English but no other
language.  This isn't saying anything at all, because it doesn't
negate the submission of questions which contain other language as
well as English, nor questions which contain no English.

This could be akin to a sign on a vending machine which reads: "This
machine requires £6 per use. You may make this payment using £2 only".
 That is to say "We are accepting questions, and they *may* be written
in English only, if you so desire.  However, they may equally be
written in a combination of English and another language, or using no
English whatsoever."

You may believe that your suggested modification makes it clear that
only the English language may be used for a question to be accepted;
however your version could equally well mean that only *questions*
(over other forms of submission) will be accepted, provided that they
are in English.  Your version could also imply that "accepting
questions written in English" is *all* that Google Answers is doing at
this time.

To summarise, I don't believe your suggested modification of the
statement improves on the original in any way.  Nor can I find an
obvious way in which the original statement contravenes the rules of
English grammar, which I believe (from the title of your submission),
is what your question is hinting at.

Moreover, that you have omitted speech marks around your suggested
improvement leaves you with a statement followed by a question mark -
a grammatical ‘faux pas’ in anyone's book!

Please note: I am not a expert on the language – this comment is
probably riddled with errors.

Dictionary.com has this to say about the useage of the word “only”:
“When used as an adverb, only should be placed with care to avoid
ambiguity. Generally this means having only adjoin the word or words
that it limits. Variation in the placement of only can change the
meaning of the sentence, as the following examples show: Dictators
respect only force; they are not moved by words. Dictators only
respect force; they do not worship it. She picked up the receiver only
when he entered, not before. She only picked up the receiver when he
entered; she didn't dial the number. Though strict grammarians insist
that the rule for placement of only should always be followed, there
are occasions when placement of only earlier in the sentence seems
much more natural, and if the context is sufficiently clear, there is
no chance of being misunderstood. In the following example only is
placed according to the rule: The committee can make its decision by
Friday of next week only if it receives a copy of the latest report.
Placement of only earlier in the sentence, immediately after can,
would warn the reader that a condition on the statement follows.”

( http://www.dictionary.com/search?q=only )

Nice catch London! 

You are correct. Or not. 

As a rule, to avoid ambiguity, a modifier should be placed as close as
possible to the word that it is intended to modify.

The word “only” can be used here as an adverb to modify the action
that Google is taking (the verb “to accept”) or as an adjective to
modify the language that Google will accept (the noun “English”).

So then the question is what does Google really mean?

"At this time we are accepting questions written in English only”
means that if you submit a question written in English and in Spanish
it will be rejected.  Your question must be solely in English.

“At this time we are only accepting questions written in English”
means that Google will accept any question written in English, but
does not necessarily restrict the use of a second language in your
query.

Imagine yet a third scenario; “Only at this time will Google accept
questions written in English.”  Yet more confusion.

Placement of modifiers is critical to clarity. A good example:

You also are guilty of using bad English
You are also guilty of using bad English
You are guilty of using bad English also. 

That said however, as a writer I know that the only true acid test of
grammatical construction is whether or not my message got across to
the reader.

Were you really confused by Google’s sentence? If not, then the
sentence can stand as it is.

-K~

To reduce unambiguity the sentence would be best be worded like this:
"At this time we are accepting only questions written in English."

For clarity, it's best to place "only" next to the word it modifies.
http://www.bartleby.com/64/C001/044.html

The original could be interpreted to mean Google isn't accepting
bilingual questions; they must be in English only, not English and
Spanish or whatever.  The questioner's suggestion sounds like Google
is only accepting English questions, it isn't doing anything else with
them.

I have to respectfully disagree somewhat with Missy.  "Only" is indeed
an adjective here (it can also be an adverb), but it modifies not
"English," but the whole phrase "questions written in English." 
Placing "only" before the phrase it modifies would sound more natural.

Hi - there were many interesting replies to the question posed. Not
being a grammarian myself (especially when it comes to placing
punctuation!), I nevertheless feel that sentences should, as far as
possible, comply with the rules of English grammar to minimise the
possibility of ambiguity.

Despite the many permutations suggested, there seems no dispute as to
Google's intention which is to invite questions written only in
English; and it is clear enough that if a questioner submits a
question in some other language then this will not be processed. 
However, it seems grammatically untidy to leave the word "only"
dangling at the end of a sentence - any sentence! - and I have not
come across such a practice at least in the UK.

It does not seem justifiable that a sentence can be written in any
form if the meaning is obvious, otherwise one could just as easily say
"English - or else!"

John Aidiniantz
www.sherlock-holmes.co.uk

Maybe the celebrations have confused me, but I feel that the "only"
danglifier is something the Queen of England would use, as in:

"Although we feel that rock music, especially when it mentions us
personally, is evil, the feeling probably applies to us only"

I believe the logic of this question has been misguided and focused on
the area of grammar when the sentence itself points to a question of
language, and thus vocabulary. It is not, therefore incorrect to
create the sentence in either form, since all of the words, in either
form are known in the set of common English vocabulary.

webadept-ga