Sylvia Weld
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To talk about a wish for the future or to show a contrast between how things are and how we would like them to be, we use if only + would + infinitive without to: If only someone would buy the house. If only they would talk to each other. We use if only + past perfect to talk about a wish to change something that has already happened:
"Only if" and "if only" are idiomatic phrases that are quite different in meaning. "If" is used to express a condition. When used after only i.e. only if, it expresses a strong condition or the only situation in which something can happen.
IF ONLY definition: 1. used when you want to say how doing something would make it possible to avoid something…. Learn more.
We use wish and if only to talk about things that we would like to be different in either the present or the past. If only is usually a bit stronger than wish. In the present. We can use wish/if only + a past form to talk about a present situation we would like to be different. I wish you didn't live so far away. If only we knew what to do.
Jun 17, 2024 · The meaning of IF ONLY is —used to talk about something that one wants to happen or be true. How to use if only in a sentence.
Only if is a conjunction which stipulates that what follows is necessarily and true. Its meanings include providing that, assuming that, and as long as. Sentences with if and sentences with only if can essentially mean the same thing, but only if is a stronger phrase; that is, the conditional aspect of the meaning is more emphasized and prominent.
if only. phrase B1+. You use if only with past tenses to introduce what you think is a fairly good reason for doing something, although you realize it may not be a very good one. She writes me often, if only to scold me because I haven't written to her.
