56.  When it stands at the head of a clause, it is commonly a connective word, equivalent to but, or except that; in which sense, it must be called a conjunction, or at least a conjunctive adverb, which is nearly the same thing; as, “Only they would that we should remember the poor.”—­Gal., ii, 10.  “For these signs are prepositions, only they are of more constant use than the rest.”—­Ward’s Gram., p. 129.

OBS. 27.—­Among our grammarians, the word “only” often passes for an adverb, when it is in fact an adjective.  Such a mistake in this single word, has led Churchill to say of the adverb in general, “It’s place is for the most part before adjectives, after nouns, and after verbs;” &c.—­New Gram., p. 147.  But, properly, the placing of adverbs has nothing to do with “nouns,” because adverbs do not relate to nouns.  In this author’s example, “His arm only was bare,” there is no adverb; and, where he afterwards speaks of the latitude allowable in the placing of adverbs, alleging, “It is indifferent whether we say, ‘He bared his arm only;’ or, ‘He bared only his arm,’” the word only is an adjective, in one instance, if not in both.  With this writer, and some others, the syntax of an adverb centres mainly in the suggestion, that, “It’s propriety and force depend on it’s position.”—­Ib., p. 147.  Illustration:  “Thus people commonly say; ‘I only spoke three words:’  which properly implies, that I, and no other person, spoke three words:  when the intention of the speaker requires:  ’I spoke only three words; that is, no more than three words.’”—­Ib., p. 327.  One might just as well say, “I spoke three words only.”  But the interpretation above is hypercritical, and contrary to that which the author himself gives in his note on the other example, thus:  “Any other situation of the adverb would make a difference.  ’He only bared his arm;’ would imply, that he did nothing more than bare his arm. ‘Only he bared his arm;’ must refer to a preceding part of the sentence, stating something, to which the act of baring his arm was an exception; as, ‘He did it in the same manner, only he bared his arm.’  If only were placed immediately before arm; as, ’He bared his only arm;’ it would be an adjective, and signify, that he had but one arm.”—­Ib., p. 328.  Now are not, “I only spoke three words,” and, “He only bared his arm,” analogous expressions?  Is not the former as good English as the latter? Only, in both, is most naturally conceived to belong to the verb; but either may be read in such a manner as to make it an adjective belonging to the pronoun.