Hello! This week on Ask a Teacher, we answer a question from Mohammad.
What is the difference between just and only?
Thank you for writing, Mohammad. This is a good question.
In an earlier Ask a Teacher, we explained how the two words, “just” and “only,” seem to mean the same thing. For example:
In that article, we also explained how the two words have different meanings and when you should use one and not the other. The difference in usage is so small that you might not even notice at first. But it is very important.
So, let’s look at more ways to use the two words today.
Usage is the way in which a word or phrase is normally used.
The word “only” can be used in an undesirable situation. For example:
Its usage is also common when we are not happy about something:
However, we use the word “just” when we want to make an emphasis, or a stronger statement. Let’s compare the last two examples with these:
In spoken English, believe it or not, we also use “just” when we want to make something smaller or less important.
For example, when someone thinks the distance is too far, we might say:
If they do not have a lot of time, we might ask:
And when someone appears to be busy, we might say:
Please let us know if this explanation has helped you, Mohammad.
Do you have a question about American English? Send us an email at learningenglish@voanews.com.
And that’s Ask a Teacher.
I’m Gena Bennett.
Gena Bennett wrote this lesson for VOA Learning English.