Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[olive2006]

He uses only bamboo and paper to make his kites.
Is "only" an adjective or an adverb here?

[LucentShade]

I'd say it's an adverb--it tells us how or "in what circumstances" he makes the kites. You could say, "He uses bamboo and paper to make kites," but adding only gives more information about how they're used; "only" makes it clear that nothing else is used.

[olive2006]

Thanks a lot for your reply.

[olive2006]

By the way,
"He uses only bamboo and paper to make his kites."
="He only uses bamboo and paper to make his kites."?