0
Pter Posted 17 years ago
Vocabulary
God only knows
Does it mean "only God knows"?
(1) And where it will all end only God knows.
(2) And where it will all end God only knows.
Should I use (2) instead of (1)? And how would you say it? I mean the rhythm and stress.
(1) And where it will all end only God knows.
(2) And where it will all end God only knows.
Should I use (2) instead of (1)? And how would you say it? I mean the rhythm and stress.
Top answer
As to the last part of the sentence I always use: Heaven only knows! ) i'm not a native speaker
- As to the last part of the sentence I always use: Heaven only knows!
- ) i'm not a native speaker
Get the Weekly English Kit 📬
New words, one handy idiom, and a 2-minute quiz — delivered to your inbox to keep your streak alive.
4 Answers
0
As to the last part of the sentence I always use: Heaven only knows! (or: *** only knows!)
i'm not a native speaker
i'm not a native speaker
00
Either works for me. "Only *** knows" is less usual and carries a little more punch, but "*** only knows" is so common as to have lost some of its real meaning. It might be sprinkled in conversation quite casually ("*** only knows where I left my car keys").
With either phrase, lay slight emphasis on the word "***."
With either phrase, lay slight emphasis on the word "***."
00
Technically, the "only" should come immediately before "***". Therefore, #1 is the correct form, but #2 is heard so often that nobody thinks about the incorrectness of it.
The expression may have originally been something like '***, only, knows', thus leading to today's common form.
The expression may have originally been something like '***, only, knows', thus leading to today's common form.
00
Related Questions