If ONly because!!???

Question

To me it sounds a bit out of the ordinary bt have learnt it is the correct usage...
My Query??
A) Looking forward to learn wat effect does this "IF ONLY Because" phrase renders...
B) Under what circumstances do we use it.

Goodman · Accepted Answer

Not sure what your questions are ...[:^)]

BarbaraPA · Answer

We should all come home for Christmas, if only because it will make our mother happy.

It's not the most standard usage - and it's a rather awkward, I think, but you can think of it as "we should do it for this reason, even if you don't otherwise have a good reason to."

CalifJim · Answer

X if only because Y
X even if/though the only reason for X is/was that Y

Jack ate the last cookie if only because he wanted to wash the plate.

He ate the last cookie even though the only reason for doing so was that he wanted to wash the plate. He didn't eat it because he was hungry, or for any other reasons. He just wanted to get rid of it so he could wash the plate.

CJ

Klavier · Answer

0 Then, what would be the difference between:02br
02br
01i00 Jack ate the last cookie 01b00if only because 02b00he wanted to wash the plate.02br
02i00 Jack ate the last cookie 01b00because02b00 he wanted to wash the plate.0-

Marius Hancu · Answer

0 01blockquote

01cite10Latin12cite10Then, what would be the difference between:12br
12br
11i10 Jack ate the last cookie 11b10if only because 12b10he wanted to wash the plate.12br
12i10 Jack ate the last cookie 11b10because12b10 he wanted to wash the plate.12br
12blockquote

10See:02br
00 ----------02br
01b00if only02br
02br
02b00used when you want to say how doing something simple would make it possible to avoid something unpleasant:02br
02br
01i00If only she'd listen to what he's saying, I'm sure they could work it out.02br
02br
02i00 05002br
00 ----------02br
00 thus you should change your example to fit.01i00 02i02br
02br
00 The way it is, I am reading the 1st:01i02br
02i01font00 Jack ate the last cookie 01b00even though it was just because 02b00he wanted to wash the plate.02font02br
00which might not be that bad in the end. 02br
00 (the01b00 only reason02b00 for eating the cookie was because the wanted to have the plate ready for washing, not because he liked it)02br
01i00 02i0240hrefhttp://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=55497&dict=CALD

CalifJim · Answer

0 01i00 Jack ate the last cookie 01b00if only because 02b00he wanted to wash the plate.02br
02i00 Jack ate the last cookie 01b00because02b00 he wanted to wash the plate.02br
02br
00 The difference is that the second sentence leaves out the idea that the 01b00only02b00 reason for eating the cookie was to wash the plate. It also leaves out that certain stylistic 'something' that the first has. The reason in the first sentence has a certain subtractive value, whereas the reason in the second has additive value. In the first sentence, 01i00but only because02i00 might replace 01i00if only because02i00. In the second sentence, one can easily imagine extending the thought with further reasons: 01i00because ... and because ... and because ...02i02br
02br
00 CJ0-

Anonymous · Answer

I would like to know the exact meaning and usage of this phrase "if only because"

BarbaraPA · Answer

Did you read the posts in this thread? Can you explain why you are still confused?

Anonymous · Answer

Jack ate the last cookie if only because he wanted to wash the plate.
Jack ate the last cookie only because he wanted to wash the plate.

what's the difference between that?

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousJack ate the last cookie if only because he wanted to wash the plate.
Jack ate the last cookie only because he wanted to wash the plate.

What's the difference between those?

Hardly anything. They are nearly identical.

CJ

If ONly because!!???

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