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Only, alone, lonely, by oneself, single

1) When placed before a noun, thus being a part of a nominal group, "being the single one" is expressed by ONLY. 

- The only person I know here is you! (You are the only person I know here...) 

* used with a noun= ONLY ONE + noun // in the negative= NOT a SINGLE + noun. 

- He has only one word and always keeps it... 

- No need to insist... I won't say a single word before he arrives... 

2) In any other cases, ONLY should not be used; use ALONE/ BY ONESELF/ or LONELY.

ALONE and BY ONESELF are describing an objective reality, a situation where the person is "physically" alone, unaccompanied by anyone else.

Alone cannot be used before a noun:  (an alone child)

- I can do this alone... I don't need anybody's help. 

- She was sitting by herself when I saw her in the waiting room. 

3) On the contrary, LONELY expresses an inner feeling of solitude, without taking into account the number of people who are actually present: you can be in the middle of a crowd and feel LONELY anyway. => to feel lonely. Lonely may be used before a noun (A lonely child) and after a verb (she was lonely...)

- Since her arrival here, she's been feeling lonely and depressed... 

Easy, isn't it? Here's the test... Go for it... You have THE FORCE.  

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1. 'Oh dear... I have spilt some hot chocolate and it was only my cleanT- shirtmy only clean T-shirtmy lonely T-shirtmy alone T-shirtI don't know. How clumsy of me.'

2. Susie keeps spoiling Leo. You can tell he is her child onlyher only childonly her childher alone childI don't know and that he knows how to take advantage of it.

3. There wasn’t a single noisea noise onlya lonely noisean alone noiseI don't know in the house and I could sleep like a baby.

4. She has been feeling terribly by herselfonlyalonelonelyI don't know since she came back from her holiday in her mother country.

5. 'Yes, I’ll go to the meeting,but I don’t want to go myselflonelyby mealoneI don't know... Will you go with me, please?'

6. 'I can see only one objectionan objection alonea lonely objectionI don't know to his staying here, but it’s a major one.'

7. 'Paula hasn’t written a single letteran alone letteronly one letterI don't know when she was away from home! How shocking!'

8. He must mingle with his pals and not always stay lonelyonlyby himselfI don't know in his room.

9. ' I’m not afraid of being the onlyonlylonelyaloneI don't know in this big house! I’ll keep busy and won’t feel lonelyalonethe onlyonlyI don't know. I never do.'

10. 'Don’t sit lonelythe onlyby yourselfI don't know, Joe! Come and have a drink with us here!'