Where to place 'only' relative to prepositions?

Question

I know that questions about the placement of 'only', are often asked here; accordingly, I searched for an answer to my question before posting it.

Question

Where are focusing adverbs placed relative to prepositions?

For example,

For his presentation, he needed to talk only about tomatoes.
For his presentation, he needed to talk about only tomatoes.

My Attempt to Answer the Question

In both examples, it seems to me that 'only' is placed close enough to what it is intended to modify (the topic of the subject's discourse: tomatoes) that I cannot see any justifiable misinterpretations.

One of the examples sounds better to me, but at this point in my studies, I am more interested in what the traditional rules of grammar require, than in how the wordings sound.

TrevorD · Answer

I would say that your first option

For his presentation, he needed to talk only about tomatoes.

is preferred.  I'm afraid that I can't give you a grammatical explanation, but to me (as a native British English speaker) it sounds correct and your other option sounds slightly more awkward.

John Lawler · Answer

I think I found the answer. It's Focus.
Here's what McCawley 1998 says, page 68, Chapter 3
(Tests for Deep and Surface Constituent Structures):

iv. Placement of Elements with Focus

There are a number of words in English (only, even, too, also) that are associated with a focus: an element that is implicitly constrasted with other items, as in John drinks only beer, where only serves to contrast beer with such other items as wine or vodka; that is, John drinks only beer says that John doesn't drink wine, that he doesn't drink vodka, and so on.

Only usually precedes its focus, but need not immediately precede it; for example, John only drinks beer can be interpreted with beer as focus even though only is separated from it by drinks.  ...

While only can be separated from its focus, it cannot be put in front of just any matter that precedes the focus.

The rule for only is that

only can precede
either the focus itself,
or any constituent containing the focus.
(or any constituent containing that constituent, ad infinitum)

This means that, in the sentences

He needed to talk only about tomatoes.
He needed to talk about only tomatoes.

there is no difference in meaning or grammaticality.
Only can come immediately before the focus tomatoes, or it can come before the preposition phrase about tomatoes, which contains the focus.  Indeed, only can come before the verb phrase needed to talk about tomatoes, which also contains the focus, with no change in meaning or grammaticality.

He only needed to talk about tomatoes.

Of course, the further away only is from its focus, the more ambiguity is possible, because there are more possible focusses in a large constituent; that means that the focus is normally stressed heavily to identify it. This is not possible in writing, since there's no written intonation or stress except in the mind's ear. So keeping such an item close to its focus is usually good advice for writers.
Though it's not a grammar rule.
The grammar rule is as stated.

Where to place 'only' relative to prepositions?

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