Hey, Ibnu-- You must be asking why choose one over the other in cases where they are synonymous. I'm afraid the answer is idiom. One sounds natural in a certain context, and the other does not. Idiom comes with exposure and can't be learned mechanically. And be aware that what sounds natural in England might not in the USA or Canada or Australia or Belize or Jamaica or Liberia or Texas. I use standard American English when I write.
That said, if we look at the page that Petr sent you to <http:// dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=43201&dict=CALD>, we can look at examples: 1. "Would you like another drink?" "OK, just one more." "Only" would work in this sentence, but I would tend to add "but" for the same meaning: "OK, but only one more." "Just" is more normal and usual. It means that you are "drawing the line," that you have decided to have one more and only one more. It also implies that one more drink might well be one too many, and you are somewhat reluctantly agreeing to accept the gracious offer anyway. This "just" is similar to the one in "just down the road" in connoting the extent of a limit. "OK, only one more" is impersonal. It simply informs the other person of the number of drinks. 2. It was just a joke. "Only" and "just" are interchangeable here. 3. His daughter's just a baby. The difference between "just" and "only" here is slight--sometimes no difference. It would depend on the context. To take one example, if someone asks you, "Does his daughter drive his son to work?" your answer might be, "His daughter's just a baby." "Only" works, too, but "just" implies that her babyhood is a temporary condition, while "only" places her firmly there. This difference is very, very slight and can be ignored for all practical purposes. Again, "just" connotes the extent of a limit, while "only" connotes a limit. 4. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. "Only" is impossible here. "Just have to" is cast iron idiom. "Simply have to" is also good English, but it is painfully formal. 5. She lives just down the road. Here, "just" means "a short distance." I can hardly believe that myself. No wonder English is so hard as a second language. "Only" is impossible unless you change the order (and the meaning): "She only lives down the road," which I would guess is dialectical and only possible in my part of New Jersey and some other places. "She only lives down the road" means something like "She doesn't live as far away as you think she does--she lives a short distance down the road." In speech, "lives" and "road" would be stressed. 6. Just because you're older than me doesn't mean you can tell me what to do. "Only" is impossible. This "just" means "simply," but "simply" would be a little unidiomatic. "Just because" is cast iron in this context. Well, there you go, Ibnu. I hope I've answered a question or two for you. Be aware that my answers cover only a very small part of the issue. On Apr 8, 6:40 pm, "Ibnu AA" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Dear all, > I am an Indonesian. I really need English. Because of that I need your > help. Now I need an explanation on what the different between "only" > and "just" is. Because if they are translated into Indonesian, they > have the same meaning. I thank you for your help. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Correct my English" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/correct-my-english -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
