Modifiers
Place modifier words like "only" or "not" immediately before the phrase that they modify.
Often, especially in speech, the word "only" is used in the wrong place and the meaning of the sentence is changed or restricted. While most English speakers can understand the intended meaning, the incorrect placement can cause confusion when the sentence is translated.
Consider the following sentences:
- This section is only visible when Default Orientation is set to Auto Rotation.
- This section is visible only when Default Orientation is set to Auto Rotation.
In the first sentence, the word "only" modifies the word "visible." The literal meaning of the sentence is that the section is visible but has no other functionality when the condition is met. This meaning is not what the author intended.
What the author actually meant is that a condition must be met before the section is visible. This meaning is correctly written in the second sentence, where the word "only" modifies the condition "when Default Orientation is set to Auto Rotation".
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| This setting is only available when using the IL2CPP scripting back end. | This setting is available only when using the IL2CPP scripting back end. |
Recommended practice is to follow the OpenGL GLSL semantics and only declare a variable as const when it is truly invariant. | Recommended practice is to follow the OpenGL GLSL semantics and declare a variable as const only when it is truly invariant. |
| All users do not need to have a license to view the data. | Not all users need to have a license to view the data. |