Today I got a text message from a former student who graduated this summer, asking me if the sentence "I only like to stay with you" is grammatically correct.
My answer to his question is: Yes, grammatically speaking, it is correct. Sentences like "Some guys only like to talk about sports" are 100% right. However, the sentence "I only like to stay with you" sounds strange. The problem is not in grammar, but in semantics, by which I mean what follows the word "like." We like to do something as a hobby, but "to stay with you" is not a hobby. Saying "I want to stay with you" or "I would like to stay with with you" is safe, but that means something different.
The sentence "I enjoy/like spending time with you" is commonly used. However, we don't say, "I only enjoy/like spending time with you." "All I want is to stay with you" is OK, but "All I like to do is stay with you." sounds very weird. Well, the student posed a very good question. I need to take some time to find out a good answer to it.
Here I'd like to thank Melody (陳美麗老師) and Chris (林詠梅老師) for spending time discussing the sentence in question with me.
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