Example from something I’m reading at work:
“Voters can only participate in one party’s caucus.”

I think, wait, what?
I’m pretty sure they can also volunteer to do check-in, chair the caucus, or just observe if they don’t want to participate, etc.

Of course, what they meant was “Voters can participate in only one party’s caucus”
(they can’t participate in both parties’ caucuses)

Generally “clearer” is the preferred comparative, rather than “more clear.” One syllable words typically need only “er” added, although both are acceptable.

Deborah, I thought I had explained those opening sentences in these passages:

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In the incorrect version of sentence 1, the word only modifies the verb phrase “can be balanced,” wrongly suggesting that something other than balancing might be done to the budget. The actual idea, however, is that the budget can be balanced “only if programs are cut.”

The first version of sentence 2 is illogical because only modifies waking. A hibernating animal engages in a great deal of sleeping, so it makes no sense to suggest that he or she is “only waking.” In the improved version, the sentence more appropriately tells us that the animal wakes “only occasionally.”

Notice that if we move the word only once again in this sentence, we suggest a different idea altogether: that the animal wakes occasionally “only for nourishment.”

Our original third sentence falsely states that the team “only scored,” suggesting that they did not hit, run, pitch, or do anything else during the first seven innings. More logically, we want to say that the team scored “only two runs” during that time period.

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If those statements aren’t clear, please let me know where you would like further clarification and I’ll try again! Thanks.