The exclusionary adverbs only and solely are more focused on who or what is not included than what is. Let’s start with the more common term of the two: only. If someone says they cook only on the weekends, it means they cook on no other days. If you receive information that is for your eyes only, it means no other eyes are permitted to see it. The synonym solely is equally limiting, but it pops up in different contexts. You’re most likely to hear it used in phrases such as based solely on the fact, or focus solely on, as in, The band hired a manager so that they could focus solely on their music. Note that the placement of these adverbs can alter the meaning of a sentence significantly: if the band hires a manager solely so they can focus on music, then the limiting force of solely is applied to the reasons for the hire, rather than what the band will be focusing on. To avoid ambiguity, the best practice is to place the adverb as close as possible to whatever it limits or modifies.

The verb run has close to 100 different meanings in English. We won’t run through them all here, but to give you an idea of the word’s range: a person can run for office, a climbing vine can run up the side of a house, and a carefully devised plan can run amok. Most commonly, though, run means “to go quickly” or “to move with haste.” The verb sprint is a strong synonym for this sense of run when the movement under discussion is at full speed. Sprint is far more specific than run, and it mostly occurs in the context of sports (The linebacker intercepted the ball and sprinted 20 yards for a touchdown). Though it’s sometimes used off the field (or racetrack) to talk about moving quickly out of excitement or anticipation: The siblings sprinted down the stairs to greet their new puppy.

The verb upset can mean either “to overturn” (to upset a table, a glass of water) or, more commonly, “to disturb mentally or emotionally” (The incident upset her). When applied to people and their internal state, upset implies a degree of distress, sometimes even anger. The synonym fluster suggests agitated confusion, and it is often used in situations when a person is taken off guard or is discombobulated by unanticipated behavior. If, for instance, you are giving an important presentation at work, and someone, seemingly out of the blue, asks you a series of vaguely antagonistic questions—well, that might fluster you! In such a situation, unless you are a seasoned pro, you might lose your train of thought and struggle to get back on track.