This thesis explores one type of device that helps to structure discourse – English grammatical devices for highlighting particular constituents restrictively (e.g. only, just and ALL cleft constructions). Speakers and writers highlight constituents in a clause and make them salient for many reasons. There are various subtypes of highlighting according to ways in which particular constituents in a clause are salient. Restrictive highlighting is one way of making particular constituents salient. The English grammatical devices for highlighting particular constituents restrictively have received different degrees of attention. However, what seems to be lacking in common is detailed investigation of how the devices are actually used. The thesis has two main parts, one for each of the two main points of interest regarding the usage of the English grammatical devices for highlighting particular constituents restrictively. The first part deals with the question as to what exactly the restrictive focusing particles, only and just, ALL cleft constructions, Reverse ALL cleft constructions and nothing but constructions differ pragmatically, and the second deals with the question as to what exactly are the factors affecting the form of ‘the focus construction specified by a restrictive focusing particle’. The results of the investigation demonstrate how certain grammatical devices with the similar syntactic functions and semantics differ from each other pragmatically and the extent to which syntactic choice is related to the process of structuring discourse. This thesis also offers a more detailed account than is currently available of the systematic patterns in the form of ‘the focus construction specified by only’ and of the properties peculiar to each sub-variety of the construction. The findings are particularly significant, in terms of the question as to which sub-variety is the most neutral and is used most frequently. Our findings suggest that each sub-variety has its own properties and the analysis will help in the preparation of teaching material on the use of only.