I hereby dub Wednesday "grammar day" on the Yeah, Write blog. Why? Because Wednesday enjoys the honor ("honour" in Canada) of being the most commonly misspelled day of the week, not to mention being the hardest to pronunciate.
Gotcha. I'd like to point out that, although you may hear it now and then and it does have three entries in the Urban Dictionary, "pronunciate" is not exactly a real word. This is a either a shortened form of "pronunciation" or a mix between "pronounce" and "enunciate." Choose one or the other, but please don't squish them both into one word. "Pronounce" means "to articulate or declare," while "enunciate" means "to carefully or deliberately pronounce." Click here for a funny example of enunciation ("the bless-ing!") from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
"Baffled Barb" wrote in to ask about the difference between "every day" and "everyday," and in her question she provided two following examples:
example 1: My everyday wardrobe consists mostly of items from Old Navy.
Gotcha. I'd like to point out that, although you may hear it now and then and it does have three entries in the Urban Dictionary, "pronunciate" is not exactly a real word. This is a either a shortened form of "pronunciation" or a mix between "pronounce" and "enunciate." Choose one or the other, but please don't squish them both into one word. "Pronounce" means "to articulate or declare," while "enunciate" means "to carefully or deliberately pronounce." Click here for a funny example of enunciation ("the bless-ing!") from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
"Baffled Barb" wrote in to ask about the difference between "every day" and "everyday," and in her question she provided two following examples:
example 1: My everyday wardrobe consists mostly of items from Old Navy.
example 2: I wear something from Old Navy almost every day in the summer.
Both examples are absolutely correct. Great instincts, Barb! Here's how to remember this one: "Everyday" as one word should only be used as adjective meaning "routine" or "ordinary." As an adjective, it is used to describe or modify another word, such as "everyday photos" or "my everyday wardrobe." The two-word "every day" means "each day" or "every single day." If you can substitute either of these phrases into your sentence, then go with the two-word construction.
example 1: My each day summertime wardrobe consists mostly of... (Very awkward.)
example 2: I wear something from Old Navy each day in the summer. (That works.)
six more correct examples:
I take far more everyday photos than posed portraits.
I take photos of my children every day.
Please use our everyday dishes; the China is for special occasions only.
We use the blue, flowered dishes every day at mealtimes.
We wake up every day to find Ruby has crawled into bed with Jeremy.
Being on television with my "fan club" is definitely not an everyday occurrence for me.
Barb's question also brought the "anytime" vs. "any time" question to mind, even though they don't follow quite the same rules as "everyday" and "every day."
"Anytime" as one word is mostly restricted to American English, and it's an adverb meaning "at any time" or "whenever." If you can use "at any time" in your sentence, then "anytime" will always be acceptable, at least in America. The two-word construction "any time" includes both an adjective and a noun. It should be used when you mean for "time" to be your noun, modified by the adjective "any." In some usages, "time" could just as easily be modified by other adjectives or adjective phrases, like "some" or "a bit of."
example 1: Do you have any time to meet with me today?
test: Can you replace "any time" with "at any time"? No, so you need two words here. "Some time" or "a bit of time" would substitute nicely here, so you know you're using "time" as a noun.
example 2: You can set your alarm for any time you like.
test: Can you replace "any time" with "at any time"? No, so it's correct as written.
example 3: I'll babysit your kids anytime.
test: Will "at any time" work here? Yes, so the single word is fine.
example 4: In the immortal words of Milli Vanilli, "You can call my line; call it anytime."
test: Can you replace anytime with "at any time" or "whenever"? Yes. Correct.
example 5:
I'm happy to go to dinner with my old Simple friends anytime!
Now, keep in mind that it's definitely a bigger error to put "anytime" in the wrong place. For example, it would be incorrect to use "anytime" in examples 1 and 2 above. (You wouldn't say, "Do you have anytime to meet with me today?") On the other hand, it's NOT incorrect to say "I'll babysit your kids any time." So, if you just can't figure it out, go with the two-word option and you'll be less likely to make a mistake.
Hope that helps. If you have other questions about everyday grammar, email me anytime.
Both examples are absolutely correct. Great instincts, Barb! Here's how to remember this one: "Everyday" as one word should only be used as adjective meaning "routine" or "ordinary." As an adjective, it is used to describe or modify another word, such as "everyday photos" or "my everyday wardrobe." The two-word "every day" means "each day" or "every single day." If you can substitute either of these phrases into your sentence, then go with the two-word construction.
example 1: My each day summertime wardrobe consists mostly of... (Very awkward.)
example 2: I wear something from Old Navy each day in the summer. (That works.)
six more correct examples:
I take far more everyday photos than posed portraits.
I take photos of my children every day.
Please use our everyday dishes; the China is for special occasions only.
We use the blue, flowered dishes every day at mealtimes.
We wake up every day to find Ruby has crawled into bed with Jeremy.
Being on television with my "fan club" is definitely not an everyday occurrence for me.
Barb's question also brought the "anytime" vs. "any time" question to mind, even though they don't follow quite the same rules as "everyday" and "every day."
"Anytime" as one word is mostly restricted to American English, and it's an adverb meaning "at any time" or "whenever." If you can use "at any time" in your sentence, then "anytime" will always be acceptable, at least in America. The two-word construction "any time" includes both an adjective and a noun. It should be used when you mean for "time" to be your noun, modified by the adjective "any." In some usages, "time" could just as easily be modified by other adjectives or adjective phrases, like "some" or "a bit of."
example 1: Do you have any time to meet with me today?
test: Can you replace "any time" with "at any time"? No, so you need two words here. "Some time" or "a bit of time" would substitute nicely here, so you know you're using "time" as a noun.
example 2: You can set your alarm for any time you like.
test: Can you replace "any time" with "at any time"? No, so it's correct as written.
example 3: I'll babysit your kids anytime.
test: Will "at any time" work here? Yes, so the single word is fine.
example 4: In the immortal words of Milli Vanilli, "You can call my line; call it anytime."
test: Can you replace anytime with "at any time" or "whenever"? Yes. Correct.
example 5:
I'm happy to go to dinner with my old Simple friends anytime!
Now, keep in mind that it's definitely a bigger error to put "anytime" in the wrong place. For example, it would be incorrect to use "anytime" in examples 1 and 2 above. (You wouldn't say, "Do you have anytime to meet with me today?") On the other hand, it's NOT incorrect to say "I'll babysit your kids any time." So, if you just can't figure it out, go with the two-word option and you'll be less likely to make a mistake.
Hope that helps. If you have other questions about everyday grammar, email me anytime.
