{"id":4771,"date":"2020-09-25T12:52:23","date_gmt":"2020-09-25T12:52:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/?p=4771"},"modified":"2024-04-20T15:43:45","modified_gmt":"2024-04-20T15:43:45","slug":"fun-facts-72-everyday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kinneybrothers.com\/blog\/blog\/2020\/09\/25\/fun-facts-72-everyday\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun Facts About English #72 – Compound Words"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Kinney<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Compound words and expressions such as anytime<\/em> vs any time<\/em>, awhile<\/em> vs a while<\/em>, or anyone<\/em> vs any one<\/em> can be confusing. Though they differ in meaning, they sound the same! Unfortunately, there’s no simple rule that will cover all such compound words, nor is there an either-is-correct safety net. Meaning is key to appropriate use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let’s look at everyday<\/em> vs every day<\/em>. The rules are pretty simple and the difference in their definitions is distinct. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Every<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

After a single Google search, I came up with these errors – and there were tens and tens of them! Many of these websites represent professional teams, services, and popular media. A simple grammar mistake (or two in the case of the Olympics wall art) undermines their branding efforts and credibility. Remember to double-check if you’re in doubt!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Every<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As for the other compound words mentioned above, here are some examples to check your understanding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

awhile vs a while<\/strong> – Awhile <\/em>is an adverb that means \u201cfor a period of time.\u201d A while<\/em> is a noun phrase that means \u201ca period of time.\u201d As the meanings seem so close, think whether or not you can insert the word “for.” If not, then you should use the two-word noun phrase. To be fair, even my spell-check is getting this wrong!<\/p>\n\n\n\n