Everyday
I am having a dispute with a colleague about the use of the word ‘Everyday’. Can you please clarify for me if the word has been used correctly in the following example:
Everyday over 50,000 pupils miss a day of school without permission and an estimated 7.5 million school days are missed each year through truancy.
porsche
June 6, 2006, 9:15am
Oh, and every day (two words) does NOT mean "regularly". It means just what it says, "every" "day". Not every other day, not skipping a day here and there. Once a week is "regularly" but it certainly isn't every day.
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porsche
June 6, 2006, 9:07am
Actually, everyday (one word) does NOT mean "daily". It means "normal", "routine", "commonplace".
From American Heritage Dictionary:
1 - Appropriate for ordinary days or routine occasions: a suit for everyday wear.
2 - Commonplace; ordinary: everyday worries.
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bhea41
June 5, 2006, 12:45pm
Everyday is an adjective meaning "daily."
Every day is a time expression meaning "each day" or "regularly."
Note the difference in the following sentences:
1. Jane goes to class every day (each day)
2. Jane has an everyday class. (a daily class)
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joannaceleftheriou
December 4, 2005, 8:37pm
I, too, witness and correct this mistake every day. It's such an everyday thing, I was starting to doubt my sanity!
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Unggit Tjitradjaja (unregistered)
November 4, 2005, 5:28pm
Good one, people!
How about "everytime" Vs. "every time"?,
everyweek - every week ?
everymonth - every month ?
etc. etc.
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subjunctivitis
October 25, 2005, 3:32pm
Not separating "every day" is an everyday mistake among highschoolers.
Sly & The Family Stone had it right with "Everyday People"... adjective, like Jon & Sarah said.
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jon
October 23, 2005, 9:28pm
I really hate this mistake.
"Everyday" is synonymous with "normal" or "routine." It is an adjective.
"Every day" means "daily."
Another one that gets my goat is "nevermind." It's a Nirvana album, not an appropriate response to a question!
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Sarah N (unregistered)
October 23, 2005, 12:32pm
"everyday" is an adjective which should only be used as such, e.g., "an everyday occurrence".
Your sentence isn't using it in that way though; you're referring to something that happens each day and so it should be spelled out as two separate words - "Every day over 50,000...".
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