Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

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24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

Proofreading Service - Pain in the English
Proofreading Service - Pain in the English

Your Pain Is Our Pleasure

24-Hour Proofreading Service—We proofread your Google Docs or Microsoft Word files. We hate grammatical errors with a passion. Learn More

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.

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Comments

"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...".

Sarah_N Oct-23-2005

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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!

Jon2 Oct-23-2005

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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.

eric_morse Oct-25-2005

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Good one, people!
How about "everytime" Vs. "every time"?,
everyweek - every week ?
everymonth - every month ?
etc. etc.

Unggit_Tjitradjaja Nov-04-2005

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I, too, witness and correct this mistake every day. It's such an everyday thing, I was starting to doubt my sanity!

joannaceleftheriou Dec-04-2005

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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)

bhea41 Jun-05-2006

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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.

porsche Jun-06-2006

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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.

porsche Jun-06-2006

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