When writing, sometimes it is difficult to determine whether to use one word or two because there are single words that sound exactly like two-word phrases in the English language.

Here are some examples of commonly confused words and word pairs in the English language:

altogether vs. all together
altogether – is an adverb meaning completely, thoroughly or in all
all together – is an adverb meaning all at the same time
Ex. The student organization was altogether against the proposal, so the members denied it all together by shouting “no.”

already vs. all ready
already – is an adverb relating to time
all ready – is an adjective to express preparedness
Ex. Since he had already attended the tutoring session, John was all ready to take the exam.

anyone vs. any one
anyone – is a pronoun referring to any person at all
any one – is an adjective (any) paired with a noun (one) meaning any one of many items or people in a group
Ex. Since anyone is welcome in my home, I have the room for any one of you to stay this weekend.

anyway vs. any way
anyway – is an adverb meaning in any way, any case or nonetheless
any way – is an adjective (any) paired with a noun (way) meaning a chance
Ex. Although the dog was injured, I adopted it anyway because there wasn’t any way that I could leave it suffering alone.

awhile vs. a while
awhile – is an adverb meaning for a period of time
a while – is an article (a) paired with a noun (while) meaning for a period of time
Ex. We went to the movies for a while, and then we talked awhile.

alright vs. all right
alright – is an adjective or adverb meaning satisfactory or acceptable, or not having any problems. It can also be used as a term of agreement.
all right – is an adjective or adverb meaning satisfactory or acceptable, or not having any problems. It can also be used as a term of agreement. All right is a more modern and accepted spelling of alright.
Ex. I think that it’s all right if you ask Susan if she’s alright.

Caution: Academic audiences and some other audiences often consider alright to be a mispelling of all right.

everyday vs. every day
everyday – is an adjective meaning typical or ordinary
every day – is an adjective (every) paired with a noun (day) meaning occurring every single day out of many days.
Ex. Every day I wonder about the troubles of everyday life.

everyone vs. every one
everyone – is an indefinite pronoun meaning everybody or every single person
every one – is an adjective (every) paired with a noun (one) meaning every one of many items or things in a group
Ex. Everyone participated in the presentation, so that means that every one of you will receive an “A” for the assignment.

maybe vs. may be
maybe – is an adverb meaning possibly or perhaps
may be – is a form of the verb be
Ex. It may be acceptable for you to bring your dog to visit, but maybe I should check with my mother first.

Along with our website, we recommend the “One Word or Two?” section of Purdue’s online handout entitled Spelling: Common Words That Sound Alike at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_spelhomo.html.  This site contains information on words and word pairs, and it also contains some information on common homophones that are used in the English language.

Test your understanding of single words vs. two-word phrases by choosing the correct word(s) in each of the following sentences.

1. There isn’t (anyway, any way) that I would consider cheating on a test.
2. It’s (altogether, all together) unfair that Janie received an “A” on the assignment while I received a “D.”
3. (Everyone, every one) of the windows was broken in the storm.
4. The veterinarian said that (maybe, may be) the dog had rabies.
5. The camp counselor asked that children bring (everyday, every day) clothing.

Answers

1. There isn’t any way that I would consider cheating on a test.
2. It’s altogether unfair that Janie received an “A” on the assignment while I received a “D.”
3. Every one of the windows was broken in the storm.
4. The veterinarian said that maybe the dog had rabies.
5. The camp counselor asked that children bring everyday clothing.

Grammatically Correct is a grammar tip of the week created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors at the University of Houston-Victoria in Victoria, Texas.

Comments about this newsletter should be directed to Summer Leibensperger, leibenspergers@uhv.edu.

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