Grammatically Correct 1/8/08
A weekly grammar tip created by Academic Center Peer Writing Tutors.
University of Houston-Victoria
3007 N. Ben Wilson
Victoria, TX 77901

Using anyway and any way

The Author

Karalyn Jones is pursuing a degree in education and has tutored since 2005. Karalyn is CRLA certified at the master level and is known in the Academic Center for the number of cups of coffee she can drink.  She also leads Make A Change, which is a movement to make changes in our daily lives that affect the world.
 
Definitions

Anyway (adv.)
Nonetheless; regardless.

Any way (adverbial phrase)
In any manner.

-Dictionary.com

Anyway, any way – what difference does a space make? Although anyway and any way are made up of the same two words, they mean two entirely different things.

Anyway, for example, describes the situation and means regardless. A quick trick to determine if anyway is the word that you want is to replace anyway with regardless in the sentence you’re considering. If the sentence makes sense, anyway is the correct word. The following are some correct uses of anyway.

Whether I get permission or not, I’m going anyway.

I can’t go anyway because I’m working.

Any way, on the other hand, refers to multiple manners of doing something. A quick trick to determine if any way is what you want is to include the word in before any way in the sentence. If it makes sense, any way is the correct choice.

I’ll finish this any way I can.

Any way that works for you works for me.

 

References

"Anyway."  Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved January 07, 2008, from Dictionary.com website:

"Any way vs. Anyway." Retrieved January 7, 2008, from Sparknotes.

Test Your Knowledge

Choose anyway or any way to complete each of the following sentences:

1. We make it (any way/anyway) you like it.
2. It was raining but they played the game (any way/anyway).
3. Nick won’t eat okra; (any way/anyway) you cook it can make him sick.



Answers

1. We make it any way you like it.
2. It was raining but they played the game anyway.
3. Nick won’t eat okra; any way you cook it can make him sick.

 

Suggested Resources

Related Academic Center Resources

Grammatically Correct is archived on the Academic Center's website, including all of our "when to use" grammar tips. This week you may be interested in reading or re-reading Phrases to Avoid: Irregardless. It was published on October 24, 2007, and was written by Sophia Stevens.

Recommended Grammar Website of the Week

Ultimate Style is Spark Notes’ online guide to the rules of writing. It covers common errors, abbreviations, formatting, parts of speech, punctuation, usage and more. Topics can be browsed or searched.

 

 

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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