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.
"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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