Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse writers. I have found the following to be among them:
EVERY DAY / EVERYDAY
The two-word term every day serves as an adverb to tell when or how often something occurs. The single word everyday serves as an adjective to describe something as being common, mundane, or ordinary.
INCORRECT: A solar eclipse doesn’t happen everyday.
CORRECT: A solar eclipse doesn’t happen every day.
INCORRECT: A solar eclipse is hardly an every day occurrence.
CORRECT: A solar eclipse is hardly an everyday occurrence.
INCORRECT: I insist my children wear their every day shoes to play outside.
CORRECT: I insist my children wear their everyday shoes to play outside.
INCORRECT: I wrote my brother everyday when he was stationed overseas.
CORRECT: I wrote my brother every day when he was stationed overseas.
Remember that every day has the same meaning as every single day, and that word “single” separates the two words “every” and “day.” If you can’t logically substitute the phrase “every single day” for every day, then maybe you should be using the single word everyday instead.
© 2017 Ann Henry, all rights reserved.