My Facebook status earlier this week read, "Grammar peeve of the day: anytime is not the same as any time, nor is everyday the same as every day." For those who may not know, anytime and everyday are adjectives. Anytime describes an object that is frequently used; everyday describes something commonplace and ordinary. Any time and every day, however, describe how often something happens. For example, "I use my anytime phone any time I want to call someone" or "I do my everyday workout every day."In the last week or so, I've counted at least six separate instances of "anytime" being used in advertising when "any time" should have been used. I'm at the end of my grammar rope.
I've heard advertisers say they use grammatically incorrect language because of the asthetics or because they're trying to be clever or make a point, but I wonder if they realize what a disservice they do to our young people in the process. When an incorrect way of speaking becomes ingrained in students' lexicon, they honestly can't see language any other way. "But that doesn't sound right" or "But that just looks wrong," they say. At that point, I've lost many of them before we even begin. It's not cute when students have been programmed with incorrect information.
Thanks to Apple, students think "funnest" is a word. The SAT still knows the difference. Thanks to Sprint, NBC and many others, they think anytime and any time are interchangeable. The PSAT still knows the difference. Thanks to grocery stores around the country and those darned Gardasil commercials, they don't see a difference between less and fewer. Sadly, the ACT still knows the difference.
I recognize that it's my job to teach my students these rules (plus a few hundred others), and we do work religiously with grammar in my classroom. But how do I convince them these rules matter if they see the rules broken everywhere they look? Think of how much more they could learn if I spent less time deprogramming and more time teaching.
Please, advertisers. Help me help them.
6 comments:
I honestly didn't know how to use anytime, any time, everyday, and every day before. You are teaching more than your students.
About 20 years ago my mom saw a billboard with an incorrect spelling on her way to teach at a middle school. She called the company and they told her that it was done on purpose to get the readers' attention. She let them have it! I was in elementary school at the time and still remember how irritated she was when she came home that night.
I agree with Rebecca! I had no idea there was a difference! I'm still not 100% sure of the difference, I'm not gonna lie, but at least I'll double check my work now! :)
Big sigh here. :(
Thanks for posting this. One of my clients is getting ready to launch a new program to raise money in honor of caregivers (think nurses and doctors). They want to name it Everyday Hero.
Um, What?
I tried to explain that it means ordinary, but it didn't deter them. UGH!!!
"Everyday hero" is still better than an every day hero! They could pick a better adjective than "everyday," but at least they're still using the adjective.
When part of speech is my primary concern, is it any wonder I left PR? :)
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