What’s the difference between “all ready” and “already,” “any time” and “anytime,” and “all right” and “alright”? How does the meaning change when we use “anymore” instead of “any more”?
Get it wrong, and most readers won’t notice.
Get it right, and nobody will be alarmed. Isn’t that what you want?
In the early 1900s, one might write: “What shipments are you expecting to day?” But today, we would end that question with the one word “today.” Why? For centuries, language has worked overtime, making changes over time. Sometimes the dictionaries lag behind the way we speak, and there are some times when they go too far.
In the last two sentences, can you sense any difference in meaning between “overtime” and “over time,” “sometimes” and “some times”? The one-word modifier “sometimes” tells how dictionaries might lag behind. But separating the word with “some times” sets a distinction for a particular time—not all the time, just some of the time. The difference is subtle, but it can be important.
All the following sentences are grammatically correct:
- I don’t want to play hide-and-seek anymore.
Licking his lips, Winnie the Pooh peered into the empty jar. “Do you have any more honey?” - Are the children all ready for school?
Yes, they’ve already eaten and are waiting for the bus. - “Alright, you can go now.”
Is everything all right? - Anytime is fine with me.
Is there any time we might go this week?
For many years, the Winnie the Pooh ride at Disney World had misspelled “any more” as one word. If Pooh Bear had seen the error, he would have said no more than, “Oh, bother,” but all informed writers would wonder who Christopher Robin’s copy editor was.
(1) As one word, “anymore” is an adverb referring to “no longer” or “to no further extent,” and “any more” focuses on the quantity of something.
(2) The adverb “already” refers to something than happened earlier, but the phrase “all ready” says preparations are complete.
(3) Writers often use either “all right” or “alright” universally according to whichever word they like best. However, a subtle difference can be detected. “Alright” has a more casual sense, as we might say, “Okay (or alright), you can go.” The two words put emphasis on whether everything is right. Therefore, we might favor “alright” for dialogue, “all right” for narrative description.
(4) Writers will use “anytime” just about all the time. But if we want more emphasis on time, two words would be better.
