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Is together a compound word


Rules, Frequent Errors, and Why They Matter

Here’s the thing about the English language, in general, that’s not just specific to compound words: It’s full of pitfalls — simple errors that can alienate readers, turn off subscribers, and annoy buyers.

That’s why Copyblogger has historically put a heavy emphasis on avoiding incorrect spelling and usage, such as these 11 common grammar mistakes.

And when you’ve been doing this as long as we have, you’re going to discover even more common errors. The most recent for me, though, has been a host of compounds.

“What is a compound word?” you ask … let me show you what I mean.

What is a compound word?

A compound word is simply a word that is formed from two or more other words. Typically, the new combination of words creates a new or broader meaning.

Compound words often produce writing mistakes because it’s easy to forget if they’re spelled as one word or two words. If they aren’t double-checked (see what I did there?) by an editor, they can lead to glaring errors.

Types of compound words

There are three main types to keep in mind: open compound words, closed compound words, and hyphenated compound words.

If we take a look at each one, you’ll not only be better positioned to spot a compound word in the future, you’ll also cut down on spelling mistakes.

Open compound words

I think the open variety are the most tricky to spot. A key characteristic of this type is that they’re two separate words frequently used together.

Since they’re two separate words, it can be confusing to identify them. However, you know they’re compound words because they need to be written in a specific order to achieve a specific meaning.

Examples:

  • Relationship building
  • Coffee table
  • Yoga mat

Each separate word is a noun, but the combination creates more descriptive language.

Closed compound words

Now that we’ve covered open compounds, closed compound words should be pretty straightforward.

They combine two nouns into a single word to create a compound word with a different definition.

Examples:

  • Eyeglasses
  • Frontrunner
  • Handwriting

Notice how each word is a standard word that can be broken down into two separate words. A compound word isn’t a blend of two words, such as a portmanteau.

Hyphenated compound words

Hyphenated compound words can be easily confused with open ones. Sometimes, a writer will hyphenate words when they should be separated with a space, or vice versa.

Examples:

  • Editor-in-Chief
  • Long-form
  • Part-time

Seasoned writers know that whenever they hyphenate a word, they should look up the meaning and spelling to verify that their choice to hyphenate is accurate. Especially because some hyphenated compounds are hyphenated when used as an adjective but not hyphenated if they’re placed after nouns.

Examples:

  • Sue is a part-time writer.
  • Sue works part time.

Still not convinced you should double-check? Keep reading …

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Compound word errors that might make you look like a numbskull

If you’re ready to break the bad habit of letting compound word mistakes run rampant in your writing, review these common slip ups that can trip up your reader.

It doesn’t take much extra time to make sure your content isn’t tarnished with careless errors.

Never mind vs. nevermind

Let’s blame Kurt Cobain, because ever since the poster child for Generation X’s winter of discontent christened Nirvana’s world-altering album Nevermind, I’ve always spelled “never mind” as a compound word.

But, as Cobain knew, that’s grammatically incorrect — to a degree. See, the compound word nevermind is actually an old-fashioned way of saying “notice” or “pay attention,” but used in a negative style:

You’ll do well to pay Cobain no nevermind.

You’ll never need to use “no nevermind” in a sentence, since “pay attention” or “notice” will work better. But do use the two-word variation when you mean “please ignore.”

Never mind what I just said.

A lot vs. alot

This one’s pretty easy.

“A lot” is an idiom, and means “very much.”

Brian rocks out a lot when he listens to Nevermind.

“Alot,” on the other hand, isn’t a word, so you shouldn’t use it. Ever. People will laugh at you.

By the way, don’t confuse “a lot” with “allot,” which means to distribute or give out.

I will allot four donuts to each of you. That’s a lot of donuts.

All together vs. altogether

One means “as a group,” while the other means “completely” or “entirely.”

He stacked the records all together, and the collection amounted altogether to four hundred.

Every day vs.

everyday

The single word can be used as a noun or adjective. It expresses the routine, the commonplace.

The two word phrase, however, expresses duration or time.

He listens to Nevermind every day on his everyday record player.

All right vs. alright

This one is a little tricky because they both mean the same thing: okay, very well, satisfactory, certainty, or safe.

I’m all right if you’re alright.

However, the single word is informal, which is why you’ll get the red squiggly lines in WordPress or Microsoft Word if you try to use it. The preferred use is two words, all right? Better yet, to avoid reader confusion, be specific:

Are you safe? Is that paper satisfactory?

Anytime vs. any time

Here’s another one that’s quite subtle.

We’re talking about the difference between “at any time” (whenever) and just “any time.”

If you’re going for the meaning “at any time,” use the adverb anytime. If you only mean to use the words “any time,” keep the words separate.

The most common mistake here is writing “at anytime,” since the meaning of the adverb already includes “at.” The correct version is “at any time.“

A while vs. awhile

Since we’ve covered the difference between anytime and any time, it’s easier to understand the difference between a while and awhile.

Here, awhile is our adverb, which means “for a while.” For example, you’d write “sit down and stay awhile” to communicate “sit down and stay for a while.”

Can you spot the common mistake? It’s when a writer uses “stay for awhile,” instead of “stay for a while,” because the meaning of the adverb awhile already includes “for.”

Sometime vs. some time

Sometime is another adverb. It’s used to communicate an unknown amount of time or unspecified time in the future. The two words “some time” (an adjective and a noun) communicate a period of time, usually a long one.

It’s the difference between “let’s get together sometime” and “it’s been some time since the old friends have spoken.”

Age-old compound words: your questions answered

Wondering if a certain word is compound?

Check out these common questions and use the skills you’ve learned so far to dissect them — then see if you’ve guessed the correct answer!

Is because a compound word?

“Because” is indeed a compound word because it can be broken down into two separate words — “be” and “cause.” If you can spot two separate words within a single word, it’s likely a compound word. “Because” is one of the closed compound words mentioned above.

Is around a compound word?

“Around” doesn’t look compound at first glance, but if we dig a little deeper, you’ll see it’s made up of the words “a” and “round.” Since the word is formed from two existing words to create a new meaning, it’s a compound word.

Is together a compound word?

“Together” is technically a compound word because it’s made up of three existing words — “to,” “get,” and “her. ” However, this closed compound word is different from others that derive their meaning from the words that are combined, such as “breakfast” or “birthday.”

Is before a compound word?

“Before” is a compound word because, like the word “because,” it’s made up of the two words “be” and “fore.” “Fore” might not be a commonly used word today, but it is a word that means “placed in front.” So, it’s a closed compound word.

Is strawberry a compound word?

“Strawberry” is a compound word that consists of the two words “straw” and “berry.” It’s a good example of how two nouns can form a compound word. “Straw” isn’t an adjective that describes the berry itself. However, “blueberry” and “blackberry” are both compound words.

Is butterfly a compound word?

The last of our frequently asked questions is a beautiful one to picture. Yes, “butterfly” is a compound word made up of the words “butter” and “fly.” It’s a closed compound word because in order to achieve the proper meaning of the noun, the two words function together without a space.

Compound v. verb phrases

Now let me introduce you to a special set that changes in meaning and shape when they are used as a verb, adjective, or noun … and can cause all kinds of problems.

The verb form usually consists in two words:

  • I need to back up my WordPress site.
  • Did you set up the camera?
  • You need to make up the exam before October.
  • We are trying to work out our differences.
  • Stop by the office and pick up your money.
  • I couldn’t wake him up on time because I couldn’t wake up myself!

The compound usually serves as an adjective:

  • Do you have a backup copy of your site?
  • I lost the setup instructions.
  • The makeup exam is on October 1.
  • Marathon runners have insane workout programs.
  • Watch out, he’s a pickup artist.
  • Hit the wakeup button!

Or the compound can serve as a noun:

  • I wish I had a backup of my site.
  • That was a setup.
  • She puts loads of makeup on her face.
  • That workout makes people vomit.
  • There’s been a pickup in business.
  • What time is wakeup?

What’s the big deal?

You might wonder why we flip out over stress the importance of accurate grammar and usage. Well, there are a couple of reasons …

  1. You look silly or unprofessional when you don’t get it right. Don’t think the content proofreading police aren’t watching. They are. And they never sleep.
  2. Great writers not only struggle with their words and getting ideas down on paper accurately, but with fine tuning everything — including their usage.

Sharpening the saw in the small stuff is a healthy habit for writers … no matter how long they’ve been in the business.

So, any time you think you might be using a word incorrectly, look it up. You’ll keep people from laughing at you, and get a little smarter in the process.

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Compound words - The Grammar Guide

Compound words are two words that together have a new meaning. Sometimes compound words are just one word, but many times they are made up of two words. It's easy to confuse these compound words and accidentally combine them. Here are a few words that should be two words instead of one.

Incorrect: alot

Correct: a lot

Incorrect: nevermind

Correct: never mind

 

English has many compound words, which are words made up of two or more other words. Compound words can come in three forms:

  • one word (sunflower)
  • two words with a hyphen (high-rise)
  • two words (every day and good night)

It’s easy to confuse which compound words are one word or two. Some compound words have different meanings in the different forms, which makes it even more difficult to use to correct word. This article will cover a few examples of words that are incorrectly combined into one word.

Every Day vs. Everyday

This error is very common. People think these words are always combined into one word, but usually, the correct form is every day. Every day means something that happens every single day. If you aren’t sure if this is the correct form, try replacing it with each day. If it still makes sense, then you need to use every day. Everyday has a slightly different meaning. It means the ordinary or commonplace. If you can replace everyday with one of those words, you will use the one-word form.

A lot vs. Alot

Alot is not a word. The correct form is always a lot. There is a similar word, allot, but it means to divide and give out an amount of something.

All right vs. Alright

This one is tricky. Technically, all right is the proper use of the word. But alright was such a common spelling error that it is now generally accepted by grammarians.

Catch Up vs. Catchup

Catchup is not a word. As a verb, the correct form is catch up. As a noun, you can write it with a hyphen (playing catch-up).

Get Away vs. Getaway

Many compound words are written differently depending on whether they are being used as a noun or a verb. Getaway is correct if you are using the word as a noun (A weekend getaway) or an adjective (getaway car). As a verb, the correct phrase is get away.

This rule also applies to pick up/pickup and work out/workout.

All Together vs. Altogether

Both all together and altogether are correct compound words, but they have different meanings. All together means a group of people or things that are united (the family is all together). Altogether means wholly, completely, or overall (she is altogether lovely).

20 words that even literate people spell incorrectly

January 30, 2021Education

A new portion of literacy with life hacks that will help you remember all the difficult cases.

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1. Offhand

Wrong: offhand.

So it incites to divide the word into two parts, but this is a mistake. It answers the question "How?" and is an adverb, therefore it is written together. But it is easier to remember by synonyms that cannot be written separately: approximately, arbitrarily.

2. Subscription

Wrong: subscription.

For some reason here and there they offer to buy a "subscription". Indeed, the ill-fated “and” is heard in the word. There is no way to check the spelling, because the lexeme is a dictionary one. But you can remember if you pick up a paronym-rhyme with the letter "e" - the subscriber. In both cases, the letter "and" is not the place.

3. Next

Wrong: next.

The difficulty arises because the letter "u" is not heard in oral speech. To avoid making a mistake, just silently say to yourself: “I follow th means next th .

4. Future

Wrong: future.

By the same principle as above, it is easy to remember the spelling of this word: "I will be - hence the future."

5. Cardinal

Wrong: cardinal, cardinal.

Whatever variants of this word the Internet has seen, even with a double “o” at the beginning. But once and for all remember how it is spelled, the "Etymological Dictionary of the Russian Language" by Max Fasmer will help. "Cardinal" comes from the Latin word cardinalis, which means "principal". The letter "a" is written in both cases.

6. Boycott

Wrong: boycott.

The letter “o” in this word is not perceived by ear, hence all the problems. You can understand why it is still written differently from its origin. We borrowed the word from the English language, which it entered thanks to the Irish estate manager Charles Boycott (Charles Cunningham Boycott). He was too demanding, and in 1880 the land tenants refused to pay him, declaring a boycott. The man received an unflattering fame, and we - the letter "o" in this word.

7. Grand Prix

Wrong: Grand Prix, Grand Prix, Grand Prix.

For those who know French, the hyphen may seem superfluous here. And even the unnecessary "d" strives to get in the way. Because in the original it looks like this: grand prix. But in this case, the borrowed word has two roots: -Grand- and -at-. In a foreign language, each of them can exist independently; in the Russian Grand Prix, it is a compound word. Because it is composed of two roots, and a hyphen is necessary between them.

8. Linoleum

Wrong: lenolium, linoleum, linoleum.

Poor flooring has been suffering from writing, it seems, since its inception. Unfortunately, there is no way to check the spelling. But let's turn to the original composition of linoleum, it lies in the name itself. From the Latin linum is translated as "flax", and oleum - "oil". By combining these two words, we get the only correct spelling.

9. Low visibility

Incorrect: hardly noticeable.

I really want to break the word into two parts, and this is even understandable: there are two roots here - -small- and -notice-. But then the question arises where the letter “o” came from. Everything is very simple: it is an interfix and just connects two roots, making the word complex. Therefore, we will write it together, like other compound adjectives.

10. Quintessence

Wrong: quintessence, quintessence.

Sometimes you really want to show off your knowledge and use a smart word, but it's easy to get the opposite effect in writing. However, as soon as we break the lexeme into two parts, everything falls into place. From Latin quinta essentia is translated as "fifth essence". The word "essence" is also probably familiar to you, and the "e" at the beginning is perfectly heard. Only now the doubled “s” will have to be remembered, there is no way to check it.

11. Periphery

Wrong: periphery.

Russian prefix re- is asking to appear in this word, but in fact -periphery- is the root. The history of its occurrence will help us not to make a mistake. The word comes from the Greek periphereia - circle, where per i means "around".

12. History

Wrong: history.

There is a simple rule in Russian. If the prefix ends with a consonant, and the word begins with "i", then "s" is placed between them. An example in which this is clearly heard is "under y skat”, but “by and skat”.

13. Manager

Wrong: manager.

And again, the insidious letter "u" is lost during pronunciation. But we find it in the same easy way as above: "I will start and - then I will start and sch."

14. Cholesterol

Wrong: cholesterol.

As with most words that are not native to our language, there are difficulties with it. Cholesterol is a special fatty substance found in bile. The origin of the word is Greek, and chol e just means "bile". In Russian, -hole- is one of the roots.

15. Incident

Wrong: incident.

This Russified foreign word is entirely the root. It is vocabulary and must be memorized. But etymology comes to our rescue again. The word comes from the Latin inc i dentis - happening. In both cases, we write "and".

16. Ingredient

Wrong: ingredient, ingredient.

A complex borrowed dictionary word that is also a whole root. With an "e" at the beginning, errors are rare, but they do occur. The main difficulty lies in the middle. To write correctly, we turn again to the Latin language. Ingredi means "to enter". Therefore, an ingredient is a component of something, that is, a part of it.

17. Cacophony

Wrong: cacophony.

You have experienced this phenomenon many times when a neighbor's child was learning to play the piano or someone was doing renovations nearby. But not many people know how to write a word correctly. To remember why “a” is written, the Greek language will help us. It contains the word kakos, translated as bad, bad. In principle, it is true - the pleasant sounds of kakos will not be called.

18. Canape

Wrong: canape.

This French word - canapé - means not only a small sandwich, but also a wide chair or sofa. How furniture became small sandwiches - history is silent. But it is known that a mistake is often made in the word.

19. Excessive

Wrong: excessive.

The extra letter "e" suggests itself, because we are used to seeing the word "through" as a preposition. It is more common, and the meaning is the same. But in this case through - is a prefix. It existed in the Old Slavonic language and looked like "through". Since then, the word "excessive" has been spelled that way, and this must be remembered.

20. Extreme

Wrong: extreme.

Many are misled by the word "extreme", which uses "and". Remember how to spell a tricky adjective, ice cream will help us. If you remember, there is such a horn - Extr e me. Remembering it, you definitely will not make a mistake.

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  • 44 words that we use incorrectly
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  • 40 borrowings in Russian that infuriate readers of Lifehacker

25 words that confuse many people when writing

February 23, 2021Education

About how to write complex words correctly and remain a literate person.

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1. Traffic

In English, traffic is indeed spelled with a double consonant. However, when borrowing from a foreign language, the second letter is usually lost, which happened with the word “traffic”, so you should write it with only one “f”.

2. Future

The word "future" often gets the letter "u" by analogy with the word "next". But it is easily disassembled into the root bud- and the suffix -usch-. There is simply no place for an additional sign. If spelling is difficult, you can try to remember through the synonym "future". Still, even those who doubt very much will not raise their hand to write “the coming one”.

3. Offline

The word “offline”, like “offshore”, “offside”, which are close to it, lost a double consonant when they were entered into dictionaries, which is typical for borrowings. At the same time, if the spelling “offline” can still be explained by confusion with the original language, then the version “offline” is puzzling: in English, the word is also written without a hyphen.

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  • TEST: Together, separate or hyphenated? Write 10 words without mistakes!

4. Rinses

If you're not talking to your washing machine, it's hard to imagine in what situation you might need the word "rinse". But just in case, it’s worth remembering that you need to correctly give out instructions with the word form “rinse”.

5. Producer

Probably, the extra "s" is formed by analogy with the word "director". But in both Russian and English, “producer” is written without doubled consonants.

6. Come

The Word has gone through many transformations. In old books, it can be found in the versions "come" and "come". Yes, and the analogy with "go" is clearly visible. However, in dictionaries it is fixed only in one form - "to come. "

7. Grapefruit

No matter how much one would like to make "grapefruit" a full-fledged "fruit", this word is pronounced in the same way as in the language from which it was borrowed. Otherwise, the first part of the word would have to be Russified, but “grape fruit” does not sound very attractive.

8. Blogger

For foreign words that extort a second consonant, there is a rule: if there is a single-root word, then you should use only one letter from the double ones. A blogger maintains a blog, so he is not allowed to use extra letters.

9. Hardly

According to Vasmer's etymological dictionary, the unchanging particle "hardly" comes from the word "row", it can be used as a test word. And the “li” particle is always written separately, so do not be lazy to press the spacebar.

10. Imagine

Frankly speaking, the word “imagination” is not in the vast majority of dictionaries and literary Russian. But it has a certain semantic connotation and can look cute in colloquial speech. At the same time, one does not need to be a linguist to sob with bloody tears from the "vybrazhuli". So check "imagination" with the word "imagination" and spare other people's eyes.

11. Ice cream

If ice cream means a calorie bomb made from milk or cream, then one “n” should always be written in this word. This noun is formed from an imperfective verb, the letter in such cases is not doubled.

Fill in the letters 🎓

  • QUIZ:​ How good are you at spelling double consonants?

12. Cappuccino

In Italian, from which the name coffee with milk foam comes, the word cappuccino was generously sprinkled with consonants. But in Russian, none of them is doubled. Therefore, you can nod understandingly when once again instead of cappuccino on the menu you will meet “cappuccino” or “cappuccino”.

13. Mosaic

Whether it's a picture of tightly stacked pieces of glass or a children's puzzle, forget about bunnies and spell correctly: mosaic.

14. Handwriting

The insidious "e" tries to fit in here, but it has no place in the word "handwriting". Because when you sit down to write a text by hand, you do not intend to emphasize anything, but rather to underline.

15. Bulletin

“Bulletin” is a dictionary word, so you have to memorize it. The fact that it came from the Latin bulla - “ball”, “seal” can help in this.

16. Legitimacy

There are many options for manipulating the word "legitimacy", but it's better not to do this and just remember how it is spelled.

17. Realtor

It's hard to avoid confusion with the word realtor. Office programs do not underline it in red in any spelling, the “Russian Guild of Realtors” insists on the letter “e” in its name, and even the authors of dictionaries cannot come to a consensus. And yet, in the most authoritative Russian spelling dictionary of the Russian Academy of Sciences, edited by Lopatin, the form “realtor” is fixed, it is better to stick to it.

18. Registration

The check word "case" will help you find out which letter is hidden in place of an unstressed vowel, and will not allow you to write "registration" incorrectly.

19. Gynecologist

Gynecologist is not related to the word "gene", but is very closely related to the Greek "gyneka" - "woman".

20. Gastarbeiter

Remembering how the word "guest worker" is written is simple: in German gastarbeiter consists of two parts: gast - "guest" and arbeiter - "worker".

21. Colander

Another word from the German language, where the letters tend to get mixed up. "Colander" comes from durchschlagen, which breaks down into durch - "through", "through" and schlagen - "hit". But if the etymology does not help to remember the correct order of the letters, you can go the associative way, especially since the word is so consonant with a popular curse word.

22. Calories

The word "calorie" was borrowed from French. Calorie entered the Russian language practically unchanged, there are no double consonants in it.

23. Vinaigrette

The name of the salad comes from the French vinaigre - "vinegar", and it - from the word vin - "wine". This makes it easier to remember how to properly describe the vegetable mixture. As for the second vowel in a word, it is enough to remember that it does not coincide with the first. Then you will write "vinaigrette" without a single mistake.

24. Shopping

In English, shopping is spelled with a double consonant, and many people want to transfer the two "p" and into Russian. Fight this desire and remember that there are words with the same root, for example, a shop tour. And if they use only one "p", then in "shopping" you do not need to double the consonant.

25. Terrorist attack

The abbreviation of the phrase “terrorist act” begs for a second consonant, but you should not negotiate with him. According to the rules for the formation of abbreviations, only one of the two consonants is written in them.

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