Grammar Police! Sly, Family Stone Forgotten!

This is driving me crazy. I often see individual people do it, but in the last week I’ve spotted the error on in-store signage at King Soopers,* on a catalog insert from Real Goods, and just now in a banner ad for Philadelphia® brand cream cheese. When 100+-employee-companies do it, that’s just irresponsible. Not only did someone have to type it out, but I’m guessing that in each of these cases, at least three people read and approved it. That’s a minimum of four employed adults in each instance who have forgotten a lesson taught in grade school.

Everyday. Every day. They are two different things, with two different uses. Everyday, as one word, is an adjective. It should be followed by the noun it’s describing. Everyday occurrence. Everyday tasks. Everyday people (yeah, yeah). However, if you’re writing about something you do/have/get every day, it’s, well, every day. Two words. Handy hint: If your sentence or phrase could be rewritten as “every single day” without sounding awkward, that’s your clue to use two words instead of one. Everyday Low Prices, but Low Prices Every Day. Not “Low prices everyday.” Not “Save up to 70% everyday.” Not “Philly makes it easier everyday.”

The Oxford American Dictionary puts it very neatly: “The adjective everyday, ‘pertaining to every day, ordinary,’ is correctly spelled as one word ( : carrying out their everyday activities), but the adverbial phrase every day, meaning ‘each day,’ is always spelled as two words ( : it rained every day).”

Sometimes I’m right, but I can be wrong
My own beliefs are in my song
The butcher, the baker, the drummer and then
Makes no difference what group I’m in

I am everyday people
Yeah, yeah

There is a blue one who can’t accept the green one
For living with a fat one trying to be a skinny one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on, and so on and scooby-dooby-doo

Ooh, sha, sha
We got to live together

I am no better, and neither are you
We are the same, whatever we do
You love me, you hate me, you know me and then
You can’t figure out the bag I’m in

I am everyday people
Yeah, yeah

There is a long hair that doesn’t like the short hair
For being such a rich one that will not help the poor one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on and so on and scooby-dooby-doo

Ooh, sha, sha
We got to live together

There is a yellow one that won’t accept the black one
That won’t accept the red one that won’t accept the white one
Different strokes for different folks
And so on, and so on and scooby-dooby-doo

Ooh, sha, sha
I am everyday people

*A large supermarket chain. You may know them in your area as Kroger or City Market or Ralph’s or Dillon’s or Smith’s or Fry’s or Baker’s or… the list goes on.