Everyday errors, every day

I apologize for the poor quality of the photo. It was taken with my phone on the subway, so you get the graininess and the glare from the plastic in front of the photo. The quote, from Ernie Anastos, (FOX 5 anchor in NYC) reads “We work hard everyday to earn your trust and respect. I am so grateful for being able to report the news in the best city in the world”.

Because I imagine that this website will explain it better than I, I’ll paste what’s written there:

The one-word modifier everyday and the two-word phrase every day are not interchangeable (despite store ads that say, “Lowest prices everyday” – incorrect).

Everyday (one word) is an adjective meaning “encountered or used typically or routinely; a synonym is ordinary. Every day (two words) literally has the same meaning as “each day.”

A simple way to test which is appropriate is to substitute “each day” in place of “every day / everyday.” If “each day” works, we want to use every day (two words); if “each day” does not work, we want everyday. For example, “We have low prices every day” = “We have low prices each day”; therefore, every day is correct – and everyday is incorrect. On the other hand, since we may not correctly rephrase “This is an everyday event” as “This is an each day event,” the one-word adjective everyday is correct.

I see this ad approximately five times a week, and it kills me. Did anyone even look at this before thousands of copies were printed and plastered all over the subway? Don’t people even read this stuff? Grrrr.