CONTENTS FEATURE: One word or two? Using 'closed' or 'open' terms GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions NET NOTES: Captivating web sites FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn up to $500 FEATURE: One word or two? Choosing between 'closed' and 'open' terms      Years ago, when cubed sugar was more common than the granulated form, food servers in restaurants asked their customers if they'd like their coffee with "one lump or two." Although people rarely have to make that choice today, they may be stumped about whether certain terms should be expressed as two words (the so-called "open" form, such as "all ready") or as one joined word (the "closed" form, such as "already").      Some compound terms can appear either "open" or "closed," depending upon meaning. However, some commonly used closed variations of two-word terms are illegitimate.      So one word or two? Let's untangle the confusion surrounding some common terms that many people find troublesome. alot or a lot or allot? The adverbial phrase "a lot," meaning "often" or "many," always should appear as two words. The phrase modifies the verb "eats" in the sentence "the puppy eats a lot." Because it's a colloquial expression, it should be avoided in formal writing. "Alot" is not a legitimate word and should not be used. The verb "allot" means to distribute, or to assign a share or portion. already or all ready? The single-word adverb "already" means "before," "previously" or "by now." Example: "Stephanie already submitted her report." The two-word adjective "all ready" means "prepared." Example: "Gordon is all ready to sweep out the warehouse." alright or all right? Even though we say "almost" rather than "all most" and "already" is just as valid as "all ready," dictionary usage panels tend to view "alright" as nonstandard. For propriety, use "all right." altogether or all together? The adverb "altogether" means "entirely" or "completely." Example: "Sally was altogether unimpressed by the exhibition." "All together" means "in unison" or "assembled in a group." Example: "The students went all together to the museum." always or all ways? The adverbial phrase "all ways" means "by every way or method." Example: "Have you considered all ways to ship the package?" The adverb "always" means "invariably," "perpetually" or "forever." Example: "I always use air express." anymore or any more? The single-word adverb "anymore"—which is equivalent to "any longer"—should be used only when negating. Example: "He doesn't work here anymore." The phrase "any more," referring to "an additional amount," often can be replaced simply by the word "more" alone. Instead of "Jack doesn't need any more nails," you could say simply, "Jack doesn't need more nails." anyone or any one? The indefinite pronoun "anyone" means "any person" or "any member of a group." Example: "Is anyone interested in going to the conference?" The adjectival phrase "any one"—which always should be followed by the preposition "of"—refers to a member of a group, as in, "You can attend any one of the classes you wish." anyplace or any place? The adverbs "anyplace," "any place" and "anywhere" are largely interchangeable, although "any place" may be preferable when referring to a specific kind of "place." Examples: "I'd be willing to travel anyplace for a properly made egg cream." But: "Do you know of any place in town that serves egg creams?" anyway or any way? The adverb "anyway" equates to the phrases "besides that" or "even if..." or "in any case." Example: "I'm not interested in going. Anyway, my car is in the shop." The adverbial phrase "any way" means "somehow" or "by any method." Example: "I don't see any way to fix it quickly." Avoid "anyways," which is colloquial. awhile or a while? The adverb "awhile"—meaning "for a period of time"—can directly modify a verb or a clause. Example: "Claudine began singing awhile ago." The noun "while" always must be preceded by a preposition—either "for," "in" or "after"—and the article "a." Examples: "Claudine has been singing for a while"; "I'll start cooking dinner in a while." backup or back up? The noun or adjective "backup" refers to support, redundancy or a copy. Example" "This is Carol's data backup disk." The two-word verb phrase "back up" can mean either to reverse or to create a copy. Examples: "Back up the car very carefully"; "Be sure to back up the documents you edited today." cannot or can not? The single-word form is always preferable, unless you want to italicize "not" alone for emphasis. everybody or every body? The indefinite pronoun "everybody"—referring to all members of a group—always should appear as one word. Example: "Everybody with first-class seating assignments should now board the aircraft." However, when indicating plural references of the noun "body," the adjective "every" should remain a separate word. Example: "Every body of water that feeds into the river will be checked for pollutants." everyday or every day? The one-word adjective "everyday" means "ordinary" or "encountered or used routinely." Example: "That's our everyday silverware." The two-word adverbial phrase "every day" means "daily" or "each day." Example: "The bus operates every day except holidays." everyone or every one? The singular indefinite pronoun "everyone" refers to all members of a group. Example: "Some people said they didn't like the candied artichokes, but everyone enjoyed the bourbon-poached peas." The adjectival phrase "every one"—consisting of the pronoun "one" modified by the adjective "every" and followed by the preposition "of"—refers to each individual within a group, as in "Jenny ate every one of her peas." however or how ever? When functioning as a conjunction, "however" means "in whatever manner or way that...." Example: "However you calculate the costs, we need your estimate by tomorrow afternoon." When serving as an adverb, "however"—which means "in spite of" or "on the other hand"—can introduce an exception or contradiction (as in "I packed our lunches; however, I forgot to bring them"). It also can mean "in whatever manner." In the phrase "how ever," the adverb "ever" serves merely as an intensifier for the adverb "how," and often can be eliminated. Example: "How ever are you going to lift that stove?" can be simplified to "How are you going to lift that stove?" The same distinction applies to "whatever" and "what ever." maybe or may be? The one-word adverb "maybe" means "perhaps." Example: "Maybe I'll stay at your house for a couple of more weeks." The two-word verb phrase "may be" expresses possibility, as in "The pest control crew may be fumigating the house on Monday." someone or some one? The indefinite pronoun "someone" is used to refer to an unidentified individual. Example: "Someone with a loud voice should volunteer to be the tour guide." It always should appear as one word. sometime or some time or sometimes? The adverb "sometime" refers to an indefinite or unspecified time—typically in the future. Example: "We should visit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library sometime." The adjectival phrase "some time" refers to a span of time. Examples: "Irma began inquiring about business schools some time ago"; "I still need some time to finish reading the book." The adverb "sometimes" means "occasionally." Example: "Malcolm sometimes answers his phone, but most of the time he lets his calls go to voice mail."      Notice that the closed forms of words are used mostly when functioning as adverbs. If you're uncertain about a sentence, try negating it to see what form the word in question takes. If the negative construction requires the open form (two words), the positive form needs the open form also.      Suppose you're undecided about whether to write "the ship maybe docked in San Diego" or "the ship may be docked in San Diego." The correct term depends upon the intended meaning.      If the sentence is meant to indicate past action (such as "maybe the ship docked in San Diego last night"), the word "docked" is the verb, while the word "maybe" is functioning as an adverb and should be closed.      However, the sentence could be meant to indicate possibility. To test the proper form, negate the sentence by writing, "the ship may not be docked in San Diego." In this case, "be" is the functioning verb—separate from the verbal auxiliary "may" (which is used here to express possibility). The correct structure, therefore, is "the ship may be docked in San Diego."      So will it be one word or two? While many of these pairs sound identical and can be used without distinction from one another in conversational speech, they should be used properly in print. Take your time and choose carefully between them when writing, or you may wind up taking your lumps from your colleagues and clients. Yes! EditPros can help you choose just the right words for your newsletters, brochures, reports and Web site content. GRAMMAR COACH: Fielding your questions Abbreviations of academic degrees? Suzanne Miller submitted this month's question:      "What is the proper initial usage for academic degrees (as in multiple degrees) to be used on business cards?" The grammar coach replies to Suzanne:      The Chicago Manual of Style, which is widely used by book and magazine publishers as well as within academia, specifies that the abbreviations of academic degrees should be capitalized when following a personal name, as in: Suzanne Miller, Ph.D.      A comma and space should separate the name of the individual from the degree; however, no spaces should intervene between the elements of a degree (that is, between the "Ph." and "D."). By example, the Chicago Manual shows that degrees in a series should be separated by commas, as in: Suzanne Miller, Ph.D., J.D.      Consult Chicago Manual of Style section 14.11, or dictionaries under "academic degrees" or "degrees," for common and acceptable abbreviations for academic degrees. Some dictionaries may list them within an "abbreviations" appendix.      Thanks for submitting your question, Suzanne!      Are you perplexed by some aspect of grammar or word usage? Don't be shy! Ask the "grammar coach" at EditPros and we'll try to help—at no charge, just for the sport of it. NET NOTES: Captivating Internet resources Tickle Your Brain IQ Tests      What's your IQ? Take free IQ and personality tests to learn a little more about yourself. Current Wildland Fire Information      Summer is the season of heightened fire risk in forested and grassland areas. If you're planning to travel through or visit wildland areas, checking this site first can alert you about developing problems. Operated by the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, this site presents a "wildland fire update" and contains links to frequently updated maps from various government and fire-fighting agencies displaying locations of current wildland fires. The NIFC site also contains tips on fire prevention and safety. [Site recommended by Amanda Domingues] Missing Money search      You may have some money coming to you. Many people forget about remaining funds in bank accounts they thought they'd closed. Heirs sometimes are unaware of property that may have been in an ancestor's name and could be theirs just by submitting a claim. The MissingMoney.org site encompasses a database of unclaimed property records from states throughout the nation. Such unclaimed property can include the contents of safe deposit boxes, stocks, mutual funds, bonds, dividends, uncashed checks, insurance policies, CDs, trust funds, escrow accounts and more. This site is endorsed by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators and unclaimed property administrators of participating states. FINDER'S FEE: Recommend a friend—and earn a finder's fee of up to $500      Do you know of a friend or colleague whose office can benefit from EditPros services? If you do, EditPros may reward you with a "finder's fee" of up to $500.      EditPros performs writing, editing and publication management services for newsletters, sales literature, brochures, Web sites and other informational and marketing materials.      If you recommend our services to a friend or business colleague, and that introduction leads to an assignment for EditPros, we will award you a "finder's fee" equaling 10 percent of the amount we earn on the first assignment for the new client, up to a maximum finder's fee of $500. Naturally, the finder's fee is applicable only to clients for which we have not worked previously.      This offer will remain in effect until further notice. YOUR TURN: Ask the "grammar coach" or subscribe      We invite you to submit your questions to the "grammar coach," and we welcome you to subscribe to this monthly newsletter—which we'll send to your e-mail address at no charge. 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