Grammar Girl here, today's topic concerns three sets of words that are easy to confuse.

Altogether, two words, and altogether one word.

Already, two words, and already one word.

And all right, two words, and all right, one word.

As we'll see shortly, one of these six words isn't even a real word.

Let's tackle the easy stuff first.

Words that are really words.

Our first pair of real words is altogether, two words, and altogether one word.

The two word phrase altogether simply means collectively.

Everyone is doing something all at once or all in one place, as in we sang the national

anthem altogether.

If you like, you can break up this two word saying, as in we all sang the national anthem

together.

Altogether spelled as one word means entirely, as in we are altogether too tired.

We certainly can't do this operation trick here.

We all are too tired together, sounds altogether silly.

Our second pair of sometimes confused words is already two words, and already one word.

Already, as two words, means prepared, as in the cookies are all ready to be eaten.

Again, you can separate the two words and the sentence still makes sense.

All the cookies are ready to be eaten.

Well, already as two words can note preparedness, already as one word is concerned with time,

it means previously, as in I can't believe you ate the cookies already.

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