AEE 2389: Everyday English You Should Use Every Day

Summary

All Ears English Podcast Summary: Episode 2389 – "Everyday English You Should Use Every Day"

Introduction

In Episode 2389 of the All Ears English Podcast, hosts Lindsey McMahon and Aubrey Carter delve into the nuanced differences between the phrases "every day," "everyday," and "every single day." Released on April 10, 2025, this episode targets intermediate to advanced ESL learners aiming to refine their understanding and usage of everyday American English expressions. Inspired by a listener’s inquiry, Lindsey and Aubrey provide insightful explanations, practical examples, and cultural context to help learners navigate these commonly confused terms.

Understanding "Every Day" vs. "Everyday"

Lindsey opens the discussion by posing a fundamental question: “When should you use the term every day? And how does it change when it becomes an adjective or when you change it to every single day?” (00:59). This sets the stage for an in-depth exploration of the phrases.

1. "Every day" (Two Words) – Meaning "Each Day"

   • Definition & Usage: When written as two separate words, "every day" functions as an adjective and noun combination, meaning "each day."

   • Examples:

     • “I have to do laundry every day.” (05:47)
     • “Every day, I try to do some kind of exercise.” (05:54)

   • Real-Life Application: Aubrey shares her routine, stating, “Every day I take my dog for a walk because he needs to get out. He needs the exercise and I need the exercise as well.” (01:55)

2. "Everyday" (One Word) – Meaning "Common" or "Routine"

   • Definition & Usage: When combined into one word, "everyday" is an adjective that describes something as ordinary, routine, or commonly occurring.

   • Examples:

     • “This is kind of an ordinary, everyday dress.” (06:20)
     • “It’s a fun, everyday activity to just walk over here and hang out.” (15:35)

   • Common Mistakes: Lindsey points out that even native speakers often mistakenly write "everyday" as two separate words, not realizing the slight spelling difference (06:32). Aubrey adds, “By knowing this, guys, you'll be ahead of the game, ahead of probably 50 or 60% of native speakers.” (06:47)

Emphasizing with "Every Single Day"

The hosts then explore the phrase "every single day," which intensifies the meaning, indicating consistency or surprise that something occurs daily.

• Definition & Usage: Adds emphasis to the frequency, often expressing surprise or stressing the importance of the daily occurrence.

• Examples:

  • “Every single day, I have to do laundry or it will pile up.” (09:37)
  • “Do you check the mail every single day?” (10:23)

• Intonation Tips: Aubrey notes the significance of intonation in conveying emphasis, such as slowing down or stressing particular words to highlight the frequency (10:03).

Cultural Insights: "Everyday People" and Its Legacy

Lindsey enriches the episode with a cultural note on the phrase "everyday people," referencing the iconic 1968 song by Sly and the Family Stone.

• Historical Context: The song “Everyday People” delivered a powerful message against discrimination and racism, emphasizing equality with the lyrics “I am everyday people.” (07:24)

• Influence on Language: The phrase gave rise to the popular catchphrase "different strokes for different folks," which signifies accepting diverse opinions and preferences. Lindsey mentions, “That lyric has become a popular catchphrase... it's another way to say, agree to disagree.” (08:32)

• Television Influence: This cultural impact extended to media, inspiring the 1970s television series “Different Strokes,” illustrating how music and language intertwine with societal changes.

Practical Application: Role-Play at the Dog Park

To cement their explanations, Lindsey and Aubrey engage in a role-play scenario set at a dog park, demonstrating the correct usage of "every day" and "everyday."

• Scenario Overview:

  • Aubrey initiates the conversation: “Hey. Fancy seeing you here.” (13:09)
  • Lindsey responds with, “I love this park.” and explains her sporadic visits: “I don't come every single day, but pretty often.” (13:19)

• Demonstrated Usage:

  • “Every day, I bring kefir for my dog.” (13:12)
  • “It's a fun, everyday activity to just walk over here and hang out.” (14:03)

• Key Takeaways:

  • Contextual Usage: Highlighting routines versus describing common activities.
  • Intonation and Emphasis: Showing how slight changes in speech affect meaning.

Announcements and Community Engagement

Throughout the episode, Lindsey and Aubrey intersperse valuable announcements about their new course, "Professional Level One," aimed at providing advanced business English skills through interviews with native speakers and practical business advice (03:11). They encourage listeners to join the early access list at allersenglish.com professional to stay updated.

Additionally, they emphasize the importance of community and connection in learning English, urging listeners to participate in their open conversation club and live speaking opportunities, fostering a supportive environment focused on communication rather than perfection.

Conclusion

Wrapping up the episode, Lindsey and Aubrey reinforce the significance of understanding and correctly using "every day," "everyday," and "every single day" to enhance everyday English proficiency. They highlight how mastering these terms not only improves language skills but also deepens cultural understanding and everyday interactions.

• Final Thoughts:
  • “These words every day can be tricky because they have two different meanings that are written slightly differently.” (17:27)
  • “It's not mundane, but it's because you learn what you have in common with people.” (17:44)

Listeners are encouraged to reflect on their daily routines and share how they use these phrases, further connecting with the community and applying their newfound knowledge in real-life contexts.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Lindsey McMahon [00:59]: “When should you use the term every day? And how does it change when it becomes an adjective or when you change it to every single day?”
• Aubrey Carter [01:55]: “Every day I take my dog for a walk because he needs to get out. He needs the exercise and I need the exercise as well.”
• Lindsey McMahon [06:32]: “It's a common native speaker spelling mistake.”
• Aubrey Carter [06:47]: “By knowing this, guys, you'll be ahead of the game, ahead of probably 50 or 60% of native speakers.”
• Lindsey McMahon [07:24]: “You probably have heard this song, but the lyrics were actually really powerful.”
• Aubrey Carter [10:03]: “Or do you check the mail every single day? Maybe once a week. Yeah. Wow.”

Resources and Further Learning

To enhance your learning experience, visit All Ears English to join the early access list for their professional courses, take the two-minute English level quiz at allearsenglish.com/fluency-score, and engage with the vibrant community focused on improving English through connection.

Closing Remarks

Lindsey and Aubrey thank their listeners for tuning in, reiterating their commitment to making English learning enjoyable and practical. They encourage everyone to subscribe, share their daily English stories, and continue striving for fluency with confidence.

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Thank you for reading this summary of Episode 2389 of the All Ears English Podcast. For more engaging content and to improve your American English skills, subscribe to the podcast and join the global community of learners.

Transcript

[Aubrey Carter]

This is an All Ears English podcast. Episode 2389 everyday English you should use every day welcome to the All Ears English Podcast downloaded more than 200 million times. Are you feeling stuck with your English? We'll show you how to become fearless and fluent by focusing on connection, not perfection with your American host, Aubrey Carter, the IELTS whiz and Lindsey McMahon, the English adventurer coming to you from Arizona and Colorado, usa. To get real time transcripts right on your phone and create your personalized vocabulary list, try the All Ears English app for iOS and Android. Start your seven day free trial at allearsenglish.com forward/app.

[Lindsey McMahon]

When should you use the term every day? And how does it change when it becomes an adjective or when you change it to every single day? Today learn something that many native speakers don't even know.

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[Lindsey McMahon]

Lindsay, I have a question for you.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay, go ahead. What's the question?

[Lindsey McMahon]

What is something you do every day?

[Aubrey Carter]

Every day I take my dog for a walk because he needs to get out. He needs the exercise and I need the exercise as well.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right. I need to do that every single day?

[Aubrey Carter]

Basically, yes. Every single day he needs to be out. It's quite a commitment having a dog.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. We are answering a really interesting question about this. The difference between every single day and every day. And also every day we use two different ways. I'm excited to dive into this today.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. What about you, Aubrey? What is something in your daily routine that you do every day?

[Lindsey McMahon]

I wake my kids up for either school or sports every single day. Because school days we're waking them up. Saturdays and Sundays they have sports early in the morning always. So every morning we're waking up early.

[Aubrey Carter]

Soon they have to get their own alarm clocks, you know, so you don't have.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I know, right. I like to wake them up with a snuggle and they're grumpy if they don't get like a little snuggle in the morning. So until they won't let me snuggle them anymore, I wake them up with a little morning snuggle.

[Aubrey Carter]

I love that we're getting into a great, I feel like lot of students have this question. Today's episode is inspired by a question. But before we really get into the details here, Aubrey, we have an important announcement about something coming very, very soon and something our listeners should do right now to be on top.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, yes, we are excited about. This is our new course, Professional Level one. We interviewed seven native speakers from all different parts of the country. One person from the uk. So you are hearing real professional English and you're also getting amazing business advice.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. These are successful native speaking professionals who are at the top of their game, the top of their industries, people that work with executives, people that work in technology, project managers, people that are in positions where many of our listeners are currently or want to be. And that's who we should be listening to and learning from. And that is the foundation of this course. But there's so much more too. We'll be going into tactics for meetings. Tactics, grammar, vocabulary, structure for meetings, standup meetings, syncs, things like that, speaking and fluency. A lot of this is going to be happening inside this course and learning more about socializing and small talk, how we can get to know our colleagues. We've got everything that we need in there, Aubrey, but what should our listeners do to get kind of an edge to make sure they get the access near at the beginning? They get the access right away to this course as soon as it's available.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, you want to get on the list and we will notify you as soon as this course is finished and ready. Spoiler. It's a very soon. So get on the list. Allersenglish.com Professional Yes.

[Aubrey Carter]

I'm so excited for our listeners to dive into our leveled Professional series. It's going to be fantastic. So Aubry, shall we let our listeners know what the question is for today?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes, this is a question on YouTube. It was from ytwn1vg. All of our YouTube social media names are often not our name and the question was what is the difference between every single day and every day? Ooh, great question.

[Aubrey Carter]

It's a great question and important to start at this level. B2C1 we're starting to articulate this. Like when you ask me that question, you do that every single day. I stopped and I was thinking, do I do it Every single day. Yes, I do. Right. It's a different question. In a way. It's furthering the conversation kind of.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Exactly. So we're going to dive into both of these today with lots of examples. And we're also adding the adjective every day, which is written slightly different, has a different meaning that we also use in English. And we're also sharing a fun, interesting culture note about American culture. And that word.

[Aubrey Carter]

Oh, we've got a lot of good stuff for today, so let's get right into it. So when we separate, we say every day. And it's two words. It's the adjective and noun. What is. What are the scenarios here? Aubrey?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. This just means each day. So, for example, I have to do laundry every day. Or it really piles up.

[Aubrey Carter]

Love it. Or every day I try to do some kind of exercise. Yes.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. Every day you take Keer for a walk. Right. There are a lot of things that we do every day. But what is really tricky is this second option. We have the adjective every day that is written as one word. And it means common, ordinary, routine, or common, ordinary or routine. So, for example, if you're going dress shopping.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

You might say this is kind of an ordinary, everyday dress. I'm looking for something chic, something special. So here it doesn't mean each day. It means common, not unique.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes. An everyday dress. And you know, to be honest, a lot of native speakers make the mistake and they'll write everyday dress as two words. They treat it the same way. Often. They don't know that it's brought together as one word every day.

[Lindsey McMahon]

It's a common native speaker spelling mistake. Absolutely right. They realize when they're saying it that it has a different meaning, but they might not realize that it's written slightly differently.

[Aubrey Carter]

Exactly. So by knowing this, guys, you'll be ahead of the game, ahead of probably 50 or 60 of native speakers.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

Maybe more. Gosh.

[Lindsey McMahon]

And we want to share a fun culture note here. This word every day. Sometimes you'll hear the phrase everyday people, which just means, like, normal, average people, common people. Right. And it was a. It is a very famous song that was written in 1968 by and performed by Sly and the Family Stone.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay.

[Lindsey McMahon]

You probably have heard this song, but the lyrics were actually really powerful. Especially at the time in 1968 in the U. S. There was a lot of discrimination, a lot of racism. And these lyrics were a very powerful message. You know, some of the word, it says I am everyday people. So to use it in that way. Right. Not saying we we are everyday people. Say, I am everyday people. And it was saying, like, I'm no better. Yeah. And neither are you. We are the same. Whatever we do. It was a message against discrimination and racism.

[Aubrey Carter]

Interesting.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

I never knew kind of where that song came from or the backstory behind it. So it's kind of cool to know this, Aubry.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I know. I didn't really either. I hadn't thought about. I've heard this song a million times. And then when I was looking up, like, you know, what are some of the interesting ways we use every day, you know, besides just everyday dress, everyday clothing? And not only that, the bridges of the song contain the line different strokes for different folks. And that lyric has become a popular catchphrase. I still hear it now. I'll hear people say that if people disagree, it's another way to say, agree to disagree. Just to say, oh, different strokes for different folks.

[Aubrey Carter]

And often people will just say, ah, different strokes. Right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

We shorten those expressions. Different strokes.

[Aubrey Carter]

And then there was that TV show. And when did that TV show come out? Did it come out in 1969 or was it later? Do you know?

[Lindsey McMahon]

It was a little bit later. But this catchphrase, it did inspire the television series Different Stroke. I believe it came out in the 70s. Did you ever watch that show?

[Aubrey Carter]

I haven't, no.

[Lindsey McMahon]

But I think I have to check it out. And, yeah, our listeners to see it. It really is an interesting window into US Culture and kind of awesome that it inspired that show. Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

It's really cool to start with music. Music from a certain time period, then look at the lyrics and go backward of what was happening in the US at that time or the world. Then learn key vocabulary.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Very cool and awesome to see what vocabulary it inspired that is now part of our vernacular. You'll hear it pretty often.

[Aubrey Carter]

Amazing. Okay, so that is just a little culture note. Love it. Do we want to move on to when we say every single day? I mean, when you said that to me, I questioned whether I was. Am I telling the truth here? Yes, I do.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Because this is emphasizing or expressing either surprise that something happens every day or just emphasizing that it does happen every single day, Right?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yes, exactly. So, for example, every single day, I have to do laundry or it will pile up. Oh, gosh.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And this is the same example I used with Every Day. But if I'm wanting to emphasize that I cannot miss a day, then I would say every single day, I have to do laundry.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Or do you check the mail every single day? I check mine. Maybe Once a week. Yeah. Wow.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. And the intonation is interesting. You can just be like, do you check your mail every single day? But we often will emphasize with our intonation as well. Like, do you check the mail every single day? Sort of slow down to emphasize.

[Aubrey Carter]

And that's when people. Yeah. They think a bit more. Right. Do you do that every single day? Right. This idea of exercising, maybe lifting weights or something, taking a vitamin. Those are things. Right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I'm curious about this for you, actually. I check my mail maybe. What? Maybe even once every other week. Once a month.

[Aubrey Carter]

Are you serious?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh. What about you? Once a month you check your mail?

[Aubrey Carter]

I take my mail every day for sure. Oh, yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I just don't get much in the mail that I need. Right. All bills are online. I don't get like letters. It's just junk mail. So sometimes I'll actually get a notice from the post office. It's like you have to pick up your mail at the post office because your mailbox was too full and we couldn't fit anything else in there.

[Aubrey Carter]

That's so funny.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, no, I'm not do that. At least that's a huge inconvenience for them.

[Aubrey Carter]

I don't know. Maybe I'm old school. I still get excited about checking the mail. It's right outside of our door. It's like so easy. Maybe that's the difference.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Is your help down the street. I don't have time for that.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, no, I love checking the mail. It's fun.

[Lindsey McMahon]

A little.

[Aubrey Carter]

What's. What is it? What's going to be there. Right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. A little present. Hopefully if you ever get anything good.

[Aubrey Carter]

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[Lindsey McMahon]

Want to start us out?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. Hey. Fancy seeing you here.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Hi. I love this park.

[Aubrey Carter]

Do you come here often? I bring kefir every day, and I don't think we've ever seen you.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, well, I don't come every single day, but pretty often. I don't have a dog, but I like to come and watch them play.

[Aubrey Carter]

I get it. Dogs have so much joy and energy. It's a fun, everyday activity to just walk over here and hang out.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Sometimes it's a little creepy that I.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Would just go and, like, watch the dogs.

[Aubrey Carter]

It's a little creepy. Sometimes we'll realize there's someone in the dog park that doesn't have a dog.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Relax.

[Aubrey Carter]

Is this a dog napper? What's happening here?

[Lindsey McMahon]

See, that I'm envisioning, because where I live, a lot of the dog parks are right by a kid's playground.

[Aubrey Carter]

Okay.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So, like, I've taken my kids to the playground, and they're old enough, I don't really need to supervise them. So I'll, like, watch the dogs playing.

[Aubrey Carter]

No, but I I. But on your side, though, I totally understand that. There's nothing more joyful than watching dogs.

[Lindsey McMahon]

So legit. That would be kind of creepy to just be, like, hanging out in the dog park.

[Aubrey Carter]

You're like, the dog mom. You're like, what are you doing here?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, Right. Don't steal my dog.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right, Exactly. All right. This is good. So I said, hey, do you come here often? I bring kefir every day. And I don't think we've ever seen you. And I love how I'm saying we, because I'm talking from the perspective of me and my dog. Love that.

[Lindsey McMahon]

I think you would say that. Right? Actually, we come here every day, me and my dog.

[Aubrey Carter]

I probably would. And then what did you say?

[Lindsey McMahon]

I said, well, I don't come every single day. So because you're saying I come every day, I'm sort of trying to emphasize, like, I come most days, but not every single day.

[Aubrey Carter]

Love it. Love it. And again, slowing down. Well, I don't come every single day. Right. The intonation, the delivery feels different.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Right, Exactly. And it's interesting to look at why you would maybe have said every day. Like, you often will say every day when maybe we actually do that four or five times a week, max. Right. We don't really. In every single day sometimes when we say every day.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. I think the minimum would be four to five times a week to say every day.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Right.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Not gonna say. If you do something once a week, you wouldn't say, I do this every.

[Aubrey Carter]

Day, or even two or three. But if it's four or five, you cross over into pretty much every day. Right?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. We're exaggerating. Pretty much. Love to exaggerate.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Oh, yeah.

[Aubrey Carter]

Big thing in American English. And then I said, I get it. Dogs have so much joy and energy. Isn't that true? Right. It's a fun, everyday activity. And here we're using this as an adjective, and we're bringing. We're making word every day.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah. It's written as one word every day. And here it means common, Just like a routine activity, an everyday activity, something you do all the time.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. And important to note the difference in intonation. When I have it as two words versus an adjective with one word, I bring KE for every day. Right. Versus it's a fun, everyday activity every day.

[Lindsey McMahon]

True. We squish them together more. It would be very strange here to pause to say it's a fun, everyday activity because it's one word. There's no space between them. So we run it together more.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah. And like we said earlier, if you can master just this piece about every day as an adjective in one word, you'll be ahead of at least 50% of native speakers. Okay. At least when it comes to writing. Yeah.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. And luckily, you know, it's not written very often, which is why a lot of native English speakers don't realize that they don't see it written very much. Right.

[Aubrey Carter]

It's true.

[Lindsey McMahon]

But it's true. Now that you know that, you've got a leg up on a lot of native English speakers.

[Aubrey Carter]

All right, guys, go over to allersenglish.com professional. Get on that list. This is your last chance to get on the early access list. So you will be the very first to know when this course becomes available. Again, we're getting into meetings, socializing, and small talk, and there's a very heavy emphasis on fluency and speaking. So you're practicing the activities that you are learning. You're practicing practicing them in our community prac. And there's practice as well in terms of our weekly open conversation club that's available to all students. So go to allersenglish.com professional to get on the list and we'll tell you about it when it's ready. All right?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yes. Don't forget, students in any one of our courses get these amazing live speaking opportunities. It's so fun. We love meeting our students, chatting with them. It's the best. So, yeah, go to allersenglish.com professional to get on the list.

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, get on the list now. Aubry, where should we leave our listeners today?

[Lindsey McMahon]

Yeah, this. These words every day can be tricky because it has two different meanings that are written slightly differently. And then of course, you can add single to emphasize or express surprise. But these are really fun to connect in English to share. What do you do every single day and why?

[Aubrey Carter]

Yeah, we've been talking a lot about sharing our morning routines. Michelle and I did a series on morning routines, evening routines. This kind of falls into that category of connection around everyday activities. It's not. It is mundane, but it's not because you learn what you have in common with people.

[Lindsey McMahon]

Absolutely. It's interesting. I love. I ask people this a lot. What's something you do every single day? What do you do every morning? What's the first thing you do when you get up?

[Aubrey Carter]

We can learn so much about people. So good for contrasting. Yeah, love it. All right, Aubry, we'll see you back on here very soon. Have a good one.

[Lindsey McMahon]

See you next time.

[Aubrey Carter]

Bye. Thanks for listening. To all ears, English. Would you like to know your English level? Take our two minute quiz, go to allearsenglish.com forward/fluency score. And if you believe in connection, not perfection, then hit subscribe now to to make sure you don't miss anything. See you next time.