One Word or Two?

“Setup” is a noun, usually meaning an arrangement. “The setup worked well.”

“Set up” is a verb, meaning to assemble or “put in readiness.” “She set up the display.”

“Logon” is a noun, describing the “procedure used to get access to an operating system or application, usually in a remote computer” (Whatis.com). Logon can also be used as an adjective, as in the “logon procedure.”

“Log on” is a verb. “I need to log on to my computer.”

The same distinctions apply to “login” and “log in.”

“Everyday” is an adjective meaning ordinary or typical. “The store offers everyday values.”

“Every day” is an adverb referring to something that occurs each day. “The store offers values every day.”

“Backup” is a noun, most often referring to a computer file that has been saved. “My backup was corrupted.” “Backup” can also be an adjective. “It’s important to have a backup plan.”

“Back up” is a verb, referring to the action of moving backwards (e.g., a car) or of saving an electronic file to another location. “I am going to back up my computer right now.”

“Alot” is not a word. Use “a lot.” Fortunately, the spell checker in Word flags this common error.

“Follow-up” can be used as a noun, meaning “the act of following up.” “The follow-up was effective.” Follow-up can also be used as an adjective. “Follow-up actions are essential.”

“Follow up” is a verb, indicating action. “I will follow up after the incident.”

“Lookup” is a noun, meaning “the process or instance of looking something up; especially the process of matching by computer the words of a text with material stored in memory” (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary).

“Look up” is a verb. “I’m going to look up the address.”

The same distinction holds true for “hookup” and “hook up.” The single word is the noun; the two words are the verb.

“Anyway” means “anyhow.” “I am going to go to the party anyway.”

“Any way” means “a way.” “Is there any way you could drive me to the party?”

Both “awhile” and “a while” mean “for a short time.”

Use the two words if they follow a preposition. “He wanted to nap for a while.”

Otherwise, use the single word. “She plans to be gone awhile.”

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