An everyday writing mistake that occurs every day

Here’s a mistake I see every day in student writing: confusing “everyday” with “every day.” The former is a one-word adjective and thus should be used to modify a noun. For example, writing is an everyday activity for me. The adjective “everyday” (one word) modifies the noun “activity.” Alternatively, “every day” (used as two words) is already an adjective phrase (an adjective plus a noun). The noun “day” is modified by the adjective “every.” This phrase means the same as “each day.” Writing is an activity I pursue every day. (While I’m on the topic, never write the horribly redundant phrase “each and every day” -- or even worse, "each and every single day"). For some reason, my high school students invariable reverse the usages and use “every day” as an adjective and “everyday” as a adjective phrase. I’m not sure why, but I see this error every day.

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