There is a peculiar type of homophone (a word that sounds identical to another but differs in meaning, and often spelling) in the English language that constantly trips up writers, even native English speakers. To the best of my knowledge, there is no particular term for them. Still, they are common enough that you have used them before if you do any amount of writing. These are the one-word /two-word homophones; Altogether vs All Together, Already vs All Ready, and Apart vs A Part to name a few. The distinctions in using these words can often be subtle, making it even easier to stumble when using them. Below, I will go over these homophones, their meanings, and how to use them correctly.
Altogether vs All Together
Despite sounding the same and meaning similar things, altogether and all together have very different uses in a sentence. Altogether is an adverb meaning entirely, completely, or fully encompassing of a subject. All together is never used as an adverb, but rather as a phrase to indicate everyone or everything in a group has been gathered.
Altogether Examples:
- Previous research on this subject has been altogether inadequate, and further studies must be conducted.
- Altogether, our research has shown conclusive evidence of the safety of the vaccine.
All Together Examples:
- The specimens were placed all together in the test chamber to minimize variation in conditions.
- It increased morale that families were permitted to remain all together for the duration of the surgical trial.
Here’s a tricky one:
- This innovation is estimated to provide savings altogether worth $2 million per year.
In this sentence, it might seem like either of the two words could work. After all, it refers to both the entirety of the savings and the ‘savings’ as a group. However, altogether here acts as an adverb modifying ‘worth $2 million per year’. Thus, it is the correct word to use.
Already vs All Ready
Like in the example above, already and all ready represent the difference between an adverb and a phrase which mean similar things in a sentence. Already is an adverb used to describe something that has occurred before a given time. This can mean either ‘since before then’ or ‘as early as now’. All ready is a phrase which means something is fully prepared.
Already Examples:
- By the second week of treatment, the swelling had already reduced by 85% in the patient’s lymph nodes.
- Medical students already have two years of clinical experience by the time then enter residency.
All Ready Examples:
- The new cancer drug will be all ready for clinical trials within the next year.
- Several major investors, a few large corporations, and at least one government agency are all ready to invest in our new technology.
If you need to save words, all ready can always be replaced with just ready without changing the sentence’s meaning or interfering with the grammar. Here’s that in action using an earlier example.
- The new cancer drug will be ready for clinical trials within the next year.
For more tips on reducing word counts in a scientific manuscript, you can find my article on the subject here. This same ability to switch out words is not true of already, however. Ready is an adjective, and already is an adverb, which is not interchangeable.
Apart vs A Part
You might see a pattern beginning to form by now, and that’s no different here. Once again, we have an adverb and a phrase that mean related things but are not interchangeable. In this case, they are practically opposites. Apart means something is isolated, separate, or otherwise disconnected from the whole. A part, on the other hand, indicates that thing is a segment of a larger whole.
Apart Examples:
- Dispersion was captured by eight sensors, every two feet apart extending from the epicenter.
- Apart from minor complaints, the feedback for the new program was extremely positive.
A Part Examples:
- It has been an honor to be a part of such a significant study
- The device has multiple structural redundancies in case of a part failing during use.
In some cases, a part can be shortened to simply part to save words. However, this is not always grammatically sound. While in the first example you could say:
- It has been an honor to be part of such a significant study
You could not say:
- The device has multiple structural redundancies in case of part failing during use.
Alot vs A Lot
Ok, you got me. These aren’t homophones. ‘Alot’ is just a common misspelling of ‘a lot’, which of course means having large amounts of something. Luckily, most spellcheck will catch this for you, whether it be your standard word processor or editing software like Grammarly. However, this is not always true for the previous examples. The best way to ensure your writing has perfect grammar is to study these commonly confused homophones and their definitions.
For help navigating these and other common pitfalls in your English-language writing, contact me.