Here we'll look at ten examples of compound confusables: words that mean one thing when written as a single word and something a bit different when written as two words.
我们将举出十个例子，对容易混淆的复合词进行说明：即写作一个词和写作两个词意义不同的词语。

1. Already and All Ready The adverb already means "previously" or "by this time": Sasha has already left.
副词already表示“以前”或“到现在”：萨沙已经离开了。

The phrase all ready means "completely prepared": We're all ready to go.
短语all ready表示“准备充分的”：我们已经准备好要出发了。

2. Altogether and All Together The adverb altogether means "entirely" or "wholly": Gus has stopped riding the bus altogether.
副词altogether表示“完全地“或“全部地”：格斯再也不开公共汽车了。

The phrase all together refers to people or things gathered in one place: The kids sit all together in the back of the bus.
短语all together指代人或物集中在一个地方：孩子们都坐在公共汽车的后面。

3. Anyone and Any One The indefinite pronoun anyone refers abstractly to any person, not to a particular individual: Anyone who has an opinion will probably offend someone.
不定代词anyone抽象地指代任何人，而不是某一个人：有意见的人很可能会冒犯到别人。

The phrase any one refers to specific but unidentified things or individuals: With enough money, any one of us could be elected mayor.
短语any one指代具体但身份不明的物或人：只要有足够的钱，我们每一个人都能够竞选成为市长。

4. Awhile and A WhileThe adverb awhile means "for a short time": Nico asked me to stay awhile and chat.
副词awhile表示“一会儿”：尼克让我留下来聊一会儿天。

The noun a while refers to a period of time: Once in a while people surprise you and rise above self-interest.
名词a while表示一段时间：有时候，人们会使你感到惊讶，他们抛开了个人利益。

5. Breakdown and Break DownThe noun breakdown refers to a failure to function, a collapse, or an analysis: The topic of her project is the breakdown of the American family.
名词breakdown指的是功能故障，瓦解或分析：她的项目主题是对美国家庭的分析。

The verb phrase break down means "to go out of order" or "to separate into parts": She needs to break down this big project into bite-size chunks.
动词短语break down意为“发生故障”或“分裂”：她需要将这项巨大的工程分成小部分。

6. Cleanup and Clean UpThe noun cleanup refers to the act of cleaning, eliminating crime, or making a profit: Volunteers are needed for the annual cleanup of Tryon Park.
名词cleanup指的是做清洁，消除犯罪或盈利：泰伦公园每年都需要志愿者进行清洁工作。

The verb phrase clean up means "to make clean and neat" or "to turn a sizable profit": Shyla hopes to clean up at the roulette table.
动词短语clean up意为“使干净整洁”或“大赚一笔”：夏伊拉希望打扫一下轮盘赌桌。

7. Everyday and Every DayThe adjective everyday means "routine" or "ordinary": Merdine writes stories about everyday life.
形容词everyday意为“日常的”或“平常的”：梅丽登写的是日常生活中的故事。

The phrase every day means "each day": She tries to write for two hours every day.
短语every day指的是“每一天”：她试着每天都写作两小时。

8. Everyone and Every OneThe indefinite pronoun everyone means "every person": Everyone is required to attend school.
不定代词everyone表示“每个人”：每个人都被要求去上学。

The phrase every one refers to every person or thing of those named: I attended every one of the schools in our district.
短语every one指的是有名称的事物中每一个人或物：我们那里的每所学校我都读过。

9. Maybe and May Be The adverb maybe means "perhaps": Maybe this world is another planet's heaven.
副词maybe意为“也许”：也许这个世界是另一个星球的天堂。

The verb phrase may be indicates possibility: Arthur thinks there may be fairies at the bottom of the garden.
动词短语phrase指代可能性：阿瑟觉得花园里有精灵。

10. Sometime and Some Time The adverb sometime means "at an indefinite or unstated time in the future": Every winning streak has to end sometime.
副词sometime意为“未来某个不确定或未声明的时刻”：人不可能永远是常胜将军。

The phrase some time means "a period of time": My boss encouraged me to take some time off from work.
短语some time意为“一段时间”：我的老板建议我请一段时间假。
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