# Anymore or any more?: Anymore = nowadays, these days?



## alebron

Hello,

one question: are "any more" (two words) and "anymore" (one word) equivalent, or on the other hand, are there any differences?


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## Moogey

There's a difference. It's hard to think of examples off the top of my head, but we'll try these:

"I don't like Laura *any more* than I like Angela"

"I don't like Laura *anymore*"

Anymore = no longer
Any more = comparison. So:

"I don't like Laura *more *than Angela; *not* *even a little bit*"

"I don't like Laura *any longer*"

I hope I didn't confuse. Surely others can describe this to you better, but if not I hope I made at least a little sense


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## nycphotography

Any more can also mean any additional

Are there any more clowns who would like to comment???
What?  Y'all don't wanna talk anymore?


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## alebron

Moogey, thanks.

Some quotes:

From Merriam-Webster dictionary:



> Although both _anymore _and _any more _are found in written use, in the 20th century _anymore _is the more common styling.



From Collins Dictionary:



> In British English, the spelling anymore is sometimes considered incorrect, and any more is used instead.


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## river

*"anymore (any longer)*. This adverb may be written as one word or two, although the solid form is the more common. There is also a phrase, *any more*, as in "I don't have any more time this week."


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## panjandrum

In this side of the water (in BE) many of us would prefer not to use the one-word version, anymore.
Despite the resistance of some, it is creeping in for the specific meaning that Moogey identified.

I see, that in parts of the US anymore can also mean "nowadays" - as in:
*"We all use night-crawlers anymore."* 
I guess that sentence (quoted from the Dictionary of American Regional English) means something over there - it means nothing at all to me 

So, in BE you could safely use "any more" as two words in all contexts. If you use anymore to mean no longer, that would be accepted. But if you are writing to me, please use the two word version


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## la grive solitaire

Here's an explanation from an article at http://alt-usage-english.org/anymore.html : "The difference between the two meanings is illustrated in the sentence: 'I don't buy books anymore because I don't need any more books.' "



			
				panjandrum said:
			
		

> I see, that in parts of the US anymore can also mean "nowadays" - as in:
> *"We all use night-crawlers anymore."*
> I guess that sentence (quoted from the Dictionary of American Regional English) means something over there - it means nothing at all to me


 
The article also cites this meaning as a regional usage, but it was entirely new to me, too.


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## Moogey

panjandrum said:
			
		

> I see, that in parts of the US anymore can also mean "nowadays" - as in:
> *"We all use night-crawlers anymore."*
> I guess that sentence (quoted from the Dictionary of American Regional English) means something over there - it means nothing at all to me



That's certainly regional (American *Regional* English) cause I've never heard it. Quite interesting!

-M


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## GenJen54

panjandrum said:
			
		

> I see, that in parts of the US anymore can also mean "nowadays" - as in:
> *"We all use night-crawlers anymore."*
> I guess that sentence (quoted from the Dictionary of American Regional English)


 
I'll raise my hand here and claim it an expression among those who speak "Southern Backwoods-ese." While it is grammatically correct according to ASE prescripts, it may be used more commonly in the South, and is certainly is used and understood broadly among _summa_ _thayem bass-fishin' tahpes_.

*Edit*: Another thought. Alternatively, on the "flip side" of the SB expression, the double-negative would be appropriately used:

*"We don't use night-crawlers no more."*


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## panjandrum

OED lists a range of examples for the "now or nowadays" definition of any more. The first and last of these are:
*1898* _Eng. Dial. Dict._ I. 63/1 [ *Northern Ireland *] A servant being instructed how to act, will answer ‘I will do it any more’. 
*1996* _Conc.  Ulster  Dict._ 7/1, I think it'll be fine any more. 
Well I've never heard of it before.

*anymore*. Unless it appears in a negative statement <the playground has no sand anymore>, this word is dialectal in the sense “nowadays”—e.g.: “_Anymore_ [read _Nowadays_ or _These days_], the price of housing is outrageous.”
_The Oxford Dictionary of American Usage and Style_

PS - The strange usage of anymore was only part of the mystery of the original example sentence as far as I'm concerned. ??night-crawlers??
Surely those are the strange creatures that appear when you sleep in less-reputable places than you really should? The sentence just didn't make sense to me


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## IloveAlaysia

Any more is used as a quanitity symbol whereas anymore is more like quality or sued to or something like that.


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## Proudy

"night-crawlers" is a generic term for large worms, used for fishing. The term comes from the practice of collecting them by hand-held lights at night, usually after a heavy rain. The worms will crawl out of the ground and lay partially exposed. If you are quick, one can grab them before they pull themselves back underground. One needs to walk softly, ground vibrations from heavy foot steps will cause the worms to retract underground.


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## GenJen54

panjandrum said:
			
		

> Surely those are the strange creatures that appear when you sleep in less-reputable places than you really should? The sentence just doesn't make sense


 
A night-crawler is a type of worm used for fishing.

Upon further research, anymore is not restricted to Southern Backwoods-ese, although it is commonly used as in my previous post, above.

The constructs below seem perfectly normal and natural.

_Do you dance *anymore*?_
_No.  I had to give that up after my knee surgery.  My poor joints just can't take *any more* strain._

_I can't stand to be around Steve *anymore*.  All he does is complain about life after the divorce.  Until he decides to move on, I refuse to invite him to *any more* parties._


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## panjandrum

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> [...] The constructs below seem perfectly normal and natural.
> _Do you dance *anymore*? _[...]


AHA - now that's the clue to the emergence of anymore meaning nowadays.

Are you still enjoying the dancing?

No, I'm afraid I don't dance anymore.
..._ that is a perfectly standard usage of anymore._

Do you dance anymore?
... _a small nuance of meaning away from the last sentence. _

We all dance anymore.
... _quite a big difference, but you can see how it would happen._

I don't dance anymore, Bill doesn't dance anymore, but George and Paddy do dance anymore.

 Oh, and thanks for the explanation about the night-crawlers


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## yamahasixstring

As far as I understand, "any more" deals with quantity, whereas "anymore" deals with time or chronology.


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## Tamlane

I would have to suggest that it hardly matters which form is used as long as sense can be made from it.  There isn't any correct way to write much at all in English.  This could be exemplified by the lack of an English language governing body.  There are suggestions and even recommendations put forward by private bodies, but I would be hesitant to adhere to their 'rules' because they are attempting to enforce some kind of  prescrivtivist ideal on English, which has always been a language (with some exceptions in America and Great Britain) that has followed, even unwittingly, a descriptivist tradition.  I don't deny that making sense is terribly important, but the difference between 'anymore' and 'any more' is really quite purely stylistic.  As is the difference between (or the lack of that difference) lexemes like 'on to' and 'onto', 'into' and 'in to', and any number of other pairs.  Anyone who says otherwise should stop attempting to apply rules to something so trivial.


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## GenJen54

Tamlane said:
			
		

> Anyone who says otherwise should stop attempting to apply rules to something so trivial.


Then call me a trivial prescriptivist and throw me in the grammar jail!!!  Perhaps this is a BE/AE thing, but to me there are definite differences.

I can hedge on the use of _*any more (two words) as an adverb of time. *_I get it.  Not a bother.

I cannot hedge on the use of _*anymore*_ as an modifying phrase of quantity.

There is a significant difference *(to me)* between the two sentences below. (Purple text added to emphasize inflection.)

_Do you want any *more*?_ - Do you want (any) more of what I am offering you? In this structure, "any" serves as an adverb, which modifies the noun modifier _more_.

_Do you *want* anymore? - _This is asking whether or not a person still has the capability to desire something/someone. It's a bit obscure, I'll admit, but could be heard in one of those "girlfriend" conversations. To my eye, and ear, the one-word variant makes more sense.


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## Tamlane

I would hardly cite it as a British and American variant difference.  And I'm Canadian, and my particular variant is quite unique, thank you.  And so are _many_ variants in all three countries.  So, in fact, the matter is trivial and it _is_ prescriptivist because it can hardly be said to apply to all English, since it clearly doesn't.  I don't deny that there isn't a difference to you, or to others or that there may be no difference at all to some.  I only have a problem with how people seem to be contending over the _correct_ usage, when there isn't one at all.


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## Tamlane

GenJen54 said:
			
		

> There is a significant difference (to me) between the two sentences below. (Purple text added to emphasize inflection.)
> 
> _Do you want any *more*?_ - Do you want (any) more of what I am offering you? In this structure, "any" serves as an adverb, which modifies the noun modifier _more_.
> 
> _Do you *want* anymore? - _This is asking whether or not a person still has the capability to desire something/someone. It's a bit obscure, I'll admit, but could be heard in one of those "girlfriend" conversations. To my eye, and ear, the one-word variant makes more sense.


I have a problem with the fact that you are suplanting the importance of which 'anymore' to use by placing emphasis on one word or another in the sentence. In speech I would hardly find that anyone could possibly tell whether the word or words 'anymore' is being used simply because of how you emphasise another word. A distinction between 'anymore' and 'any more' cannot be heard. It just can't. And it's meaning doesn't change based on the examples you provided, and I don't care what variant you speak.


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## panjandrum

Tamlane said:
			
		

> I would have to suggest that it hardly matters which form is used as long as sense can be made from it. There isn't any correct way to write much at all in English. This could be exemplified by the lack of an English language governing body.


In general, I disagree with this statement. 
Followed to its logical conclusion, each of us speaks English however we feel, but none of us is able to understand any of us.
The purpose of language is to communicate. If the way someone uses language requires me to "make sense from it" then they have created an obstruction to communication.
One of the delightful strengths of English is its ability to evolve and survive as an effective international communication tool. It can do that because it has an organic set of norms, not a rigid set of rules.
If you wish to communicate widely in English, you do well to know those norms, to follow them in general, and to flex them with understanding when you need to.

Incidentally - getting right back to the topic - those interested in any more, anymore, no longer ... may find some of the Similar Threads, listed at the bottom of this page, helpful.


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## river

*Tamlane:  *That* anymore (any longer)* may be written as one word or two has already been noted. _Be clear and be consistent_ is all you need to know.


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## hamlet

What's better? I once wrote "I don't [...] any more" in a test and my teacher said it was wrong, that I should have written it in one word. Then which version's correct?

*Mod Edit:*  This thread has been merged with one started on the same subject in November 2005.  Plesae read the entire thread before posting a duplicate response.


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## Dimcl

"Anymore" is the correct word (meaning any longer).


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## paperclip013

Hello,

How you spell the words - as two or one - depends on what you mean.

1. "Anymore" written as one word is an adverb. 

Example: I cannot bear your selfishness anymore!
"Anymore" here refers to the time in the future when I will not bear your selfishness.

2. When you write it as two words, "any" is a modifier of "more," where "more" is a reference to something else. 

Example: "This is the last piece of cake in the whole store."
"Are you sure there is not any more left?" Obviously, I am referring to the cake. 

Best,
Paperclip013


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## Dimcl

> Example: "This is the last piece of cake in the whole store."
> "Are you sure there is not any more left?" Obviously, I am referring to the cake.


 
My natural instinct would be to say "anymore" in your example sentence about the cake.  Again, meaning "any longer", the sentence refers to whether there is any cake remaining *any longer.*  In this instance, however, I probably wouldn't ponder the question because I'd be more likely to say "Are you sure there's none left?"


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## paperclip013

Hello,

I think you are mixing up two different things.

Anymore is a temporal adverb, meaning it modifies time. Hence, "I can't stand this anymore" means the same as "I can't stand this any longer."

"I don't have any more" - cake, patience, love - means "any" is a pronoun. Get it? Cake is a noun, patience is a noun, love is a noun. I am referring to the noun mentioned earlier in the conversation with a pronoun. Hence "I don't have any left", "I don't have any more left" and "I have none left" all use any and none as prononuns. 

Trust me on this one - grammar is not a matter of instincts. ;-)

Paperclip013


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## Dimcl

paperclip013 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I think you are mixing up two different things.
> 
> Anymore is a temporal adverb, meaning it modifies time. Hence, "I can't stand this anymore" means the same as "I can't stand this any longer."
> 
> "I don't have any more" - cake, patience, love - means "any" is a pronoun. Get it? Cake is a noun, patience is a noun, love is a noun. I am referring to the noun mentioned earlier in the conversation with a pronoun. Hence "I don't have any left", "I don't have any more left" and "I have none left" all use any and none as prononuns.
> 
> Trust me on this one - grammar is not a matter of instincts. ;-)
> 
> Paperclip013


 
Sorry I didn't express myself more clearly... when I said "my instinct", I meant just that - I understand your meaning but because of your sentence structure (Example: "This is the last piece of cake in the whole store."  "Are you sure there is not any more left?"), my *instinct* would be to say "anymore".  As discussed in the thread we've just been merged with, there is the "grammatically-correct" way and there is the way that the word "anymore" seems to be "creeping" into various meanings.  Guess I've succumbed!


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## paperclip013

Hello,
I see what you mean now Dimcl.  

I think it is a safe assumption to make that in any language we can see a discrepancy between the rules of grammar and their application in everyday speech. Some social scientists even argue that this trend to change or even forego grammatical rules is not only ubiquitous, but accelarating with the pace of technological and scientific progress. However, that's a story for another forum.


Best,
Paperclip013


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## panjandrum

Sorry to dig this one up again, but the most recent posts are missing out on BE usage. Although anymore, one word, is advancing across the country, the two word version is still used for both the time-related and the quantity-related meanings.

It might be worthwhile to read through last year's discussion, now merged with this year's

Anymore, one word, is listed in the OED as "Chiefly Irish English and North American colloquial."
When it says Irish English it is referring to the bottom half of The Island.


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## Robert_Hope

British English.

any more. always 2 words. can mean "any longer" 

(I don't dance any more) 

or can mean an additional quanitity 

(Would you like any more cake?)


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## estefanos

Tamlane said:


> A distinction between 'anymore' and 'any more' cannot be heard. It just can't. And it's meaning doesn't change...[no matter] ...what variant you speak.



I just came upon this interesting thread.  I know I'm reaching quite a ways back, but the following example contrdicts the above, at least to my (AE) mind and ear.  

"I don't buy books anymore because I don't need any more books."

I hear a disticnt difference between "anymore" and "any more", both in stress and length.  I certainly perceive a difference in meaning.


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## Robert_Hope

It's certainly interesting. I had a teacher who insisted that the only correct spelling is "any more" (with a space) but I too can see it could have different uses. (B.English here)


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## calembourde

GenJen54 said:


> _Do you want any *more*?_ - Do you want (any) more of what I am offering you? In this structure, "any" serves as an adverb, which modifies the noun modifier _more_.
> 
> _Do you *want* anymore? - _This is asking whether or not a person still has the capability to desire something/someone. It's a bit obscure, I'll admit, but could be heard in one of those "girlfriend" conversations. To my eye, and ear, the one-word variant makes more sense.


 
I just came across this thread, and thought I would expand on this example. For any verb which can be either transitive or intransitive, you could have a sentence where ‘any more’ and ‘anymore’ would both make sense, but have different meanings. ‘Want’ is such a verb, but it is not often used as an intransitive verb, which is why the example above sounds obscure. So here are some more natural-sounding examples:

I can’t eat anymore – intransitive verb. I am unable to eat at all, perhaps because I am full, perhaps because an illness or operation caused me to lose the use of some part of my digestive system.
I can’t eat any more – transitive verb, where ‘more [of this/of the food previously mentioned]’ is the object. I can’t eat any more of these pickled walnuts, perhaps because I am full, perhaps because they taste disgusting

Similarly:

I won’t steal anymore – I’ve decided to stop stealing and lead an honest life.
I won’t steal any more – Okay, you caught me, but I promise I’m not going to take any more of your chocolate (but maybe I’ll steal other things in the future.)

Note that in the ‘anymore’ examples it tends to be a long term habit that is stopping whereas the ‘any more’ not only refers to a specific noun but tends to be talking about something more localised in time as well, because they have to refer to a noun that was already mentioned in the conversation or is clear from the context.

As a speaker of NZ English, which is generally closer to British English than American English, I usually write ‘any more’ for both meanings, but in cases such as this I’d probably use ‘anymore’ where appropriate, to remove the ambiguity. In speech the stress would be in different places, as GenJen54 pointed out.


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## stallion

Moogey said:


> There's a difference. It's hard to think of examples off the top of my head, but we'll try these:
> 
> "I don't like Laura *any more* than I like Angela"
> 
> "I don't like Laura *anymore*"
> 
> Anymore = no longer
> Any more = comparison. So:
> 
> "I don't like Laura *more *than Angela; *not* *even a little bit*"
> 
> "I don't like Laura *any longer*"
> 
> I hope I didn't confuse. Surely others can describe this to you better, but if not I hope I made at least a little sense


 
I agree with this and will continue using it as such until I die!


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## stallion

panjandrum said:


> In this side of the water (in BE) many of us would prefer not to use the one-word version, anymore.
> Despite the resistance of some, it is creeping in for the specific meaning that Moogey identified.
> 
> I see, that in parts of the US anymore can also mean "nowadays" - as in:
> *"We all use night-crawlers anymore."*
> I guess that sentence (quoted from the Dictionary of American Regional English) means something over there - it means nothing at all to me
> 
> So, in BE you could safely use "any more" as two words in all contexts. If you use anymore to mean no longer, that would be accepted. But if you are writing to me, please use the two word version


 
Dear me!!! not for me...


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## dr_mabeuse

Robert_Hope said:


> It's certainly interesting. I had a teacher who insisted that the only correct spelling is "any more" (with a space) but I too can see it could have different uses. (B.English here)



Well, if there were only one spelling, that might make it a little awkward in trying to decipher a lover's note that said: 
_
I couldn't love you anymore.

_vs._

I couldn't love you any more.

_


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## sound shift

I have only ever used "any more".


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## JulianStuart

panjandrum said:


> Anymore, one word, is listed in the OED as "Chiefly Irish English and North American colloquial."
> When it says Irish English it is referring to the bottom half of The Island.



I think it really is this simple - the one word version is rarely used in BrE, while it has been explained by the AmE speakers how the oneword version differs from the the two word version.  Bifurcation in meaning and spelling is often useful, so it catches on.  At first in one region, and if deemed widely useful, it spreads. It seems to be making inroads into BrE. I got used to this after moving here but then was surprised when I first heard the other meaning for the oneword version - as in "nowadays", but only from some people, although I didn't make notes on which region they came from. I'm racking my brains for othe examples of this merging phenomenon but I can't come up with any thing


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## exclamation

I am new here, and am looking for some clarification. I found this little bit of writing, and it somehow doesn't sit quite right with me as written. I would opt for the 2 word version. Would that be wrong in this particular case? Here is the sentence: "A few moments later, there wasn't anymore time for talking."


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## Cagey

exclamation said:


> I am new here, and am looking for some clarification. I found this little bit of writing, and it somehow doesn't sit quite right with me as written. I would opt for the 2 word version. Would that be wrong in this particular case? Here is the sentence: "A few moments later, there wasn't anymore time for talking."


Hello exclamation.  

Welcome to the forum.  

Yes, I agree.  I would write the sentence with two words: 
_
A few moments later, there wasn't any more time for talking._

I would use anymore to mean something like 'any longer'. 
_He has moved to Paris.  He doesn't live here anymore. _


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## curiousandreia

any more - the baby does want any more food.
I don't like my husband anymore.


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## Keith Bradford

For me, the word "anymore" does not exist.  End of story.


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## mplsray

Here is how "anymore, any more _(adv.)_" are treated in _The Columbia Guide to Standard American English_ by Kenneth G. Wilson:



> These spellings are both acceptable, although _anymore_ is more frequent...._Anymore [any more]_ poses no usage issues except when it occurs in non-negative contexts:  _All he does anymore is complain._ Such uses are dialectal in origin but are now found in Conversational levels nearly everywhere.



In the case of the non-negative context using _anymore_ as an adverb, the author says that it is avoided in "Edited English," and suggests such replacements as _now_ and _nowadays_. In the case of a sentence such as "Do you want any more to eat?" the word _more_ is a noun being modified by the adjective _any: _the two words being separated by a space.

(The reason the author capitalizes "Edited English" and "Conversational" is that he is using them as labels in the particular system he uses to classify levels of usage which is outlined at the beginning of the book.)


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## PaulQ

The Google n-gram viewer graphs of British and American *any more/anymore* usage are quite interesting.


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## wandle

Those ngrams show that 'anymore' is becoming a prevalent usage in the US.
I have always considered it a mistake and never use it. 'Any more' is usually perfectly clear.

In writing, for the meaning 'any longer', I tend to say 'any longer' or 'now', etc.


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## JulianStuart

Anyhow, anyway(s), anything, anywhere, anytime (? - this one might share some useful bifurcation as any(-)more but "anylonger" seems further off  ) - it seems as though "any" has some pulling power to get words to stick to it.  We are seeing the living breathing evolving language in action..... As is so often the case, some embrace the change, others take their time and some move on before the word becomes accepted; ultimately the rest are born after acceptance is complete.


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## NekoEmmi

Hello all, to sum this up...

*In US English, there is a difference* between "anymore" and "any more", for example: _"I don't want any more food, as I'm not hungry anymore".
_The first one is meaning "more food", as in quantity, and should always be spelled as two words. The second is meaning "any longer", actually I think it can be spelled either way, but "anymore" is more common.

*In British English, there is no difference,* and it should always be spelled "any more", for example: _"I don't want any more food, as I'm not hungry any more"._

I feel that WordReference needs to clarify the difference between the British English and US English here. It's really confusing and I feel a bit failed by WordReference that it's not clear at all.

"Anymore" as one word has been creeping into Britain in the 20th century and is now fairly commonplace, especially informally, but that doesn't make it correct. I believe most big-name dictionaries maintain that it should be written as two separate words. Many British people born before the 1990s will continue to insist that it's two words, always should be two words, and merging it into one word whatever the meaning is bad grammar. I actually only noticed this recently, when I realised I could change my computer's spell checker from US English to UK English. It told me off for writing anymore as one word, and I did some research into it. I'm mortified that I have been using the incorrect grammar for some time. Many young British people probably don't think it matters, and in the future I expect that the Americanisation "anymore" will make its way into the dictionary (well, they accepted twerking)  but for the sake of young British people wanting to learn good "proper" grammar in order to impress prospective employers and elderly relatives and so on, and for people learning English as a foreign language and wanting to learn British English instead of US English, I think it's important that a site with a reputation like WordReference (that's a compliment, folks) should make the clear distinction that "anymore" is the correct spelling in US English, when meaning any longer, however in British English, it should be written "any more" regardless of whether you mean any longer, or any more cake, etc.

I really hope that WordReference will take this on board, and change the page for this entry so that "anymore" shows as US English only, and that "any more" is shown as "some remaining" for all, but also "any longer". As it is currently, "anymore" is shown as "any longer" with no specification that it's US English, and it doesn't say anywhere that this is incorrect for British English, they even offer a British pronunciation button for this false word. And as for "anymore" meaning "these days", well I had never even heard of that, definitely correctly identified as a US regional variation, and very interesting!

Would it also be possible that the search for "any more" and "anymore" either takes you to the same place, or offers a link to the other? At present, searching for "anymore" gives you information about "anymore" and "any more" (albeit incorrect information), but if you search for "any more", only the entry for "any more" is shown, which doesn't include the British English "any more" meaning "any longer". Also if someone was seeking the US "anymore" and typed "any more", they wouldn't find it. Since the word sounds the same but can be written two ways, it makes sense that writing it either way takes you to the information about both, since young people and English as a Foreign Language students are likely to type the wrong spelling from time to time, especially when searching in a dictionary. I hope these comments were useful to someone!


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## JulianStuart

Welcome NekoEmmi

Whether I type "anymore" or "any more" into the search box at the top of the page I find the following, either as the first entry or lower down the page, where the one word form is clearly identified as US.



> *any more*,  esp  US *anymore* /ˌɛnɪˈmɔː/  adv
> 
> any longer; still; now or from now on; nowadays



Does the dictionary work differently for you?


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## NekoEmmi

Wow well, it would seem that since I wrote the post yesterday, something has changed! It is different today. And I am pleased that it does seem to be much better now. Hooray  Thank you whoever listened to me/us!


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## davidcnn

Wow,it's too complex.So,is there any difference between1&2:
1. I don't need your help anymore
2. I don't need your help any more


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## mplsray

davidcnn said:


> Wow,it's too complex.So,is there any difference between1&2:
> 1. I don't need your help anymore
> 2. I don't need your help any more



Only a difference in which branch of the English language it would be likely to be found—_anymore_ is more likely to be found in American English—not any difference in meaning.


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## wandle

davidcnn said:


> 1. I don't need your help anymore


As mentioned above, I consider this a mistake. My advice is always to avoid it. That makes things very simple (see post 45).


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## davidcnn

I beleive it,from pure grammar point of view,both "don't" and "anymore" are negative sentence,double negative might be wrong I think.


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## wandle

davidcnn said:


> I beleive it,from pure grammar point of view,both "don't" and "anymore" are negative sentence,double negative might be wrong I think.


That is a different question. The thread is about the difference between 'any more'  and 'anymore' .


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## Aidanr444

I'd like to comment about my own (snobbish?) perception about the use of anymore in the UK.
Since the spellchecker in the most ubiquitous word processing program prefers the one-word version, any use of the two word version gets flagged with a style warning (blue underline).
To get rid of this warning, the user has to accept the preferred one-word version.

So, when I see the single-word version used, my assumption is that the writer lacks the confidence to ignore the spellchecker.


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## wandle

I hope that usage will not come to be imposed by default through a software program.


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## JulianStuart

It would appear that this dichotomy is as entrenched as -ise and -ize  regarding AmE and BrE.  Not all BrE speakers use " -ise" endings but all AmE speakers use "-ize" endings for words like "Americanize". Conversely, not all AmE speakers accept anymore while all BrE speakers reject the one word version. That's normal for many AmE vs BrE differences and "correctness" simply needs a tag identifying which version is being described.

I read the comment above about software and thought to myself "Just change the languge in preferences" but, nooooo.  It is a Microsoft product and things aren't always that easy - my search led me to some frustrated writers for whom the problem would not go away.  As it turns out, the solution is not intuitive

From microsoft.answers.com comes the following "information"


> *Note that language is not a setting or preference in Word, but rather a text attribute, just like bold, font and color.* Therefore, you don't choose the working language, you need to apply it to the selected text.


The link has some more information but that is the conceptual leap needed for making progress.


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## Silver

yamahasixstring said:


> As far as I understand, "any more" deals with quantity, whereas "anymore" deals with time or chronology.



Hi,

I still have a new question, even though I spent 2 hours reading this thread yesterday.

Context:

I was eating cherries and I ate them all, but my little cousin wanted some. I then said:

a)I don't have anymore.
b)I don't have any more cherries.

I know that "any more+n(plural)" is a "rule" here. I guess b) is perfect. I wonder if a) is fine.

Thoughts:

"Anymore" in b) is an adverb, it modifies have, so I think it works. I also read some AE speakers' comments here, I still think it's right. But "anymore" means "any longer", this discourages me a bit. I need your confrimation.

Thanks a lot


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## JulianStuart

In the case where the "more" refers to something like cherries, always use the two word version, even if you omit the word cherries.
I don't have any more (cherries).


This thread  has been discussing the use of more meaning any _longer or nowadays_.  I don't have those cherries any more.  (I gave them to my friend).  In AE it is acceptable to some speakers to use anymore, while it is never acceptable to BE speakers.


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## Silver

Thanks a lot. JS.

1) I don't have anymore.
This doesn't work in my context?

2) I don't have those cherries any more.

This does work?

How about:

I don't have those cherries anymore.


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## JulianStuart

Silverobama said:


> Thanks a lot. JS.
> 
> 1) I don't have anymore.
> This doesn't work in my context?
> 
> 2) I don't have those cherries any more.
> 
> This does work?
> 
> How about:
> 
> I don't have those cherries anymore.


1) See post #59 (i.e. NO)
Neither of the 2nd / 3rd examples uses "more" to modify cherries.  The rest of the thread shows that "anymore" is used by some AE speakers but by no (or few) BE speakers.


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## JustKate

I am not a frequent _anymore_ user, but allow me to clarify AmE usage as best I understand it. When talking about quantity, as in the cherries example, it should always be two words: "I don't have any more." The one-word version, if it is used, is used in reference to time: "He doesn't come here anymore" or (and this is very common in parts of the Midwest) "Anymore, I don't see him around much." I am not sure the last could be considered "standard English" (I never heard it until I moved to Indiana), but it is quite common in some parts of the U.S., including the part I now live in.


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## Parla

Actually, the single adverb *anymore* is _standard AE_ (confirmed by such sources as Bryan Garner and the _American Heritage_ dictionary). It's typically used in negative sentences, it refers to time, and it's equivalent to "any longer" or "still": 
I don't have those cherries *anymore*. (I had them earlier; I don't have them now.) She doesn't live there *anymore*. (She did live there; she doesn't live there now.)

The two-word phrase _*any more*_, also typically used in negatives, refers to quantity:
I don't want *any more* tea, thank you. (I've had enough.)  I don't have *any more* cherries. (I had a quantity of them, but they're all gone.) 

P.S.: Another, limited use of the single word _anymore_, which is heard in some parts of the US Midwest, is _not _standard and is considered dialect. It's used to mean "nowadays" (as in "prices are high anymore"). That's the usage Kate mentioned in post #62 in her "don't see him around" example.


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## Silver

Thanks a lot, JK and Parla, for your helpful answers.


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