We’ve noticed the term ‘anymore’ popping up in documents a lot these days. However, this term points to a difference between British English and American English.
Generally, the single word ‘anymore’ is considered non-standard in British English. But it is becoming increasingly common, largely because it is widely used in American English. As such, it helps to know how ‘anymore’ is used by our transatlantic cousins so you can avoid mistakes.
We use ‘any more’ to discuss two things in British English (i.e. time and quantities). In American English, however, the two-word phrase ‘any more’ is usually reserved for quantities:
I don’t want any more cake.
In the sentence above, for example, the speaker is saying they’ve had enough cake. They might want cake again in the future, but for now they’re full.
The single word ‘anymore’, on the other hand, is used when discussing periods of time. It essentially means ‘any longer’, so we could say something along the following lines:
I don’t like cake anymore.
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Here, the speaker is saying that they no longer like cake (not just that they’ve had enough). This is because they’re talking about the end of a period of time (i.e. the cake-eating part of their life).
First of all, keep in mind that it’s still better to use ‘any more’ when writing for a British audience. This is especially true in formal writing, where ‘anymore’ could be considered an error.
However, if you are going to use the single-word version of this term, make sure you do it right. The key here is what you’re writing about. If it’s a quantity of something, use two words. If it’s about continuity or a period of time, use one word. Remember:
Any more = Quantities (e.g. Have you got any more muffins?)
Anymore = Time (e.g. We don’t sell muffins anymore.)
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