The alarm clock doesn’t have many friends, especially when it wakes us up on a Monday morning, reminding us that another week of work is about to begin. I don’t know about you but in my case it rings at 05:00 EVERY DAY. Yep, Monday to Friday and weekends too. When I mention this to my students, they usually have two questions for me:

1. Why do I wake up so early?

Well, I get up at 05:00 because I enjoy running before work or, in the warmer months, possibly cycling to work. But Saturday and Sunday, you might be thinking? Waking up at the same time every day has trained the body clock to open my eyes at that time. It’s really a matter of how often you do something.

2. Isn’t it difficult to get up at that time, especially on weekends?

Of course it can be hard sometimes , especially on cold, dark, rainy mornings. However, it’s now become an EVERYDAY occurrence for me, just as running or cycling have become everyday activities. What’s unusual for some can be normal for others. Taking a siesta is an everyday habit for many people in hot countries; not so for those who live in cooler places.

Testing you!

Can you understand when we write EVERYDAY (one word) and EVERY DAY (two words)? Using the comments box below, send in a couple of sentences to show me that you know the difference.