Writing & Grammar: One Word or Two?

The problem is that the writer needed two words rather than one: every one of us. The compound indefinite pronouns everyone, someone, and anyone sometimes need to be separated into two words. This usually occurs when a phrase  starting with the word of follows:

Any one of the rakes will do nicely for this light job.

However, that is not the only time these words need to be separated. Give the following examples a careful reading. Which of these pronouns should be two words, and which should be one word? (And no fair relying on the Microsoft Word grammar checker!)

1. I wanted to eat some grapes, but when I got to the kitchen, I found that everyone was gone.
2. Everyone likes a good joke.
3. I looked in the shed, but I could not find anyone of the rakes.
4. Everyone of my art books was soaked in the flood.
5. Do you need someone to help you lift that sofa?
6. Did you see anyone in the dark alley?
7. Have you seen anyone of the birds alight on the suet?
8. He asked someone of the guards to help him.

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On last week's challenge, Precise Placement of Only, Nima Regev knocked it out of the park with 100 percent correct:

1. I expected only one of the tomatoes to ripen each week.
2. If you register early, you pay only $495 for the entire conference.
3. Only three participants in the rally were arrested (correct)
4. The three participants were only arrested, not indicted (correct)
5. The participant had contributed only one sample document before the class.
6. The ticket guarantees only entry into the theater, not the seat you will get.

I especially like this placement because the argumentative tone comes through: this sentence sounds like part of a confrontation with a theater patron. Also, don't think I did not notice the spelling of theatre with re! The er spelling is standard in the United States, but this French spelling is also listed as a variant in Webster's.

Those of you who did not move only in examples 2 and 6 were possibly going by ear–keeping only before the verb matches the pattern of spoken English. I sympathize with the fact that it sounds a little less smooth to place only after pay or afterguarantees, but the added precision might be worth considering a complete rewrite, like this:

The ticket guarantees only that you will get into the theater, not which seat you will get.

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