Are you confused about sometime vs. some time? Some time ago, I would sometimes use sometime in the wrong place.
Anytime you want to use an indefinite pronoun, be a little bit careful.
You might find that you could need to use an adverb or modify a noun with an adjective or partitive.
That all sounds quite complicated, but it is easy, really.
Take some time
Take your time; it’s nothing to get excited about.
But yes, sometimes grammar can be a little confusing.
You can learn about indefinite pronouns whenever you like.
But yes, you might want to study it sometime in the future.
If you set aside some time, you will understand everything in no time at all.
The basic meanings of these three confusing words can be defined like this.
Sometime
adverb
at some unspecified or unknown time: you must come and have a barbecue sometime. This refers to an unspecified time in the future.
adjective
former: the sometime editor of this blog. This means that the editor is now no longer working on this blog.
Sometimes
adverb
occasionally, not all of the time: sometimes, I want to study Spanish.
Some time
noun
[mass noun] the indefinite continued progress of existence and events in the past, present, and future regarded as a whole.
In the two words, some time, the noun time is modified by some, which is an indefinite pronoun. So it refers to an unspecified period of time, at some point in time.
I’ll get around to doing it at some time.
Some time ago, I decided to do more exercise.
Having fun with sometime vs. some time
A very, very long, indefinite time ago now, I wrote this short piece of grammatical gymnastics for my personal blog.
It seems appropriate to dig it out now for you to read. I have edited it a little to better suit the context of this article.
I love something about indefinite pronouns
In the beginning, there was nothing except indefinite time, until, at some time, something arrived, and everything changed.
Sometimes, for some reason, something always creates a problem, and so it was to be again.
Nothing remained the same thereafter, as something had altered everything, including all time in the future. While no one knew who or how; someone had changed the balance of everything and anything for a long time.
Then, at some time, when everyone was busy with something, no one noticed that nothing had changed until something else happened at some period of time.
Sometime between when nothing and something happened, someone, somewhere, had the presence of mind to note that everything was somewhat different in some way.
Somehow, something really weird was happening.
Someone wrote something about it, and someone read it and then sent it on to someone else.
Somewhere between when it was sent and read, something else happened, which of course, no one expected.
Then, for some odd reason, everyone knew all about something, because of course, they thought they knew everything about anything.
Somehow, as much as things change, everything stays the same.
Errors are sometimes easy to make
Always take some time to check if you are unsure about sometime vs. some time.
You can use a dictionary, check online, or use a grammar checker to help you.
But if you can learn the basics, you will get it right most of the time. Sometime and sometimes are always written in one word. In two words, some time is a pronoun.
Sometimes means occasionally or not very often and is an adverb of frequency.
Sometime refers to an unspecified point in time in the past or future. But the adverb and adjective can be confused. If you use it before a noun, it becomes an adjective, meaning former or ex.
Some time refers to an unspecified period of time. It is similar to a long time, which defines an unspecified length or duration of time.
Anyway, find any way that can help you
When you are proofreading your writing, pay careful attention to indefinite pronouns and adverbs.
One of the easiest ways to check is to separate the words to see if the meaning changes. Or if a sentence still makes sense.
The adverb, anyway, usually starts or can end a phrase.
But within a sentence, it is almost always a noun, which can take an adjective. So you can add adjectives such as any possible way or any easy way.
Take your time, and it will become clear.
Somehow, at some point in time in the future, I am sure you will get there and understand everything you need to know about indefinite pronouns.
Related reading: Card Shark And Card Sharp Are Both Correct In Writing