Many customers ask why we can’t just write a lot of search-replace strings for compound words like someday, at least when a reference specifies that the adverb is one word.

Yes, someday is an adverb, but some on its own can also be a determiner, adjective, adverb or pronoun – note, terminology can vary among schools of grammar. And some can be combined with virtually any noun: some people, some misunderstanding, some writers, some joy. Add to this that day can function as an adjective in a noun phrase. Here are a few combinations with day that make noun phrases: day care, day center or centre, day job, day labor or labour, day lily, day off, day room, day student, day trading, day trip, and so forth.

Some day lilies

Read through the following and think about the meaning of each:

Someday lilies will bloom

Some day lilies will bloom

Someday day lilies will bloom …

Some day day lilies will bloom …

Someday some day lilies will bloom …

Some day some day lilies will bloom …

The meaning in the second example is ambiguous when the adverb form of someday is two words. Is this some + day lilies or a two-word adverb some day + lilies? Looks to me like a good case for compounding – then we could write “Someday daylilies will bloom …” and our spell checker won’t complain about a “day day”.