I’m taking an English academic writing course. My teacher recommended using today as it is more accepted compared to nowadays. I asked her if this is accepted in American English (she’s from US) or in general. She said in general. Then I asked her why it was recommended. Her reasoning was:
When you publish an article your audience will be the whole world and not everyone in this world is a native English speaker, so it is recommended to use simple English.
Is replacing nowadays by today really recommended? I’m looking for a source that can prove or disprove the above statement. I am a non-native English speaker myself, trying to learn English from different sources.
JSBձոգչ
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asked Oct 31, 2011 at 10:59
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Nowadays and today are both perfectly acceptable. You could also say these days, in recent times and at present or presently. If your teacher prefers that you don’t use nowadays I would follow her instructions just because there are so many alternatives and she is the one grading your paper.
answered Oct 31, 2011 at 11:47
MarkMark
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Based on my experiences editing academic papers and professional articles from both native and non-native speakers of English, the word «nowadays» is a signal that the writer is not a native English speaker. I see it most commonly used by Chinese speakers.
Both «nowadays» and «today» are acceptable. However, when editing, I generally remove any such term. If you’re using the present tense, you imply «now.»
For example: «Nowadays, people act as if they have more money than they really do.» This sentence means and implies the same thing as «People act as if they have more money than they really do.» Here, the word «nowadays» is redundant, resulting in loose and dull writing.
My recommendation: Rather than struggle with «nowadays» and «today,» revise your sentences so that neither is needed.
answered Nov 1, 2011 at 15:50
David BowmanDavid Bowman
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I’d agree with Mark that, for this class, you should follow the teacher’s direction if you hope to get good grades on your papers!
But long term, it’s a tough question. «Nowadays» is not a very commonly used word any more. On the other hand, «today» is most often understood to me «in the current 24-hour period», so there could be times when using «today» to mean «the current era» could create an ambiguity. Usually the intent would be apparent from the context, but not necessarily. As I think about it, this is rather tricky. If someone said, «The stock market is falling today», I think most people would understand him to mean «in this 24-hour period». But if he said, «The economy is doing poorly today», people would understand him to mean «in the last few years».
I’d generally opt for «currently», «at the present time», «these days», etc.
answered Oct 31, 2011 at 14:34
JayJay
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The word creates a sense of awkwardness. It detracts from the intent of the statement because the reader has to stop and mull the intention of the writer. In academic writing your job is to communicate quickly and effectively. Anything that detracts from that purpose should be rewritten. Do you see this used in the article you are responding to? If you do, how is it used? When? In most cases my students can not find this usage in articles. I then walk them through a revision process to see how to make a statement stronger and clarify the meaning.
answered Apr 24, 2012 at 13:20
«Nowadays.» while standard English, has a colloquial ring. «Today» is preferred in academic writing. Academic writing requires a more elevated register, which the adverb «nowadays» does not meet. The matter is simple: read published articles in academia and compare the frequency of «nowadays» versus «today.» «Nowadays»is the common expression used by my high school students. If you adhere to the «usage reigns» approach in linguistics, then there is little more to say.
answered Apr 24, 2016 at 3:11
Yes, that’s right: «nowadays» is technically correct, but colloquial. It is perfectly acceptable in oral speech, but it strikes the wrong tone in written English — because it is so informal or colloquial. The student should follow the teacher’s recommendation not because that is the way to improve a grade, but because the teacher is right.
answered Sep 9, 2017 at 19:15
1
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#1
[…]
Incidentally, I have seen the word «nowadays» more often in this forum than ever in my life before. Does it hold a particular fascination for non-native students of English? Is it one of the words that English language courses use to explain some peculiarity of English or English-speakers?
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#2
Incidentally, I have seen the word «nowadays» more often in this forum than ever in my life before. Does it hold a particular fascination for non-native students of English? Is it one of the words that English language courses use to explain some peculiarity of English or English-speakers?
I actually cringe when I hear the word «nowadays». I’m not sure of the origins of the word but it always strikes me as an «invented» word (and, yes, I know that all words are invented at some point) used for lack of anything better. Is it just me or does anyone else feel that «nowadays» is slangy?
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#3
[…]
Do non-natives use nowadays more often than natives?
Is this an impression I have formed because I don’t use it myself?
The word has a long and respectable ancestry in English, based on the examples in the OED (earliest is 1397). It also appears in the British National Corpus 1,568 times.
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#4
«Nowadays» is a favourite of ESL students, but not of native speakers
I never heard «nowadays» growing up, but I find it’s become popular among native speakers around here. I wonder if others have noticed this.
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#5
I never heard «nowadays» growing up, but I find it’s become popular among native speakers around here. I wonder if others have noticed this.
I have always thought that it’s very common among AE native speakers (at least those around me!)
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#6
I have always thought that it’s very common among AE native speakers (at least those around me!)
What part of the country are you in, nichec? I wonder if it’s regional. I think people around here would be much more likely to say «now» or «these days» before they would say «nowadays». «Nowadays» has an old-fashioned sound to my ears. It sounds like a word an older person would use when complaining about the current state of affairs: «Kids have no respect for their elders nowadays.»
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#7
What part of the country are you in, nichec? I wonder if it’s regional. I think people around here would be much more likely to say «now» or «these days» before they would say «nowadays». «Nowadays» has an old-fashioned sound to my ears. It sounds like a word an older person would use when complaining about the current state of affairs: «Kids have no respect for their elders nowadays.»
![:)]( "Smile :)")
Hummm….talking about ages
Mostly I’m up north when I’m in the USA, but frankly I spend more time in Europe and Taipei (but we are somehow invaded by AE speakers everywhere )
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#8
Incidentally, I have seen the word «nowadays» more often in this forum than ever in my life before. Does it hold a particular fascination for non-native students of English? Is it one of the words that English language courses use to explain some peculiarity of English or English-speakers?
Do you see it (nowadays) used in EO forum by native speakers or non native speakers most of the time, panj?
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#9
Interestingly, I do not know the word nowadays is not used commonly by native-speakers until reading this thread. In fact, a popular English-Teaching material edited by AE in my country uses this word frequently in the articles. Thus, do you think it now is growing popular in some areas of AE?
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#10
I’ve already noticed that native speakers are somehow reluctant to use the word «nowadays»:
[…]I notice that a lot of you who are learning English use the word, «nowadays.» In AE, the more common term that we use is just the simple, «today.»[…]
Then I’m not sure if it’s so popular.
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#12
Exactly!
If I’m 50 and I think it sounds old-fashioned, what does that tell you?
![:)]( "Smile :)")
I’m just a few years older than you and to me nowadays doesn’t sound old-fashioned. I like it and use it myself.
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#13
As an ancient Englishman I find nothing at all wrong with nowadays which, alternating with these days, has been around all my life. The impression that it sounds oldfashioned seems, as has already been alluded to, obviously to stem from its use by Senior Citizens criticising the youth of today (Ee bah gum, when I were a lad etc…), but they are equally likely to use these days. That it is thought by some to be a neologism in the States is also suprising, but one often doesn’t notice such differences in usage. I think that Spanish speakers, who seem to be almost as numerous on these fora as anglophones, seem to find nowadays closer to the frequently occurring hoy en dia than these days, which would correspond to the non-existent x estos dias x, and this may be what has given the impression of its over-use.
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#14
Nowadays is definitely used in Rhode Island, and in Massachusetts.
Nomi
Rhode Island is small, but densely populated. We do have a higher percentage of elders than some states, and we certainly have many residents originally from other regions and countries. [I’m an expatriated New Yorker].
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#15
Well, obviously I haven’t been monitoring my use of «nowadays», but I believe I use it a lot.
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#16
I wouldn’t read too much into it. It appears with enormous frequency on the web, and if you examine the contexts of some of these instances you will find they are quite varied. I find it quite natural to use, although I may reject it under certain circumstances (I remember doing so in a recent post here). I don’t think it has to have the fogeyish connotation, after all there is a famous «punk» hit (albeit from the 70s): «Everybody’s Happy Nowadays».
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#17
Yes, I’m in Chicago and I hear «nowadays» frequently in conversation, along with «these days.» In some areas of the US, I’ve also heard the word with the «a» dropped so that it becomes «nowdays,» but that’s pronunciation, not spelling.
Starbuck
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#18
I suspect I may use it once in a while, but before reading this thread I hadn’t paid any attention to it. It’s just another word.
Geographic background: Born in the Mid-west, grew up (have I?) in NY State, N.H., Md., also lived in Pa., NY [C], Ct. and now Maine. I’m not quite geriatric, though I often feel that way after splitting a cord of wood.
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#19
I don’t think it has to have the fogeyish connotation, after all there is a famous «punk» hit (albeit from the 70s): «Everybody’s Happy Nowadays».
And there’s the Kaiser Chiefs’ “Everything Is Average Nowadays», which was only released a few weeks ago!
I don’t personally use the word much, but I hear it quite often, and don’t think there’s anything odd about it.
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#20
when I read about this topics I think, am I learning correctly?
I’m non-native but (nowadays) ( at present) (currently) I’m learning with these words and I have found them in several dictionary.
bye,bye
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#21
Having lived in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Ohio, I can say that «Nowadays» is commonly used in these areas; however, it seems to me that, nowadays, I am also hearing used more commonly on national television.
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#22
A previous post contained the word «nowadays» with no hesitation from the thread-starter or subsequent poster in using it.
Although I realize that it’s a «real word», I always expect someone who uses «nowadays» to resemble Walter Brennan stepping out of a 1940s Hollywood Western and saying, in that voice of his, «Nowadays, ma’am, we don’t ‘rustle’ horses. We steal ’em.»
Does anyone else perceive this «backwoods» connotation or is it just me?
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#23
It does sound a little strange to me. I say «these days».
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#24
It doesn’t have that connotation to me. (I’ve lived several places in the United States, so it’s hard to say where I’m «from», other than the USA). Nowadays is alive and well in American English, and used by all sorts of people in all sorts of contexts.
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#25
Well, I don’t hear it from people my age much, and I don’t think I say it. Parents and older people say it though.
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#26
I think I agree, Musical Chairs. Now that I think about it, I can’t recall ever hearing it from someone younger than me (I’m older than 29 and younger than 40 ). I say it, and so do my parents.
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#27
I think it’s a teensy bit antiquated/folksy nowadays )), but I definitely use it in everyday speech, and wouldn’t be taken aback if others did. I’d consider it still quite mainstream.
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#28
A previous post contained the word «nowadays» with no hesitation from the thread-starter or subsequent poster in using it.
Does anyone else perceive this «backwoods» connotation or is it just me?
I use if frequently, particularly in writing, but then I admit to being an old codger, although I’m not in a walker yet.
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#29
I use it occasionally in my speech and in my writing.
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#30
It is definitely seen as an elderly expression (not really backwards but hardly ever used by anyone under 40).
These days is the modern equivalent.
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#31
I teach English in the South and that is a pretty common phrase. In fact, I corrected its spelling a number of times today alone. Many times a see it «now a days,» «nowa days,» «now adays,» «now days»: pretty much every way possible to spell it incorrectly. Honestly, I do not discourage its usage unless it becomes trite or repetitive throughout the paper. So, I do not know exactly about the «backwoods» signification of the word, but as a non-Southern native, I do not perceive it that way. And yes, I understand just how postmodern my post sounds
Thanks everyone! I love this post. Semantics is so interesting.
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#32
I use it all the time in speech and writing ~ but I’m always careful to use it only to other old farts like me; I’m not sure youngsters could cope with that many syllables in the one word
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#33
Im 21 and never lived in the backwoods, but i use it once in a while. =)
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#35
Yes, JamesM, I suspect it’s one of those words a lot of people of all ages (etc.) use without even being aware of doing so.
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#36
I have never used nowadays.
I said this in another thread, long ago — I’ll look for it in a moment.
I rarely heard the word used, or read it — until I arrived in WordReference.
Here I discovered that nowadays is used almost to excess by students of English. It’s almost as if they find this word, or are taught it in English 101, and love it so much they use it on any possible occasion.
To me, nowadays is a marker of a non-native BE speaker. Where that puts ewie … …
A re-think may be in order.
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#37
Hehe. Do you mean
I
should have a re-think, Panjo, or
you
should?
wildan1
Moderando ma non troppo (French-English, CC Mod)
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#39
I don’t think it’s as dated as some might think. These are magazines specifically aimed at the teen market in the U.S.
I agree—nowadays doesn’t sound dated or «folksy» in AE. And one does hear it fairly frequently, both in writing and in conversation.
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#40
Oh I am sore grieved (etc.) ~ poor old harmless old nowadays! What a lot of bad press! Okay, it is
maybe-just-maybe
the eentiest bit ‘folksy’, and I admit I wouldn’t ever start an essay with it (especially not one that was destined to be read by ‘Pongo Dude’ [see thread linked in #17 above]), but I stand by both its charm
and
its usefulness. I like it. So there.
I notice that Dimcl has nowadays changed his view from ‘slangy’ to ‘backwoodsy’.
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#41
I’m with elderly {post 9} ewie.
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#42
[…] To me, nowadays is a marker of a non-native BE speaker. Where that puts ewie … …
[…]
Eh? I hear it used very often, and I’m a London-based BE speaker . I don’t consider it oldsy.
I agree with Ewie:
I’m not sure youngsters could cope with that many syllables in the one word
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#43
Thanks for all your comments. I’m surprised at the range (age and geography) of those who don’t find it «folksy». I’ve always made a conscious effort not to use it because, honestly, back in my younger years, it sounded so «clunky» that I thought it was slang.
This thread has made me no more inclined to use it than previously, but I appreciate all the input. Cheers.
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#44
I looked up «nowadays» in my Hillbilly Dictionary I did not find it. I did find
EVERWHICHAWAYS: To be scattered in all directions.
Usage: «You should have been there when the train hit attair chicken truck. Them chickens flew everwhichaways.
Which has the same sort of cadence and kinda sorta rimes, ya know, so I can see how nowadays might be mistaked for some sorta redneck ritin, but it aint.
(I tried to link the dictionary, but it won’t link.)
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#45
«Nowadays» seems to me a perfectly good word in wide and current use in the United States, irrespective of background, environment, or location.
If there is a «backwoods» connotation, I think it is based on pronunciation, rather than on the choice of the word itself. In the United States, there are two main pronunciations of «nowadays,» depending on whether or not the middle ‘a’ is pronounced. The pronunciation that I believe might be considered more «standard» (the one used by national television commentators) omits the middle ‘a’, as if the word were «nowdays.» As a result, there may be a tendency by some to consider those who pronounce a distinct ‘a’ sound as somewhat less refined. I think this association may also come from the similarity to the ‘a’ sound that results from «lazy» colloquial contractions—gonna, gotta, kinda, wanna—which also gives that impression (intentionally) to the preceding post.
As for the usage being more prevalent among older speakers—well, older people have simply lived a longer time, and are more likely to contrast the past and present. It’s hard to imagine a teenager saying, «Gee, when I was young, life was slow, but nowadays things are so hectic.»
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#46
«Nowadays» seems to me a perfectly good word in wide and current use in the United States, irrespective of background, environment, or location.
If there is a «backwoods» connotation, I think it is based on pronunciation, rather than on the choice of the word itself. In the United States, there are two main pronunciations of «nowadays,» depending on whether or not the middle ‘a’ is pronounced. The pronunciation that I believe might be considered more «standard» (the one used by national television commentators) omits the middle ‘a’, as if the word were «nowdays.» As a result, there may be a tendency by some to consider those who pronounce a distinct ‘a’ sound as somewhat less refined. I think this association may also come from the similarity to the ‘a’ sound that results from «lazy» colloquial contractions—gonna, gotta, kinda, wanna—which also gives that impression (intentionally) to the preceding post.
As for the usage being more prevalent among older speakers—well, older people have simply lived a longer time, and are more likely to contrast the past and present. It’s hard to imagine a teenager saying, «Gee, when I was young, life was slow, but nowadays things are so hectic.»
I myself prefer the three-syllable pronunciation, and much prefer «nowadays» to such alternatives as «these days.» However, it’s easy enough by using unbiased sources to cast doubt on your conclusion.
The Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, 11th ed., shows the two-syllable and three-syllable pronunciations to be equally standard.
The online versions of the Encarta (North American ed.), Random House Unabridged, and American Heritage Dictionary, 4th ed., show only one pronunciation, the three-syllable one.
The two-syllable pronunciation is the odd-man out. For that reason, it is difficult to believe that it is in any way more standard than the three-syllable version.
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#47
As for the usage being more prevalent among older speakers—well, older people have simply lived a longer time, and are more likely to contrast the past and present. It’s hard to imagine a teenager saying, «Gee, when I was young, life was slow, but nowadays things are so hectic.»
That’s a very good point, Tower!
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#48
I wasn’t even aware there was a two-syllable version till Tower mentioned it. Maybe it doesn’t exist in BE; maybe I’ve just not been listening hard enough to my fellow countrymen.
I’ve tried saying it out loud a few times (well, it’s one way of passing Sunday morning) and my own pronunciation is definitely more
now-wuh-days
than
now-uh-days
(and I find it hard work to go from a w to a d without an intervening schwa.)
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#49
I came on this thread to-day, so I had a look in Australian and UK newspapers.
Plenty of recent quotes there.
In fact The Guardian quotes a 14 year-old girl using the word in its 17th Feb 2008 edition.
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#50
I use «nowadays» and never gave any thought to it until it appeared here.
PS I am not yet wrinkly (well, not very).
Published on
November 25, 2022
by
Eoghan Ryan.
Revised on
March 14, 2023.
Nowadays is an adverb meaning “at present” or “in comparison with a past time.”
“Now a days,” written with spaces, is sometimes used instead of nowadays. However, this is not correct and should be avoided. Other variants such as “now-a-days,” “now days,” “nowdays,” and “nowaday” are also wrong.
- Now a days, many people work from home.
- Nowadays, many people work from home.
- April used to work for a large firm, but now a days she runs a small legal practice.
- April used to work for a large firm, but nowadays she runs a small legal practice.
How to use nowadays in a sentence
Nowadays is an adverb meaning “at the present time.” It’s used to draw a comparison between the present and the past. When used at the start of a sentence, nowadays is followed by a comma.
Nowadays, there are many streaming platforms.
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As languages age, they evolve to match usage trends and broad cultural shifts. At the word level, this sometimes means that spelling changes, or that phrases containing multiple words are condensed into a single word, often through compounding.
In one prominent example, the word nowadays was originally a three-word phrase, now a dayes, from the 14th century.
Today, however, it almost always appears as a single word. But is this shortening a mistake, or does it represent the healthy and necessarily evolution of English? Continue reading to discover whether you should use nowadays or stick with now a days.
What is the Difference Between Nowadays and Now a Days?
In this post, I will compare nowadays vs. now a days. I will outline when it is appropriate to use each spelling. Plus, I will demonstrate the use of a memory tool that you can use to help you remember whether to use nowadays or now a days in your own writing.
When to Use Nowadays
What does nowadays mean? Nowadays is an adverb that means at the present time. Nowadays is a synonym of its fellow adverbs, presently and currently.
See the sentences below for examples,
- Nowadays, people don’t build cars like the ’63 Corvette coupe anymore.
- Nowadays, the domination of the MacBook Pro in an increasingly competitive ultrabook space is no longer taken as a given.
- My perspective on world affairs is quite different nowadays than it was even a few short years ago.
- These should be graded outward and downward from the swamp’s wettest areas. Then lay drainage “tiles”—nowadays large sections of plastic pipe are used—in the trenches. –The Wall Street Journal
When to Use Now a Days
What does now a days mean? Now a days represents an inferior variant of the word nowadays.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded use of this word was in 1362. It originates from a Middle English phrase that was originally written as three words, forming nou A dayes.
In its first 100 or so years of use, a few spellings existed, including nou A dayes, nou adaies, now a dayes, nowadayes, etc. After some time, a hyphenated version that more resembles the phrase we see today began to gain ground: now-a-days.
Today, however, the term is invariably combined into a single word without spaces. The following graph shows the frequency of nowadays vs. now a days vs. now-a-days in contemporary English.
Of course, this graph only looks at published English sources since the year 1800, so it is not scientific, or exhaustively accurate. It still clearly shows that the single word nowadays is the standard variant of this phrase.
Trick to Remember the Difference
In modern written English, you should always choose nowadays. Despite the word’s origins as a three-word phrase, today, almost all writers use the single-word form, and popular style guides including The AP Stylebook advise their writers to use the single word variant, without hyphens. To revert to the original variant would be needlessly distracting to your readers.
For a reminder that nowadays is the correct version, remember that its synonyms currently and presently are also single words. This should make it easy for you to keep these words straight in your mind.
Summary
Is it nowadays or now a days? The adverb nowadays used to be a three-word phrase several centuries ago, but at least since 1880, writers have shortened it into a single word.
- The single word nowadays is the favored spelling in Modern English.
- Now a days is no longer considered correct.
- The hyphenated now-a-days has also fallen out of use.
Since its synonyms currently and presently are also a single word, it should be no trouble to remember to choose nowadays over now a days.
Remember, you can always check this site for a quick refresher, or any time you have questions about writing and language.
Contents
- 1 What is the Difference Between Nowadays and Now a Days?
- 2 When to Use Nowadays
- 3 When to Use Now a Days
- 4 Trick to Remember the Difference
- 5 Summary
- 0
- 27,068
Q1: Someone tell me that, Nowaday is very old word, and very few people still use it — is it true ?
And could you please help me find the synonym of this word ?
Q2: If i want to said … «The inflation make the price of consumer’s goods rise»
Is it ok ? to use these word — HELP, ENCOURAGE, CAUSED ? and are there others words ?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Q3: John Brown: Thank you very much.
Mary Blue: Never mind.
Is it ok ? and how can Mary Blue say in other ways ?
- answer
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