Take for instance all together and altogether. Very similar in appearance and even more similar in pronunciation, these two expression have very different meanings. All together means in one group. Altogether means completely or entirely. I find it ironic that the expression which means in one group is not the expression comprised of just one word but rather the expression comprised of two words. But that’s English for you. The way to distinguish which expression is most appropriate is to use the definitions as replacements. Consider the example sentence in the graphic above. You can replace altogether with both definitions we just discussed. The correct choice then becomes clear. Replacing the AISI 1040 steel with a resulfurized version such as AISI 1140 represents a completely or entirely different approach. I’ll be taking a vacation for the next six weeks. But I’ll be back with more writing tips upon my return.