I'd always write 'any more', I think. And I stress controversy on the first syllable. But then I pronounce the composer Purcell to rhyme with 'rehearsal', as Dryden does, with the stress on the first syllable, so there's no hope for me... When did 'll' on the end of a word mean people started to stress the last syllable?

Emma

You don't rhyme 'join' with 'dine', do you, Emma?

I pronounce Purcell the same way as you, Emma, so you're not alone.

But, how do you all pronounce data? Is it dar-ta or day-ta?

Ah, now I would use 'alright' and 'awhile'. Maybe they would be changed by an editor, but they are 21stCentury constructs and are bound to become the norm, just a sure has now taken over from surely.

They are acceptable, yes.

sure has now taken over from surely.

This is a new one to me - in what contexts? I use both, but for different things.

Daisy, glad to know I'm not the only dinosaur around here.

You don't rhyme 'join' with 'dine', do you, Emma?

Nah, that would be silly! But my mother pronounces golf 'goff'...

Emma

I don't just use 'alright'. It's the cornerstone of my administration...

The difference between 'all right' and 'alright' is not, in my view, primarily a question of grammatical correctness. It looks like a semantic difference to me. 'Alright' has a slack, deadpan feel to it. 'All right' looks formally correct and upright.

Try this:

A: What's up, mate? You OK?
B: Yeah, I'm alright.

Or:

A: What's up, mate? You OK?
B: Yeah, I'm all right.

The second - no, no, no... The point is that, even though both versions sound the same, they don't look the same - and the look is important in practice, in terms of the impression conveyed to the reader. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that where there is some leeway, using the language that conveys the impression you want to convey is more important than being 'correct'. It's free colouring.

Hyphens, I suspect, are on their way out, because people don't know how to use them. Is this well-written or well written? (Neither...)

Definitely stress the first 'o' in 'controversy' however.

Oddly, I quite like 'awhile'. It has a nice retro feel to it (probably spurious) which makes me think of fair damsels being asked to tarry awhile amongst the apple blossom...

(And I do agree with RJH that 'alright' feels fine in his example - just as 'yeah' does even though we know it's 'incorrect'.)

Rosy

<Added>

Spookily, I just read over the section I'd been writing before this thread came up, and I have talked about a character inhaling 'an uncomfortable throatful of dust'. I think it must be a bad habit of mine!

I the problem with alright comes from the confusion between already and all ready, which have two different meanings. Buy all right and alright have the same meaning, which shows that the latter is just bad spelling

But, as English is a living language, "alright" is now in several dictionaries - just like chav, buff, text (as in the verb) and all kinds of other modern terms.

So, I guess it depends on your age. If you are teens or younger and you use "alright" then you have a full grasp of modern english. If you are twenty or older, then you're crap at spelling.

<Added>

sorry. "but" not "buy".

It was an Augustan joke, Emma. Dryden and his mates would have pronounced 'join' as 'jine'. (Bit obscure, I admit.)

And the Victorians would have rhymed 'balcony' with 'macaroni', and the Elizabethans 'civil' to rhyme with 'Brazil'. I think language change is fascinating.

<Added>

I suppose in centuries to come, 'alot' might become acceptable, but in the meantime it drives me up the wall. I used to say to the kids I taught, "You wouldn't write 'ahouse' or 'adog', would you? Aplaystation???"

Yes, I got the Dryden joke, can't remember why I know it but I do. Didn't know 'balcony' though - that's fun. It sounds like a dodgy American politician, too.

Emma