Expression: For the record, I check..."

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

Hi

Could you please tell me if you find the following lines correct and natural?

Thanks,

Tom

2

Hi Tom,

Just a small change I would make: except on rare occasions.

Alan

3

Hi Tom,

I’d say ‘For the record, I check my inbox on a daily basis. On rare occasions I can’t attend to checking my mails, but only if the internet cafes or I should be extremely busy.’

4

Many, many thanks, Alan and Ralf.

So would you say that “excluding rare exceptions” sounds wrong to your native ears–or at least odd?

Thanks again,

Tom

5

@ Ralf,

I am not aware of the use of “but only”. Could you please highlight?

Tom

6

Also, “everyday” should be “every day.”

7

Thanks Barbara.

But I need more light. Doesn’t everyday mean the same thing as daily?

Correct me if I am wrong please.

Tom

8

Hi Tom,

‘Excluding rare exceptions’ is in my view ‘over egging it’. In other words you say the same thing twice.

Alan

9

Hi Tom

I agree with Barb about “every day”.
[i]- I see him every day.

  • I see him each and every day.
  • I see him every morning.[/i]

“Everyday” (i.e. written as one word) is an adjective that means commonplace/ordinary/typical/usual. It is also used as a noun occasionally.

In your sentence “every day” modifies a verb, not a noun. Thus, you should not use an adjective.

However, I’d also say that writing “everyday” instead of “every day” is a fairly everyday error for native speakers of English. :wink: So, it wouldn’t surprise me if you’d seen this written incorrectly fairly often.
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10

Hi again, Tom

Here’s my input:
It seems to me you are not parsing the words correctly. The word “but” is simply an everyday conjunction here. You should parse “only if” together – and I’m pretty sure you know how to use “only if”.

Does that clarify things for you?
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