Why didn’t someone tell me? It’s National Punctuation Day! Given my extreme use of the God-Given, All-Sacred Exclamation Point, I’m really surprised I didn’t know about this. Visit the site here where you’ll learn more than you ever wanted to know about the little devices that give our language meaning and clarity. (Be sure to check their special meat loaf recipe … seriously.) They provide instruction on how to properly celebrate:
- Sleep late.
- Take a long shower or bath.
- Go out for coffee and a bagel (or two).
- Read a newspaper and circle all of the punctuation errors you find (or think you find, but aren’t sure) with a red pen.
- Take a leisurely stroll, paying close attention to store signs with incorrectly punctuated words.
- Stop in those stores to correct the owners.
- If the owners are not there, leave notes.
- Visit a bookstore and purchase a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style.
- Look up all the words you circled.
- Congratulate yourself on becoming a better written communicator.
- Go home.
- Sit down.
- Write an error-free letter to a friend.
- Take a nap. It has been a long day.
The only thing it DIDN’T say was open a nice bottle of Frogs Leap. Anyhoo, you can buy T-shirts, posters and mugs with witty little sayings like Jesus and the Twelve Apostrophes, and A Semicolon is not a Surgical Procedure. I.LOVE. IT.
Call me a geek, but I think correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar is what separates us from well, perhaps, The People of Walmart?
Tags: civilized speech, grammar, language, punctuation, weird holidays, writing
adchick 
September 25, 2009 at 5:20 pm
I’d bought all of the makings for lamb stew, perfect for a rainy, blustery Atlantic Canada evening. But now, I’m thinking an Ampersand Quiche might be a more appropriate way of honoring the holiday.
September 25, 2009 at 8:34 pm
I’m with you, adchick. I’m one of those geeks who can’t read a mis-punctuated sentence… it just looks like gibberish to me! Plus most of my family and friends are fed up of me correcting menus every time we go out.
I don’t care, though. Punctuation gets your point across. Mess that up and you mess up the meaning entirely.