National Grammar Day
National Grammar Day?!
It might surprise you to learn that National Grammar Day exists, but it’s true.
http://nationalgrammarday.com/
What is National Grammar Day?
This "holiday" was set on March 4th, 2004 by SPOGG: The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. SPOGG is a grammar-based organization that was started by Martha Brockenbrough.
There are about 6,000 members of SPOGG who will all take time on March 4th to celebrate the usage of good and proper grammar. We are members of SPOGG over here at WhiteSmoke; we simply cannot stand for missing prepositions, disagreement between subjects and verbs, or awkward word usage. Confusion between “good” and “well”, “your” and “you’re”, “know” and “no” – we will not have it! Whether it is a PhD dissertation, a business proposal or a casual e-mail to a friend, Good Grammar is a must.
How to Celebrate
This March 4th, why not be extra “grammatical”? Here are some ways to observe National Grammar Day:
- Go Contraction-Free
Contractions (won’t, I’m, shouldn’t, they’re, he’s) are perfectly “legal” in the world of grammar. They are extremely common in speech, and casual writing. Why not challenge yourself on National Grammar Day, and omit all contractions? If you are careful and deliberate with your speech, it should not be a problem; no reason you cannot do it. See? We just did. And we had a great time!
- Write Someone a Letter
The old-fashioned way. With e-mail and text messages, it’s so rare to take time to sit down and compose a hand-written letter. (WhiteSmoke 2009 offers letter templates which could be useful, come March 4th!)
- Join SPOGG – the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar
Writers, journalists, teachers, students, linguists, mentors, wordsmiths, and anyone whose names I didn’t mention: Join SPOGG and show your support for the practice of proper grammar. Signing up is free (free stuff!) and will grant you access to periodic and entertaining updates pertaining to grammar.
Check back for pointers on how to celebrate National Punctuation Day on September 24th!
