Punctuation fail -- unless they're talking about smoking food and photographing drinks (Photo by Chris Chan) Who gives a **** about an "Oxford Comma?" And what exactly is an "Oxford comma," anyway? For those of you who knew that it's the final comma in a list of items before the conjunction, it probably comes as no surprise that Thursday is National Punctuation Day. Yes, it's an entire day devoted to celebrating the correct placement of apostrophes, semicolons, and quotation marks. In fact, those are only three of the fourteen different standard punctuation marks in the English language! (Bonus points to those who could list all fourteen before clicking on that link.) However, if you're the kind of person who couldn't care less that "its" is possessive, but "it's" is not, perhaps you should reconsider the importance of those tiny symbols the next time you ask "Whats missing?" First, it's the hyphens that the careless let go, then it's the ellipses, and before you know it, nobody can end a sentence without it running into the next one. In fact, careless punctuation can literally cost you, as a Canadian company discovered in 2006. A single misplaced comma cost them $2 million dollars when their contract was erroneously terminated. Of course, just as bad as being punctually illiterate is being a busybody know-it-all (cue Ross from "Friends"). Perhaps you've been lucky enough to avoid Strunk and White's "The Elements of Style" while learning your way around a school essay. The duo adeptly demonstrated how to use a possessive apostrophe correctly, while simultaneously confusing students every time they pondered whether it was "mantel" or "mantle" that referred to that thing above the fireplace (it's "mantel," in case you were wondering ...). If you're still convinced that all punctuation is stuffy and boring, there's Victor Borge, the man who made semi-colons entertaining. Borge, a Danish comedian and musician well known for his comedy bit, "Phonetic Punctuation" (seen here with Dean Martin), could make punctuation pop. Or, if that sort of humor is too refined for you, there's the "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks, The Truth About Grammar, and National Punctuation Day's gallery of gaffes. Oh, and if you happen to have stumbled across any grammatical anomalies during the course of reading this article, give yourself a cookie ... and keep it to yourself. Suggested Sites... National Punctuation Day - the official site. Purdue Online Writing Lab - resource from Purdue University for grammar, writing style, citations, and more. The Truth About Grammar - blog devoted to "Fighting the war on Error." Engrish - lost in the translation. Warning: mildly offensive. Grammar Girl - quick and dirty tips for better writing.

Directory categories: Punctuation, Grammar Usage and Style, English Style Guides, Writing, Spelling

Archived under: Celebrations, Communication, Education, Events, Grammar, Languages, Reference, School, Teaching

Post a comment (1) | Email this posting