NATIONAL PUNCTUATION DAY | September 24
NATIONAL PUNCTUATION DAY
National Punctuation Day commemorates all punctuation on September 24. A period, a comma, a semicolon, a question mark, and an exclamation point are examples of some of the punctuation used in writing. They separate sentences and their elements to clarify meaning. Without them, meaning would be lost or up for interpretation.
#NationalPunctuationDay
Across the country, punctuation events test skills, educate and even poke fun at some of those embarrassing errors.
The founder of the observance sends out a challenge every year. Visit Jeff Rubin's website to enter the contest.
- FontFeed credits the observance with the revival of the interrobang.
- Auburn Elementary School of Auburn, MI celebrates the observance annually.
- CBS’s Live with Regis & Kelly mentioned the celebration on their morning television show on September 24, 2008.
For some, the celebration can be a trying one. If you're not one to use punctuation in text messages, you might be prompted to use a period or two throughout the day.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL PUNCTUATION DAY
What better way to celebrate punctuation than by using it. Seek out unique ways to punctuate your sentences. You can also try a few of these suggestions:
- Spend the day critiquing others' mistakes. Or, carefully correct your own.
- Determine which of your contracts for insurance, warranties, or service have a misplaced comma that might be to your benefit.
- To avoid punctuation altogether, just complete crossword puzzles all day. They don't use any punctuation.
- Write an error-free email and send it to everyone you know. Better yet, write an email with a single error and challenge your friends to find it.
- Open up a debate about the Oxford comma online. It may get as heated as a political debate.
- Try using every type of punctuation throughout the day.
- Create a painting or collage of your favorite punctuation marks.
- Express how you feel about the evolution of punctuation into emoticons. ;-)
- Make meatloaf and form the loaves into punctuation shapes.
We all make mistakes (but, not with meatloaf). While some mistakes we find humorous, some are costly. They impact relationships or the bottom line.
Practice proper punctuation and properly post it using #NationalPunctuationDay on social media.
NATIONAL PUNCTUATION DAY HISTORY
Jeff Rubin founded National Punctuation Day in 2004 as a way to promote the correct usage of punctuation.
Q. Why is punctuation important?
A. Punctuation is important because sentences that don't use punctuation are difficult to read Punctuation helps define the end of a sentence a pause and even emotion Without punctuation chaos ensues and the entire world order falls apart Now you wouldn't want that would you
Q. Is punctuation overused?
A. Sometimes. Some people, overuse punctuation. There are lots of ways to overuse punctuation!!!! It's sometimes, hard to read, sentences that use too much punctuation. More importantly, using punctuation incorrectly is confusing? Examples include; too many commas, exclamation points, and semicolons; using the wrong punctuation, and lack of consistency. Some people consistently use the Oxford comma and others don't use it at all!?!?!
