March forth for good grammar…March fourth!

You may not know this, but March 4 is National Grammar Day, sponsored by SPOGG, the society for the promotion of good grammar.  I’m a member of spogg.  I can’t help it.  I’m not a perfectionist, but I appreciate proper usage.  A misplaced modifier makes me giggle, while a misused apostrophe makes me cringe.  I realize that American usage differs from other English speaking countries’ usage, so I’m addressing correct English grammar for the U.S only.

I am a professional writer.  Just as an electrician knows proper electrical codes and a plumber knows the plumbing code, so should I know the correct code of writing in the English language.  I have an office filled with references on language, grammar, syntax, self-editing, etc.  I host a blog, The Grammar Cop, for answering grammar questions and settling debates about usage.

How should you observe National Grammar Day?  First, spread awareness of the problem of our deteriorating language.  Second, set a good example for your children, students, friends, or co-workers by striving to write and speak correctly.  Finally, have fun with it.  Make up a batch of grammartinis to drink, and look for ways to correctly split an infinitive (I just did )

You may have grammar pet peeves, too.  If so, please post a comment and share.  Here are some of mine:

1. Possessive pronouns with an apostrophe. Grrr!  Don’t do this!  It’s is a contraction for it is, not a possessive pronoun.
2. Misspelled words.  There is no such word as reoccur or irregardless, and all right is two words, not one (unless you’re in Great Britain, which accepts alright in their usage).
3. Confusing that and which, or that and who.  I hate to hear “She is the woman that inspired the blonde jokes.”  She is the woman WHO inspired blonde jokes.
   

Just because I’m a grammar enthusiast doesn’t mean I’m a grammar snob.  Here are three examples of a grammar snob’s pet peeves:

1. Never end a sentence with a preposition.
2. Never begin a sentence with a conjunction.
3. Never split an infinitive.

Frankly, there are perfectly reasonable reasons for breaking all three of these rules.  If stilted, proper grammar makes for confusing the reader, break the darn rules!

And now, here is SPOGG’s recipe for the grammartini:

The Grammartini
© 2007-2008 the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar

Pour two-and-a-half ounces of gin, a half-ounce of dry vermouth and several ice cubes into a martini shaker.

Shake.  (The shaker—not your body or your dog’s paw.)

Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with an olive. If you must, use a lemon twist instead. The Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar likes olives, however. When life hands us lemons, we make lemonade.

Remember, March fourth on March 4th: National Grammar Day!

Diva Cheryl