How ‘Bout a Semicolon for Dessert?
Image by Wm Jas via Flickr
Today is one of those days my fiancé calls “dork holidays,” a day right up there with Pi Day and Pi Approximation Day. It’s National Punctuation Day, a day to identify punctuation errors and promote proper punctuation. Seeing as said holiday falls between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, perhaps it’s also a time for Jews around the world to atone for misused or underused commas, semicolons, apostrophes, and em-dashes.
Tired of imperfect copy, former reporter Jeff Rubin founded Punctuation Day in 2004. Rubin and his wife also launched Punctuation Playtime, a program that seeks to help elementary students embrace good punctuation. Though the duo encourage schools to celebrate National Punctuation Day, Punctuation Playtime activities aren’t limited to today.
So how should you be celebrating today, in the event that, as the Washington Post’s John Kelly put it, “[Y]ou are a punctuation lover—a lover of correct punctuation—[who] probably woke up today as excited as a child on Christmas morning”? According to Rubin’s Web site, you should celebrate Punctuation Day as such:
1. Become familiar with the punctuation rules and issues on this website.
2. Organize punctuation activities at your school, library, or office.
3. Share punctuation peeves with NPD founder Jeff Rubin at Jeff@NationalPunctuationDay.com
4. Send photos of incorrectly punctuated signage to Jeff Rubin at Jeff@NationalPunctuationDay.com
5. Forward this website to your friends, teachers, and co-workers as a way to spread the importance of proper punctuation.
Definitely a dork holiday. This is coming from someone with little tolerance for bad grammar and punctuation, mind you.
It gets better: This year, Rubin is holding a Punctuation Day baking contest. He’s asking punctuation enthusiasts to bake cookies, cakes, doughnuts, bread, or other pastries in the shape of a punctuation mark. )Global Ultimate sells comma-shaped cake pans, in case you were wondering.) The best looking punctuation desserts win their bakers non-edible punctuation prizes.
Judging by the question mark meatloaf and question mark cookie on the Punctuation Day Web site, this one’s in the bag for anyone who can bake an appetizing punctuation mark. Phyllo semicolon or apostrophe tart, anyone?
Post Your Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment
T/S Members
Log in with your True/Slant account.
I’m down, with Punctuation Day.
I mean, I’m down with Punctuation Day.
And:
Punctuation Day deserves an exclamation, Mark.
Punctuation Day deserves an exclamation mark.
( ! )
Anyone else want to play?
“Punctuation Day deserves an exclamation mark.”
Good point. (sorry)
As a devout (albeit comma-shy) grammar nerd who reads Patricia O’Connor’s books for fun, I applaud this day and you, Laura, for bringing it to our attention.
In response to another comment. See in context »Haha. Love it. Here’s one, not quite a punctuation problem, as much as two commonly confused words:
Everyday should be Punctuation Day.
Every day should be Punction Day.
Ms. Nathan,
Your husband is quite mistaken. While both Pi Day (March 14 at 1:59:26) and Pi Approximation Day (July 22) are indeed “Nerd Days” (Dork is not really the appropriate term here, although Geek would work) Punctuation Day is definitely not a Nerd Day. Geeks and Nerds rarely obsess about grammar, punctuation, or spelling (but they will tell you all about the difference between Vulcans and Romulans). It would be more appropriate to call it an “Anal-Retentive Day” (one of my favorite tee-shirts asks the question “Why is there a hyphen in anal-retentive”). As writers, words are our tools, we have to use them appropriately.
I’ll give you that Punctuation Day is a sort of anal-retentive day when it comes to proofreading signs, correcting other people’s grammar, etc. I proofread billboards and menus like just about every other writer I know. But come on, don’t you think baking a semicolon cake perhaps falls into the dork/nerd/whatever-you-want-to-call-it territory?
In response to another comment. See in context »