For Blue Wagon Group communications pros National Punctuation Day today is a big deal because, as all writers know, proper punctuation is foundational to the meaning of a sentence.
Here are some of examples of how well-placed punctuation is essential to clear writing.
- “Let’s eat, boys” versus “Let’s eat boys” – a fan favorite through the years shows graphically how a comma, or the lack thereof, can transpose a dinner call to something cannibalistic!
- “I love my daughter, my sister and my best friend” versus “I love my daughter, my sister, and my best friend” – without the comma after “my sister” it could be interpreted that your daughter is your sister. Huh?
- “I devote time to cooking, my family, and my dog” versus “I devote time to cooking my family and my dog” – another way to quickly take something inspirational to a similar dark place as in the first call for dinner example.
Editors for the national calendar day suggest some ways to celebrate National Punctuation Day. Spend the day critiquing punctuation – far too negative for our taste. Open a debate on the Oxford comma – we’ve already done that! Try using every type of punctuation today – could be a nice challenge! Pour over insurance, warranty or other service contracts in which a misplaced comma might be to your benefit – seriously, the thought of reading service contracts might induce a catatonic state!
However, two of our favorite suggestions are:
- Write an email free of punctuation errors – or better yet, write that email with just one error and challenge your recipient to find it!
- If you’re tired of punctuation (how could it ever be!?), just do crosswords all day – no punctuation in crossword puzzles!
How do you plan to spend National Punctuation Day?