Happy Grammar Day!

Yes, fellow grammarphiles (and phobes, too!), today is National Grammar Day! As a card-carrying member of SPOGG, the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, I'm spreading the word. Well, SPOGG doesn't actually issue cards, but if they did I would carry one.

How can we participate? It's rather simple, according to SPOGG:

"Speak well! Write well! And on March 4, march forth and spread the word. If you see a sign with a catastrophic apostrophe, send a kind note to the storekeeper. If your local newscaster says "Between you and I," set him straight with a friendly e-mail."

Hmmm....I saw an unfortunate sign in a restaurant I visited on Sunday. Apparently, they are open until 1 am on "Friday's" and "Saturday's." I'm not sure what those days possess, but the sign is just one example of a "catastrophic apostrophe." Maybe I should send them a note! However, there are so many examples of poor grammar that I could spend my entire life sending letters.

I used to have a rule that I wouldn't eat/buy/participate in anything fraught with grammar and spelling mistakes. My options became so limited that I had to give it up!

In celebration of Grammar Day, here are a few fun grammar websites:

Grammar Girl

A Way with Words

GrammarBlog

Cheryl Norman, Grammar Cop

Also, my top five grammar pet peeves:

1. The aforementioned "catastrophic apostrophe"

2. Misplaced and too-frequent commas

3. "I" when it should be "me"

4. "Myself" when it should be "me"

5. "First come, first serve" (It should be served, unless the first one there will be doing the serving or playing tennis.)

**I'd like to note that my grammar is never flawless. I've written this post in appreciation of good grammar, not a criticism of those who make mistakes or don't care about grammar.**