I bet you know someone who’s a Word Nerd.  A Grammar Cop. A Grammar Nazi. Sunday is the day to honor that 'special' someone.

March 4th is ‘National Grammar Day.’ Organizers say, "March forth on March 4th to speak well, write well, and help others do the same!" Personally, I think every day should be ‘National Grammar Day'!

I’ll admit it:  I am a grammar snob. I have no tolerance for grammatical, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. You know my type. We point out errors on menus, on signs, on almost everything we read.

loading...

I'm told that no one likes a grammar geek. It must be true, because John Tesh talked about it recently on his radio show:

This motivational sign was posted above the urinal in the men’s bathroom here at Cars 108. It hung there for months, and it drove me crazy every day. That’s right, ‘every day,’ not ‘everyday.’

'Everyday' should be 'every day' in this example. 'Everyday' is an adjective meaning ordinary: I'm wearing my everyday shoes. 'Every day' is a time expression, meaning each day: I eat every day.
loading...

The sign on our back door begs the question, “Which employee does this entrance belong to?” Ah, the Hell I endure on a daily basis...

Employees' Entrance, Employee Entrane, Staff Only, No Visitors - anything would be better than this!
loading...

I'm convinced there's a grammar gene. My mom had it, and passed it along to me. I knew my son Nick was cut from the same cloth when he came home from second grade and said, “Dad, I can't stand it when kids say things wrong! It drives me crazy when I hear, ‘It don't,’ or ‘I seen.’” Several years later, his eyes roll like the reels in a slot machine when less and fewer are haphazardly interchanged. He shakes his head with disappointment when someone confuses then and than, as in this example:

Then and than are not interchangeable, as so succinctly demonstrated in this example.
loading...

Fellow word nerds, this Sunday is our day to celebrate our superiority. It's our day to revel in our always-accurate use of ‘there,’ ‘their,’ and ‘they’re.’

Sure, some may call me a 'smug, self-righteous scold.' As far as I’m concerned, you can call me anything you want, as long as you put it in the form of a complete, well-written, properly-punctuated sentence.

 

Sure, some may call me a 'smug, self-righteous scold.' As far as I’m concerned, you can call me anything you want, as long as you put it in the form of a complete, well-written, properly-punctuated sentence.

More From Cars 108