National Grammar Day 2023 (US): Date, History, Activities, Significance

On National Grammar Day, we are commemorating the peculiarities of the English language by studying common grammar errors, proofreading our correspondence, and expressing gratitude to our editors.

On March 4, we embrace our inner grammar nerds for National Grammar Day! Martha Brockenbrough, the founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar, established the day in 2008. The motto for the day is “It’s not just a date, it’s a command: On March 4, speak well, write well, and help others do the same!” On National Grammar Day, we are commemorating the peculiarities of the English language by studying common grammar errors, proofreading our correspondence, and expressing gratitude to our editors.

NATIONAL GRAMMAR DAY ACTIVITIES

Learn a new rule of grammar

Is there a particular grammar rule that you always feel the need to verify? Utilize National Grammar Day as an excuse to memorise that annoying grammar rule. (One we are constantly comparing: lay versus lie! How to remember: you recline on the couch, but place the book on the table!

Get your red pen out.

Newspapers and magazines undergo multiple rounds of copyediting, but errors almost always slip through. Celebrate National Grammar Day by acknowledging that no one, not even professionals, is perfect with grammar! Read your preferred magazine or newspaper with your grammar radar activated and a red pen at the ready to mark any errors. And what to do when one is discovered? Nothing other than a large red circle and a smile.

Have a grammar party

Invite your friends over for grammar games! Play “pin the apostrophe on “it’s”; read examples of the Internet’s most hilarious grammar errors; and host a discussion on one of the greatest debates in the English language: the oxford comma, yes or no?

National Sons Day 2023 (US): Date, History, Facts

NATIONAL GRAMMAR DAY: SIGNIFICANCE

Grammar is beneficial

Grammar helps us communicate our thoughts with absolute clarity. It’s the difference between inviting your mother to a meal (“Let’s eat, mom!”) and actually eating her. The distinction is between enjoying cooking and also enjoying your pets (“I enjoy cooking, my cat, and my dog”) and cooking your pets (“I enjoy cooking my cat and dog”).

Grammar is satisfying

Proofreading is enjoyable. Discovering a typo, misspelt word, or improper use of there, their, or they’re is extremely satisfying. It could even be called day-making! Whether you’re proofreading your own work, editing a friend’s cover letter, or searching for an errant comma in The New York Times, knowing and applying the rules of grammar in everyday life makes us feel great.

Grammar makes us nostalgic

So many grammatical rules are ingrained in our brains permanently because we learned them as children. It is entertaining to review grammar rules and recall the mnemonics, songs, and cartoons that taught us the rules as children. From Schoolhouse Rock to Sesame Street, grammar provides us with a number of memorable moments.