When is National Grammar Day?
National Grammar Day occurs on March 4th.
What is National Grammar Day?
Do you tire of dangling modifiers in the news? Are split infinitives getting you down? If so, this day’s for you. National Grammar Day celebrates the rules and patterns—not to mention irregularities—that make the English language comprehensible.
Now, be fair with yourself. You’re not a grammar Nazi. You just speak well, and every once in a blue moon, you remind other people how to speak well too. That’s okay.
Not every grammarian shares this loyalty to the laws of language though. Prescriptive grammar sets forth rules for the optimal (a.k.a. “correct”) use of language. Descriptive grammar, on the other hand, focuses on the ways people actually use language, without reference to right or wrong usage.
Whether you’re a descriptive observer of grammar, a prescriptive disciple of proper practice, or just an average American trying to figure out why there’s a National Grammar Day, take the time to notice the words around you today.
Fun facts about National Grammar Day!
- Martha Brockenbrough created National Grammar Day in 2008. She also founded the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar and wrote the book Things That Make Us [Sic].
- Among many other exceptions, the word “weird” does not follow the rule “‘I’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’, or when sounded as ‘a’ as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh.’” (Weird, but fitting.)
- The shortest complex sentence in English is “I am.”
- As of 2008, all pilots around the world must learn English in order to fly, thanks to the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization.
How to celebrate National Grammar Day:
- Look up funny grammar memes.
- Quiz yourself on the difference between there, their, and they’re.
- Troll your friends’ social media pages for errors. Then PM them with a laundry list. Remind them that you’re just doing your civic duty on National Grammar Day.
- Pick up a classic book on grammar, like Strunk and White’s The Elements of Style, or Wilson Follett’s Modern American Usage.
What’s the hashtag for National Grammar Day?
Use #NationalGrammarDay on social media with corrections to your friends’ grammar.