National Punctuation Day -- Like most writers, I believe proper punctuation to be of utmost importance. Apparently, so does Jeff Rubin. Rubin is the founder of National Punctuation Day, which celebrates its fourth anniversary this year. Here are a few suggestions from Rubin to celebrate the day:
Sleep late.
Take a long shower or bath.
Go out for coffee and a bagel (or two).
Read a newspaper and circle all of the punctuation errors you find (or think you find but aren’t sure) with a red pen.
Take a leisurely stroll, paying close attention to store signs with incorrectly punctuated words.
Stop in those stores to correct the owners.
If the owners are not there, leave notes.
Visit a bookstore and purchase a copy of Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style.
Look up all the words you circled.
Congratulate yourself on becoming a better written communicator.
Go home.
Sit down.
Write an error-free letter to a friend.
Take a nap.
It has been a long day.
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If you're looking for ways in which to improve punctuation, click here for a list of valuable resources.
Click here for a Quiz on Punctuation.
Monday, September 24, 2007
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2 comments:
Sounds like a lovely way to spend a day...especially the coffee and bagel part. ;)
Figures that's the part you'd glom on to...LOL. ;)
Seriously, though -- I've just read three writing blogs in a row that contained punctuation or spelling errors. Yes, it may just be a blog, but people are still going to judge you by your writing. There was one article that contained a paragraph with so many errors, I stopped reading before I got a brain cramp trying to figure out what she was saying. We wouldn't send a manuscript or article out without proofing it, why should what we post online be any different? As they say, practice makes perfect.
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