National Punctuation Day

September 24th of every year marks National Punctuation Day. I wonder if it's celebrated as much as it once was because much of the interest in punctuation seems to be waning. I even had another author tell me that one could punctuate a sentence any way a person desired because there were no set rules. Of course, I didn't agree.

Punctuation is there to help make the intended meaning clear. The very same sentence can vary greatly in meaning, depending on how the sentence is punctuated. I see more and more of what could be termed "creative punctuation" at best. For example, the ellipsis (three dots) should be only used to show a pause or interruption that omits part of the text. It should not be used to show emphasis or in place of a comma or dash. If the ellipsis comes at the end of a declarative or imperative sentence, four dots should be used to denote the period also.

A few years ago, I sat in a senior level university English course. I was appalled at the lack of understanding of basic grammar and punctuation. And these were English majors, many of whom planned to go on to teach English. I constantly hear publishing houses and editors lamenting the same thing. So, I for one, am ready to celebrate National Punctuation Day. Bring on the correct grammar!

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