One proper use of quotation marks is to indicate sarcasm. Image from Flickr.

Happy National Grammar Day! For my fellow grammar geeks, I have compiled a list of some of my favorite grammar-related web sites. Mind you, these are web sites for people who love grammar, not web sites that teach grammar. Here are 10 must-visit sites for National Grammar Day.

9. Failblog

I put Failblog.org at No. 10 because it’s not really grammar-related. However, Failblog does often feature photos of media that have incorrect grammar, punctuation or spelling. They fail.

8. Oddly specific

OddlySpecific.com also has only loose ties to grammar. However, Oddly Specific celebrates comedy in language, and it does poke fun at incorrect grammar when it gets the chance. I bet I could have some fun making oddly specific signs about guaranteed loans.

7. Passive Aggressive Notes

The goal of PassiveAggressiveNotes.com is to find hilarity in written messages that contain both anger and politeness — or some combination of passive and aggressive. However, this site also expresses a healthy amount of rage over “atrocious spelling” and other such heinous crimes.

6. Stuff Journalists Like

Most journalists are grammar nerds (and if they’re not, they should be). Stuff Journalists Like doesn’t focus on grammar, but it is appealing to a large percentage of grammarians.

5. The Oatmeal

Not everything at The Oatmeal is grammar-related, but it has some excellent instructional comics. My favorites are “Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling,” “How to Use a Semi-Colon” and “How to Use an Apostrophe.”

4. National Punctuation Day

Grammar and punctuation are inseparable, except when it comes to national holidays. Apostrophes, commas, hyphens and the like get their own special day on National Punctuation Day. Grammar lovers will no doubt find some delightful material on the National Punctuation Day web site. Be careful, though, you may end up needing debt repair if you spend too much time in the merchandise section.

3. The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks

UneccessaryQuotes.com is one of my favorite sites because when quotation marks are misused it usually ends up being comical. People often use quotation marks for emphasis, but to people who understand punctuation, putting quotation marks around a word usually saps all of its power completely.

2. Apostrophe Abuse

Truth time: I cannot go to ApostropheAbuse.com. It fills me with rage and ruins my day. However, if you are less sensitive to apostrophe misuse than I am, you might get a kick out of this site. If you, like me, can’t stand it, send the link to your Facebook friends who annoy the crap out of you on a daily basis by misusing apostrophes.

1. National Grammar Day

Of course, you should visit the National Grammar Day web site. There is a plethora of great stuff for grammar lovers. Plus, it is important on this special day to show appreciation and recognition to its creators. Spread the love of grammar on National Grammar Day.

Improper punctuation can be dangerous. Image from Flikr.com.

National Punctuation Day is a holiday like no other. Unlike most holidays that are invented seemingly out of the blue, National Punctuation Day wasn’t created as a business promotion.

It’s sort of like Talk Like a Pirate Day. It doesn’t make anybody any money. It doesn’t spread publicity for a business. It is simply there for people to celebrate something they love. You don’t need an unsecured personal loan or any other form of financing to celebrate National Punctuation Day.

Either you’re in, or you’re out

National Punctuation Day simply exists to encourage writers, editors, other types of wordsmiths and lovers of the printed word to celebrate properly used punctuation, rather than complaining about, correcting and berating others for incorrect punctuation. Of course, they will still do that, too. They can’t help it. But today, we celebrate as well.

You see, some humans are afflicted with a very real condition that causes them to feel extreme anxiety when they see misplaced punctuation. This may manifest itself through a physical reaction, such as tightening of the chest or gritting of the teeth. Similarly, some with this condition will go to great lengths to remove the offending punctuation from their sight or alter it if possible. Others exhibit auditory responses, such as heavy sighs, general angry noises or yelling punctuated with profanity.

Then there is everyone else — the “normal” people. They do not even notice improperly used punctuation and often misuse it themselves.

More manifestations of condition

I have a “friend” who once stopped following her acquaintance’s Twitter account because he purposely misused both “your” and “you’re” in the one tweet. He clearly does not understand the seriousness of this condition. She was so angry she decided to stop following him. She didn’t even tell him.

That friend later realized, as much as she hated to admit it, that apostrophe misuse was not worth ending a friendship over. This same friend once saw a sandwich board sign on the sidewalk that had a misplaced apostrophe. Fortunately for the business owners, the wording on the sign was made of stickers, so she simply peeled off the offending apostrophe and continued in her travels feeling relieved and lighthearted.

Celebrate National Punctuation Day

Some grammarians may choose to celebrate National Punctuation Day in this manner, correcting any improper usage of punctuation they can reach. However, many people who have the above described condition do things like this on a regular basis. The same friend who peeled the sticker off the sign once altered every copy of a poster in her favorite bar because they were missing  apostrophes.

None of these incidents happened on National Punctuation Day. Being offended, angered, saddened and irritated by incorrect punctuation is an everyday occurrence, especially as communication becomes more and more text-based, thanks to Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, text messaging and instant messaging. Thus, I think National Punctuation Day should be a day of celebrating correctly used punctuation, something we grammarians often take for granted.

Celebrating good punctuation

For instance, my friend once wrote a Facebook status that contained a semicolon. In response, one her her friends commented: “Way to go with using a semi-colon. I don’t think I could do that to save my life!”

I think this is an excellent way to celebrate National Punctuation Day. So just for today, pay extra attention to your own punctuation. Also, seek out proper usage of punctuation and give compliments, preferably in a public forum such as a Facebook wall or MySpace comments. Also visit The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks, and have a good laugh.