Are You In The Three Comma Club?
Joining the Three Comma Club might be an aspirational goal, but it can also be a chance to take a break in an otherwise chaotic day.
Silicon Valley is a satirical look at tech companies. One particularly cringe-worthy character created the Three Comma Club — aptly named for people with a net worth over a billion dollars (i.e., requiring three commas). According to Grammarly, I’m a member of the Three Comma Club — not that I’m making a ten-figure salary as a freelance writer (is that even possible?) but that I don’t know how to use basic punctuation.
Every week, Grammarly sends an email with my most common mistakes. Apparently, I’m a fan of the comma splice (using a comma instead of a semi-colon) and leaving commas out of compound sentences. How I can both overuse and underuse commas at the same time are anyone’s guess. I’m a staunch supporter of the Oxford comma — go figure given my inability to use commas.
When I learned about commas in elementary school, the teacher explained that commas were where you stop and breathe while reading a sentence. Given our world, we can all use a few extra pauses here and there. Maybe that’s why I overuse the little curvy things — I subconsciously want everyone to take a spare moment for themselves here and there. Who knows?
Today is National Punctuation Day — just what everyone needs, a day dedicated to grammar. Instead of looking at grammar as a set of rules to follow, let’s celebrate this glorious holiday for what it is: a chance to breathe. Add all the commas you want, my friends. Give yourself a moment to pause in the middle of the sentence, just like this one. Go ahead; you deserve it!
How are you celebrating National Punctuation Day?