National Grammar Day is next week on Thursday, March 4.

This day affords all of us the opportunity to celebrate the depth and breadth of the English language and “march forth” to speak and write well, while encouraging others to do the same.

“A lot of people don’t like grammar and I think that is because they don’t feel confident in their grammar skills,” said Kelly Rhodes, Chair of the Communications and Criminal Justice Department.

According to seemingly countless studies, grammar is an important skill to learn if you hope to find success in your chosen career path in the future.

“Year after year, written communication skills make the list of skills employers are looking for,” said Rhodes.

If someone submits an application for a competitive position to an employer that is full of grammatical errors, he or she will be at a distinct disadvantage to others whose applications and resumes are free of such errors.

“I do my best to make grammar a priority,” said Early Childhood and Special Education major Alexa Schmidhamer.

“As a teacher, I will be required to teach correct grammar and make sure that my students know how important it is to use correct grammar.”

Many people use grammar strategically – that is, only when they feel it is important.

“When it comes to texting, it depends on the importance of the message and who it is going to,” said Marketing and Management Information Systems double-major Hunter Longenecker.

“Social media is a different story – I try to use the best grammar there. You never know who is going to see your post.”

National Grammar Day was founded in 2008 by Martha Brockenbrough, an author of fiction and nonfiction books for children and adults.

Brockenbrough is also the founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar.

“I love that there is National Grammar Day!” said Rhodes. “We need a clever celebration idea – like the Math Department does for Pi Day.”