The 12 Days of Christmas—for word nerds and grammar geeks

Instead of working myself into a tizzy planning my holiday meal menus, decorating the house, and shopping for gifts, this self-proclaimed word nerd and grammar geek is getting into the holiday spirit by proposing a change to a beloved Christmas carol.

I’m sure “The 12 Days of Crispness” will be a jolly old hit.

Lately it seems grammar gaffes, typos, and misunderstood (and misused) words have skyrocketed. There are blunders published in respected media outlets, mistakes written by business associates, and errors spoken by friends.

Starting today, let’s challenge ourselves to keep our language “CRISP”—an acronym we developed at Stern + Associates to ensure our writing remains Concise/Compelling, Researched, Informative, Smart and Punctuated/Proofread.

So, hum along with me now:

On the first day of crispness, my colleague gave to me … the proper use of “I” versus “me.”

On the second day of crispness, my colleague gave to me … two subject/verb agreements, and the proper use of “I” versus “me.”

On the third day of crispness, my colleague gave to me … three grammar rules, two subject/verb agreements, and the proper use of “I” versus “me.”