Love knows no grammar. I don’t advise dumping someone purely because they write “happy valentines day” on your card. But if the relationship is already teetering, that could be the final straw. Avoid unnecessary heartache by getting the spelling and punctuation right.
Love keyboard picture from Shutterstock
There are only three important points you need to remember:
- Capitalise both the V and the D in ‘Valentine’s Day’.
- Make sure you include a possessive apostrophe in ‘Valentine’s Day’. The day is named for Saint Valentine, so it ‘belongs’ to him. (Check our guide to apostrophe usage if you’re not sure why this matters.) Modern usage generally drops the ‘Saint’ or ‘St’ prefix, though you can throw it in if you like.
- The noun ‘valentine’ (describing the card you send or the individual you’re pursuing) doesn’t have a capital. So you can ask “Did you get my valentine?” or “Did you get my Valentine’s Day card?”
Accuracy isn’t always sexy, but it matters.
Lifehacker’s Mind Your Language column offers bossy advice on improving your writing.
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