Grammar police cite Obama campaign for punctuation crime

The president’s campaign slogan is “Forward.” That’s one word, with a period. The punctuation has riled some language buffs.

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The one word—plus the period—doesn’t move people to action in quite the same manner as his 2008 slogan “Yes we can.” Plus, it lends itself to parody, as many of his critics have tacked on additional commentary, such as: “Forward … off the cliff.”

Some grammar buffs, on the other hand, have a different problem with the slogan: It includes a period, even though “Forward” is not a sentence. So, grammatically, it’s incorrect.

The Wall Street Journal‘s Carol E. Lee delved into the topic this week, quoting members of both parties—including people from the president’s inner circle—on the strange punctuation.

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