Keeping The Grammar Police At Bay

Daylight Savings Time – it sounds about correct, right? Wrong! I am sorry to bust your chops, but if you’ve been writing it that way, you have to rethink your chronological grammar. Much like “savings account”, the phrase mentioned above is actually grammatically incorrect according to an article titled“Daylight Savings” Is Grammatically Incorrectby Ephrat Livni for Quartz.

Source of the Error – the Context Usage of “Savings”

According to the article,the phrase “Daylight Savings Time” is widely used in Canada, the US, and Australia is painfully grammatically correct. The error, however, isn’t surprising at all. You see, widespread use of the plural form “savings” gained increased traction in North America because it’s utilized in everyday contexts such as “savings account.” In fact, some dictionaries say it is okay to use “savings” instead of the singular form.

It should really be “daylight saving time”

That’s right – the grammatically correct use is “daylight saving time.” It’s singular and lowercase according to the US GPO. It is not necessary to place a hyphen between daylight and saving, but it all boils down to your style choice. If you put increased importance on compound modifiers, then the hyphen should be there.

Popular Usage of “Savings” is the Root

When you think of money or bank accounts, the first thing that comes to mind is perhaps “savings.” With dictionaries suggesting that usage of the plural form is “acceptable,” it’s not hard to see why most people incorrectly use “Daylight Savings Time.” If you want to recall the correct usage, think of it as daylight.

It’s Lowercase and Singular

We’ll be indebted to Ephrat Livni (and Grammar Girl) for setting the record straight. In fact, GPO provides us with full guidance: “d.s.t., daylight saving (no ‘s’) time.” Mignon Fogarty – Grammar Girl and writer of Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing – takes it up a notch. While the hyphen is not necessary according to Grammar Girl, it’s crucial if you mind compound modifiers.

Knock, knock! Who’s there? It is the Grammar Police. You’ll be happy we shared this with you!

To read the full article, click here.

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