Bookshop's review
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss
This book took the world by storm when it was published due to its hilarious take on the use of punctuation. I was curious: we all studied grammar but I do not think we ever went into depth with punctuation. To this day, I can never be sure how to use all these things except for the full stop.
The book is a joy to read. The first chapter is filled with her despair over the increasingly common misuse of punctuation to hilarious effect. One of my favourites is this:
A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.
After a few pages of these examples, I am convinced. Correct punctuation not only shows sophistication and prevents ambiguity but also has the possible power to unite the Catholics and Protestant.
She then proceeds to discuss each punctuation from apostrophe to italics, from the origins and historical reference to easy-to-remember usage and examples.
I must say it took me a while to finish this book despite its hilarity. Perhaps the ...more
The book is a joy to read. The first chapter is filled with her despair over the increasingly common misuse of punctuation to hilarious effect. One of my favourites is this:
A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.
After a few pages of these examples, I am convinced. Correct punctuation not only shows sophistication and prevents ambiguity but also has the possible power to unite the Catholics and Protestant.
She then proceeds to discuss each punctuation from apostrophe to italics, from the origins and historical reference to easy-to-remember usage and examples.
I must say it took me a while to finish this book despite its hilarity. Perhaps the ...more
If you want a punctuation guide which is guaranteed never to go dry, and is lavishly illustrated withal, might I recommend THE WELL-TEMPERED SENTANCE, by the great Karen Elizabeth Gordon?
Thanks for the recommendation. Witty title :D
Your review is one of the first I've seen here that talks about how the book goes into detail about punctuation other than apostrophes. I've been interested in reading this since it first came out but am still not sure. Would you recommend it to help with all sorts of punctuation and grammar mistakes? I'd like a good reference book. I'm a nerd like that. :)
Hi Karla,I certainly recommend it for a quick guide to punctuation (the book doesn't say much about grammar). What I like is the little list of usage for each punctuation with hilarious examples which allows me to remember better. I hope my comment helps.
