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Riku Sayuj's Reviews > Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
by
Delightful book. Have enlisted for the corps.
Consider: “Using the comma well announces that you have an ear for sense and rhythm, confidence in your style and a proper respect for your reader, but it does not mark you out as a master of your craft. But colons and semicolons—well, they are in a different league, my dear! They give such lift!” author Truss writes. “The humble comma can keep the sentence aloft all right, like this, UP, for hours if necessary, UP, like this, UP, sort- of bouncing, and then falling down, and then UP it goes again.”
+++
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A panda walks into a café. No, wait. He goes to, um, uh, Niagara Falls. Yeah, that’s it. And this panda walks directly up to the edge of the rushing water, where he allows himself to plummet over the side to the churning froth below, wildly gesticulating with his arms all the way down. The tragic suicide was a complete mystery to the panda’s family until his wife came across a badly punctuated travel brochure in her husband’s personal effects that said, “A visitor to Niagara sees, falls, and waves.”
From:
The Comma Denominator:
Good News: No One Knows How to Use These Things (by another of the grammar corps)
by
Delightful book. Have enlisted for the corps.
Consider: “Using the comma well announces that you have an ear for sense and rhythm, confidence in your style and a proper respect for your reader, but it does not mark you out as a master of your craft. But colons and semicolons—well, they are in a different league, my dear! They give such lift!” author Truss writes. “The humble comma can keep the sentence aloft all right, like this, UP, for hours if necessary, UP, like this, UP, sort- of bouncing, and then falling down, and then UP it goes again.”
+++
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. A panda walks into a café. No, wait. He goes to, um, uh, Niagara Falls. Yeah, that’s it. And this panda walks directly up to the edge of the rushing water, where he allows himself to plummet over the side to the churning froth below, wildly gesticulating with his arms all the way down. The tragic suicide was a complete mystery to the panda’s family until his wife came across a badly punctuated travel brochure in her husband’s personal effects that said, “A visitor to Niagara sees, falls, and waves.”
From:
The Comma Denominator:
Good News: No One Knows How to Use These Things (by another of the grammar corps)
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Quotes Riku Liked
“Thurber was asked by a correspondent: "Why did you have a comma in the sentence, 'After dinner, the men went into the living-room'?" And his answer was probably one of the loveliest things ever said about punctuation. "This particular comma," Thurber explained, "was Ross's way of giving the men time to push back their chairs and stand up.”
― Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
― Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
“What the semicolon's anxious supporters fret about is the tendency of contemporary writers to use a dash instead of a semicolon and thus precipitate the end of the world. Are they being alarmist?”
― Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
― Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Reading Progress
August 29, 2011
– Shelved
September 18, 2011
–
Started Reading
September 19, 2011
–
100.0%
"“The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.” “Thurber was asked by a correspondent: "Why did you have a comma in the sentence, 'After dinner, the men went into the living-room'?" And his answer was probably one of the loveliest things ever said about punctuation. "This particular comma," Thurber explained, "was Ross's way of giving the men time to push back their chairs and stand up.”"
September 19, 2011
–
100.0%
"“The rule is: don’t use commas like a stupid person. I mean it.” “Thurber was asked by a correspondent: "Why did you have a comma in the sentence, 'After dinner, the men went into the living-room'?" And his answer was probably one of the loveliest things ever said about punctuation. "This particular comma," Thurber explained, "was Ross's way of giving the men time to push back their chairs and stand up.”"
September 19, 2011
–
Finished Reading
February 22, 2014
– Shelved as:
reference
February 22, 2014
– Shelved as:
r-r-rs
Comments Showing 1-17 of 17 (17 new)
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Fionnuala
(last edited Mar 08, 2014 01:10PM)
(new)
Mar 07, 2014 04:35AM
I wrote a comment earlier containing both a colon and a semicolon; when I found myself about to use a semi-colon for the second time, I suddenly thought, dash it, stop this pretentiousness right now - so I did....
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Fionnuala wrote: "I wrote a comment earlier, containing both a colon and a semi-colon, on a friend's review. When I found myself about to use a second semi-colon in the same comment, I suddenly thought, dash it, st..."Hey, why don't I get any?? Now I feel talked-down to!
I believe, probably incorrectly, that I know how to use punctuation correctly. I use all the common marks frequently. If anyone ever sees a use in a comment or review I've written that strikes them as wrong, don't hesitate to bring it to my attention. I don't think I'm too old to learn. 8)
I know the feeling, Fionnuala, but I fight it: I love using semicolons and colons.
I think I have to read this. I know I must occasionally use punctuation incorrectly...at times I want to use more! Never less.
Riku - dash it - you deserve a semicolon; there was definitely something that needed to be added to my first comment..Teresa, I'm with you: colons certainly deliver the goods.
Thanks! Masterly demonstrations here. The author would be pleased.
So do people who prefer the dash over the semicolon also use dashes to set appositives off, or just commas? And do they just use dashes to separate independent clauses or do they also use them between listed items that are long and may contain commas themselves? Or am I being too generous about their consistence? I am a fan of the semicolon but not a fan when it is used to set off fragments; not at all.
Oh, who else loves the "ta-daaa" effect of the colon?My fave punctuation quote (jeez, how square is it to even have one?) is from Gore Vidal:())
He describes the colon as "a blare of French horns introducing a significant theme."
Gregsamsa wrote: "So do people who prefer the dash over the semicolon also use dashes to set appositives off, or just commas? And do they just use dashes to separate independent clauses or do they also use them bet..."I use both colons and wonderful dashes - as here - but I couldn't possibly give rules for when I use them, and am not interested in rules anyway. I don't write for a living (luckily). :)
Gregsamsa wrote: "So do people who prefer the dash over the semicolon also use dashes to set appositives off, or just commas? And do they just use dashes to separate independent clauses or do they also use them bet..."I don't prefer the dash over the semicolon -- for me, they're used for different reasons. I can see using a semicolon to set off a 'fragment' if the subject is not stated, but understood, though I rarely do it.
And don't get me started on commas, as the 'rules' have changed since I learned them: less is now the norm.
Gregsamsa wrote: "Oh, who else loves the "ta-daaa" effect of the colon?My fave punctuation quote (jeez, how square is it to even have one?) is from Gore Vidal:())
He describes the colon as "a blare of French horn..."
Yes, yes! So THAT is what I feel!
“Using the comma well announces that you" have the awful, putrid style of a Proust.
That was not directed at your style, Riku. I just hate Proust for all those f*@#!!ing commas.
