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There is no question that I am the intended audience for this entertaining book on the subject of punctuation. After all, I tend to use commas, semicolons and various other forms of punctuation in texts, despite the fact that I am all thumbs (not in the efficient way, but the fat-fingered way) when it comes to typing on my phone.
Lynne Truss is a witty writer with an extensive collection of examples of poor punctuation and of heated battles that have resulted from disagreements over their use. As she works her way through all the conventional forms of punctuation Truss incorporates explanations of how they developed and alternatives that fell by the wayside. I'm sure that grammar nerds everywhere would react to her stories the same as I did when I saw this sign in a take-out restaurant: "Spoon's ==>" Which is to say, with a shudder.
Her musings toward the end of the book on the potential impact of electronic communications on punctuation usage got me to thinking about a related topic that is close to me: audiobooks. You don't SEE punctuation in audiobooks, though a good narrator can communicate them. Although the form is becoming more popular with each passing year, I can't see it ever supplanting print books (whether paper or electronic). And yet, if the number of books intended directly for audio publication ever grows beyond a few memoirs, I suppose it's possible that there could be some effect.
BTW, this is clearly not a book that would work well in audio format. The fact that it took me months to finish, a few pages at a time, underscores why so much of my reading is audiobooks. ;-)
Lynne Truss is a witty writer with an extensive collection of examples of poor punctuation and of heated battles that have resulted from disagreements over their use. As she works her way through all the conventional forms of punctuation Truss incorporates explanations of how they developed and alternatives that fell by the wayside. I'm sure that grammar nerds everywhere would react to her stories the same as I did when I saw this sign in a take-out restaurant: "Spoon's ==>" Which is to say, with a shudder.
Her musings toward the end of the book on the potential impact of electronic communications on punctuation usage got me to thinking about a related topic that is close to me: audiobooks. You don't SEE punctuation in audiobooks, though a good narrator can communicate them. Although the form is becoming more popular with each passing year, I can't see it ever supplanting print books (whether paper or electronic). And yet, if the number of books intended directly for audio publication ever grows beyond a few memoirs, I suppose it's possible that there could be some effect.
BTW, this is clearly not a book that would work well in audio format. The fact that it took me months to finish, a few pages at a time, underscores why so much of my reading is audiobooks. ;-)
