Love punctuation! Love this book! It's fun to read and to use as a reference. Very British. Very witty.

Bad punctuation can force an innocent animal to live outside the law. Now, instead of peacefully munching, it EATS, SHOOTS, and LEAVES.

n  n

I proudly consider myself a punctuation martyr. The setting is an ordinary Soviet elementary school, first grade. I am kicked out of the classroom and sent home with an angry note. My transgression - in my wide-eyed seven-year-old innocence I dared to correct my (very Soviet) teacher on her comma placement and a spelling mistake. This crime landed me on her "black list" for the rest of the year. This was the beginning of my grammar vigilante stickler life.

Sometimes I discuss punctuation when I talk to my mother on the phone*. In my defense, she is a language teacher. Ah, never mind, I don't have a valid defense.

* (Yes, I know I should get a life. But I am ok with being pathetic.)

And then I found this book. And realized that I am not alone. And had a very enjoyable few hours reading the creation of a fellow grammar stickler. And then developed a strong desire to join a militant wing of the Apostrophe Protection Society. (Should I be seeking therapy for this? The bills will, of course, go to the aforementioned teacher.)

“Why did the Apostrophe Protection Society not have a militant wing? Could I start one? Where do you get balaclavas?”

n

This book is a must-read for all the grammar and punctuation sticklers out there. It is a witty and entertaining read perfect for those like me who start hyperventilating and breaking out in hives at the misuse of commas, apostrophes, and semi-colons. If you ever felt a surge of rage at those who do not understand the difference between contractions, possessives, and plurals, then this book will be like a breath of fresh air for you.

5 perfectly punctuated stars.

n
Punctuation can save lives. That's right, kids. Take this to heart.

——————
Also posted on my blog.

This book was a big deal a while ago, and I was like, "I am not reading a guide to punctuation written by a Brit." Because punctuation works differently over there. But for some reason I have a copy of it, so I read it to get it off my bookshelf, and now that I've read it I'm going to get it out of my house because it's terrible.

Truss consistently confuses education for intelligence, all but saying the people who get this stuff wrong are stupid, and her tone is so patronizing and self-satisfied it makes me wonder who she thinks her audience is. Did she write this book to commiserate with other grammar snobs about how disgusting the uneducated are? Or did she think she was going to reach the people who genuinely wanted to learn about grammar, teaching them the error of their ways through her superior attitude and half-smothered laughter? Unlikely. So we're back to the idea that she just wants to laugh at them from the safety of a like-minded mob.

And then, as if her abhorrent attitude weren't enough, in pursuit of her agenda of shaming everyone who has ever misused an apostrophe, one of her real-world examples includes the n-word, which is completely unacceptable. But apparently in Truss's world, hate speech is funny as long as it has an unnecessary apostrophe in it.

Now, I like grammar. I intentionally took three classes on the subject. I wince whenever someone gets the wrong "your" somewhere. But I also know that grammar is something that has to be taught and has nothing to do with inherent intelligence—the differences between British and American grammar proves that easily enough. If grammar were an innate quality humans have, it would all be the same. But it's not! It's flexible. And situational. And cultural. And she allows for none of that nuance here.

I'm throwing this in the paper bag where horrible, no good books go before I set them on fire donate their asses to the library.

I bought this book on the strength of Michael Gardner's review, and I'm glad I did. I'm sure it must seem hard to believe that a book about punctuation can be entertaining, but this book really is a delight. In fact, it is so droll I chuckled on almost every page. Yes, learning about punctuation can be fun!

Obviously, this book is aimed at writers and readers who take what we do seriously. Let's be honest: there's a genuine fussiness about good writing and good reading. I agree with the author that in the age of indie publishing (and I'm in that crowd), there's a lot of s**t out there. I always want to be kind in my reviews of other people's books, since I know firsthand the labor it takes to get a book out there. At the same time, when I read a book filled with egregious typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors, it's hard to be kind. This book is an antidote for some of those mistakes. It seeks to correct the grammatical errors incurred by incorrect use of punctuation. And it keeps us laughing along the way.

Who knew that the Brits have some discretion about whether or not to place terminal punctuation within the last quotation marks, unlike those of us in the U.S. who are told to tuck it all in there? Or that there are ten legitimate uses of hyphens? And when exactly do we use (or overuse) the comma?

Bottom line: this book is as enlightening as it is entertaining. I highly recommend it for those of us who want to improve our craft.

I really don't see what all the fuss was about this book--the author didn't seem particularly knowledgeable, and her "zero-tolerance" approach seems to do more to promote intolerance than to promote clarity.

In particular, her distaste for "emoticons" seems entirely inconsistent with her fascination with the origins of punctuation--it's as if she thinks of punctuation as a dead thing that _used to be_ alive, but now she doesn't want anyone to disturb the corpse.

I read Eats, Shoots & Leaves today almost unintentionally. Part of me has always wondered if I use commas properly, not in the sense of making grievous meaning-altering errors, but whether I use them to their full potential for creating deliberate flow and intonation. Despite writing daily, in some form or another, I had never truly acted on this thought. I think this is easily explained. Punctuation holds a reputation as a necessary evil in our society. And the only thing more tedious than punctuation is the group of people who correct others on it. Examining the finer details of punctuation is therefore rarely a serious consideration. Anyway, I had no intention of reading the whole book, but after starting on the section on commas midway through it, I made my way to the end absentmindedly. Then I went to the introduction and read the first half. What I found most interesting were the discussions of cases where two options are grammatically correct (e.g. using parentheses instead of commas or hyphens, like in this instance), and the decision is purely for stylistic purposes. The author's command over the English language is sharp, as you would expect, which made for enjoyable reading. It was also amusing throughout. As for the content on punctuation, it was as good as any other resource, although this is hardly surprising; the presentation of it is what is most important. Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a quick, lighthearted and instructive read. 4 stars.

To be honest, I never heard the panda joke until this book came out. The Australian version is a bit different - not as clever and involved, perhaps, but funny nonetheless. It went something like (and I am the worst person at re-telling jokes, I always forget bits. Usually the punchline): What does an Aussie bloke have in common with a wombat? They both eat, shoots and leaves. Except that's not quite it cause the grammar is off. Never let me tell a joke, I'll always ruin it.

Anyway, to the book. Wonderful, wonderful book. Hilarious, absolutely hilarious. And, as a bit of a "stickler" myself, very welcome too.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves covers the apostrophe, the comma, the semicolon and colon, the hyphen, dash and bracket, and even the question and exclamation marks. If you have always struggled, or sometimes doubt, how to use any of these, this is definitely the book for you. If, like me, you read it and get awfully chuffed with yourself for using them (almost always) correctly, you'll still want to keep this little gem around, either for back-up in those arguments with other sticklers (or punctuation-impaired people), or for a laugh. It's an easy-going, ironic book, full of tongues-in-cheeks and witticisms and puns - intelligent puns.

One of the things I love about this book is how Truss captures the punctuations marks' true characters. Giving marks personalities is a great joy to me - the only reason I used to fly through the times table every morning in primary school was because all the numbers had personalities and characters, and when they times'd by each other it was like a dramatic scene in a play; that was how I remembered it all. I can't say I do the same with punctuation, but I totally agree with Truss' personifications. For example:

Now, there are no laws against imprisoning apostrophes and making them look daft. Cruelty to punctuation is quite unlegislated: you can get away with pulling the legs off semicolons; shrivelling question marks on the garden path under a pwerful magnifying glass; you name it. ... the tractable apostrophe has always done its proper jobs in our language with enthusiasm and elegance, but it has never been taken seriously enough; its talent for adaptability has been cruelly taken for granted; and now, in an age of supreme graphic frivolity, we pay the price. [p.36:]

And:

... if you feel you are safe paddling in these sparklingly clear shallows of comma usage, think again. See that comma-shaped shark fin ominously slicing through the waves in this direction? Hear that staccato cello? Well, start waving and yelling, because it is the so-called Oxford comma (also known as the serial comma) and it is a lot more dangerous than its exclusive, ivory-tower moniker might suggest. [p.84:]

Also:

There are times ... when the semicolon ... performs the duties of a kind of Special Policeman in the event of comma fights. ... One minute the semicolon is gracefully joining sentences together in a flattering manner ... and the next it is calling a bunch of brawling commas to attention. [p.125:]

I love it! It also does wonders for understanding how to use the fiddly little things, if you've ever had trouble - and let's face it, who doesn't? And while Truss' tone may often be light and playful (even a little frivolous), this book is hip-deep in interesting historical background, usages and common mistakes, and entertaining examples of real-life punctuation boo-boos that, if you care at all, will actually make you tense up in indignation.

She also has a friendly dig at Australians and our tendency to turn statements into questions, which the British fans of Neighbours have picked up, much to her chagrin:

Increasingly people are (ignorantly) adding question marks to sentences containing indirect questions, which is a bit depressing, but the reason is not hard to find: blame the famous upward inflection caught by all teenage viewers of Neighbours in the past twenty years. Previously, people said "you know?" and "know what I'm saying?" at the end of every sentence. Now they don't bother with the words and just use the question marks, to save time. Everything ends up becoming a question? I'm talking about statements? It's getting quite annoying? But at least it keeps the question mark alive so it can't be all bad? [p.141-2:]

I laughed and laughed.

I did feel a bit ashamed when Truss disparagingly brings emoticons into the discussion - I have used a couple of smileys and the like on occassion. But it's not easy getting tone across in written words - or, rather, it kinda is (isn't that what writers accomplish all the time?), but in emails etc. it's more personal, and you can't read body language or facial expressions, and these people you are chatting away to are so often strangers, that it is so easy to be misconstrued, misunderstood, and a whole lot of other "mis-es".

Another thing I appreciated was that, this book having been written by a Brit, it hasn't been Americanised. That would be a completely different book. But Truss does make distinctions between American and British usages which are very helpful, and interesting too.

This book reads a bit like an essay, the kind famous writers write so that we'll all be awed by the intellectual genius behind their Great Works - except Eats, Shoots & Leaves is not at all pretentious; on the contrary, Truss confesses several times that she herself has doubts, and still learns that what she thought was wrong is actually "correct" (such as it is). What I mean, is that this is not some dry reference book - and the panda joke on the back cover prepares you for that. Even so, this is perfect reference material for students, teachers, copy-editors, journalists, proof-readers (please!), sticklers and, well, anybody. I learnt a lot from it but had fun learning, which should actually help me remember it all.

And I just can't believe I never noticed that the movie Two Weeks Notice doesn't have an apostrophe (which I very nearly typed in myself just now), or that Who Framed Roger Rabbit doesn't have a question mark. I think my brain put them in for me, which is why I'm very surprised to find these punctuation marks are missing.

Recommended for everyone, even people who are bored shitless by anything to do with writing.

I thought the idea of a virus that prevents email with improper grammar from being sent was fantastic. The virus ought to be endorsed by all colleges, corporations, and curmudgeons; at least it ought to be stamped with the Trusted Application status once it has been hatched and flown. Of course, that might mean we'll have a great internet dark age when almost everyone will have gone silent. Alas. It's a fun book, I recommend it to everyone.

If you're thinking about whether you should read Eats, Shoots and Leaves I recommend you ask yourself first "Am I a grammar Nazi?"



If the answer is yes then go ahead, you'll love it. If you belong to the rest of the human race check out this hilarious article instead which is also surprisingly informing.

http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-commonl...

Although I'm a bit of a language geek I generally found the author obnoxious and her observations pedantic. Languages are living things and although it's important to try your best to keep good grammar the flaws that you will see all around in signs and language usage is what makes it all so fascinating. It all sorts itself out in the end.

... also interrobang is a really cool word.

Subtitle: A Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation.

Well this was the perfect “geek-read” for me. My writing may not always be correctly punctuated, but I do try to adhere to the general rules of grammar and punctuation. There were more than a few moments when I felt Truss was channeling the good Sisters at Ursuline Academy who first tried to drum those rules into my head.

Truss writes with a delightfully irreverent style, and yet still conveys the seriousness of her purpose. Clearly there is a difference between
tA woman, without her man, is nothing.
tAnd
tA woman: without her, man is nothing.

It was a fast, enjoyable read, and I think I learned a few things.

If you had asked me what topic was decidedly boring and unfunny, punctuation would have been on the list, along with watching paint dry and paying bills. But Truss has proven me wrong: this book is both hilarious and educational. (Notice my inspired use of the colon?) She is on a crusade to improve our punctuation, and she won me over. Now I am eagerly awaiting her book about being on hold.

reading this book made me question every comma apostrophe period colon and question mark I use while I thought I had a good grasp of punctuation Im now a nervous wreck so suffice it to say I'll go with three stars neutrality and no punctuation