Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss – The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation – is a funny book on punctuation. Does punctuation matter? Well, to use one of the examples in the book, there’s quite a significant difference between extra marital sex and extra-marital sex…
I enjoyed it and it is a short book, well worth getting, especially if you find it at the library, as I did. She gives a lot of examples, funny anecdotes, and personal stories throughout the book.
There are two things I was not impressed with, hence the 4 stars. First, the Oxford comma! Who would have imagined that someone writing about punctuation is not an Oxford-comma enthusiast. Secondly, some of the stories dragged on a bit too much. Overall it is an enjoyable book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who, at one point, looked at a sign and said: “women’s what?!”.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss
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My rating: 4/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: The Penguin Group
Year it was published: 2006 (first published in 2003)
Format: Paperback
Genre(s): English
Pages: 209
About the author: Lynne Truss is a writer and journalist who started out as a literary editor with a blue pencil and then got sidetracked. The author of three novels and numerous radio comedy dramas, she spent six years as the television critic of The Times of London, followed by four years as a sports columnist for the same newspaper.
She won Columnist of the Year for her work for Women’s Journal. Lynne Truss also hosted Cutting a Dash, a popular BBC Radio 4 series about punctuation. She now reviews books for the Sunday Times of London and is a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4.
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You commented to Jeanie that in Romanian the grammar rule is not to put a comma before ‘and’, which is also how I was taught in a British school. However, since so many people now seem to have ditched that rule, I often find myself doing it too!
It was also a grammar rule that you should never begin a sentence with the word ‘but’, however that ruling too also seems to have flown in the face of modernising the English language. In fact, having just checked, not only should you never begin a sentence with ‘but’, but you should always use a comma before the word too! – I never knew that rule, or if I did, I have forgotten it completely over the years.
I also know that I am guilty of overusing exclamation marks and that has now become a bad habit which I am finding it difficult to break.
Perhaps I really should read this book after all 🙂
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I know about but and I naturally use a comma before but, but (aww :)) ) I didn’t know it was a requirement, it just felt right. It’s a funny and short book, do read it if you fancy it. 🙂
I was also taught never to begin a sentence with ‘but’ or with ‘and’. But you know what? I still do it! 😉 I also overuse exclamation marks and commas. Considering my writing is not technical and purely for personal pleasure, I don’t see what difference it makes. I’ve always tended to write like I talk on my blog.
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I read this book a few years ago and really enjoyed it! As for the Oxford comma… I’m a firm believer in using it. It can make all the difference in the world!
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I was sure you would like it and you did. 🙂 It’s a funny book.
I haven’t read this in ages but I enjoyed it too — far more than her other writings. About the Oxford Comma. Were you reading a Brit or American copy of the book? In America, it’s not used at all by journalists, which use the AP Style Book. Truss’ wiki page indicates she was a journalist and I’m not sure if in Britain journalists use a specific stylebook similar to AP that doesn’t use the Oxford. I’ve been in some terrible arguments about this, coming from an AP background and when I’ve edited others’ books and articles. Ultimately, it is the editor’s choice. It would be interesting to know more!
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She is British, she said that in UK the Oxford comma is left out and in US is left in, but journalists are taking it out. It sounds a bit strange considering that its name is “Oxford”. Although it is also known as a Harvard comma too.
For me, Oxford comma adds a layer when it is used and when it is not, but because not everyone is using it, some might not understand the slight change in meaning when it is not used. In Romanian the grammar rule is to not put a comma before “and”, so I didn’t use Oxford comma initially, but now I am a strong believer in it.