Eats, shoots & Leaves ~ Lynne Tryss

Well, another book review, here's one for Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss.Let me warn you , if you just a bookworm for reading only stories , then this review may stand a little different on your choice ;-)

If you want your words to say what you mean, then you need to understand punctuation-- don't you think this is what our teachers used to teach us?

That's the whole point of this book, and Lynne Truss backs it up with plenty of examples, rules, and some history. The history provides useful context; it tells you why we have punctuation in the first place. Since punctuation marks were invented as breathing instructions for actors, it makes sense that they provide clarity, rhythm, pacing, and style in every walk of sentence world ;-)

The title of Eats, Shoots & Leaves is reference to an old joke based a wildlife manual which claims a panda "eats, shoots and leaves" instead of "eats shoots and leaves." Lynne Truss has provided every writer an educational book about the proper use of punctuation. It's done with both a comic approach at times and an entertaining anecdotal history of punctuation. For everyone who's been unsure or when, or when not to, insert a comma or the correct use of the apostrophe, Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a valuable resource. Most surprisingly,this book has been at the top of UK bestseller lists and the US edition is a reprint with British punctuation rules. Some people say, "In one tidy little volume that a reasonably swift reader can zip through in the time it takes for an in-flight movie - but with far more laughs - she has wittily and concisely presented the rules of English punctuation

According to the author, this book is for the sticklers that notice the horrible spelling, grammar, and punctuation all around us. These are the people who try (and often fail) to keep to themselves the corrections that they know will fall on deaf – or even hostile – ears. The book is suitable for non-sticklers as well though, since it lays out punctuation rules along with many examples of both good and bad usage. It's entertaining, certainly British in tone and style, and at only 204 small pages (in the hardcover edition), it's a quick read.

If you're already well versed in the ways of punctuation, this book is entertaining. If you're someone who has a less than firm grasp on commas, apostrophes, and their friends, this book can help you. Either way, it's definitely worth reading.