Eats, Shoots and Leaves
In keeping with one of my resolutions, I finally finished reading "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by Lynne Truss. I think this book was written especially for me! I have always been a "stickler" for grammar, spelling and punctuation, much to the dismay of my schoolmates and even the occasional teacher who dared to misspell a word on the chalkboard. I have even corrected signs at Wal-Mart: "For Safety Sake" changed to "For Safety’s Sake" with a handy black Sharpie. I can even point you to a permanent inspection sign over a fire extinguisher where I added a much-needed apostrophe.
In Lynne Truss’s own words:
"For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word "Book’s" with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly emotional process similar to the stages of bereavement, though greatly accelerated. First there is shock. Within seconds, shock gives way to disbelief, disbelief to pain, and pain to anger. Finally (and this is where the analogy breaks down), anger gives way to a righteous urge to perpetrate an act of criminal damage with the aid of a permanent marker."
I keep a permanent marker in my purse at all times.
Throughout the book, Ms. Truss touches upon the accepted uses for multiple forms of punctuation, as well as their grotesque misuses. She often quotes noted writers, such as George Bernard Shaw, Gertrude Stein, James Thurber, and Mark Twain, and has a seemingly unending supply of colourful, humourous anecdotes and quotes to illustrate her points (no pun intended).
In another passage, Truss writes what could be a dust-jacket summary for a grammarian’s mystery book:
"Yes, you can see the bullet points here, here and here, sir; there are multiple back-slashes, of course. And that’s a forward slash. I would have to call this a frenzied attack. Did anyone hear the interrobang?"
"Oh, yes. Woman next door was temporarily deafened by it. What’s this?"
"Ah. You don’t see many of these anymore. It’s an emoticon. Hold your head this way and it appears to be winking."
"Good God! You mean - ?"
"That’s the mouth."
"You mean - ?"
"That’s the nose."
"Good grief. Then it’s -?"
"Oh, yes, sir. There’s no doubt about it, sir. The punctuation murderer has struck again."
It was a truly delightful read, and I recommend it to anyone who has ever winced at a poorly punctuated passage. :-)
In Lynne Truss’s own words:
"For any true stickler, you see, the sight of the plural word "Book’s" with an apostrophe in it will trigger a ghastly emotional process similar to the stages of bereavement, though greatly accelerated. First there is shock. Within seconds, shock gives way to disbelief, disbelief to pain, and pain to anger. Finally (and this is where the analogy breaks down), anger gives way to a righteous urge to perpetrate an act of criminal damage with the aid of a permanent marker."
I keep a permanent marker in my purse at all times.
Throughout the book, Ms. Truss touches upon the accepted uses for multiple forms of punctuation, as well as their grotesque misuses. She often quotes noted writers, such as George Bernard Shaw, Gertrude Stein, James Thurber, and Mark Twain, and has a seemingly unending supply of colourful, humourous anecdotes and quotes to illustrate her points (no pun intended).
In another passage, Truss writes what could be a dust-jacket summary for a grammarian’s mystery book:
"Yes, you can see the bullet points here, here and here, sir; there are multiple back-slashes, of course. And that’s a forward slash. I would have to call this a frenzied attack. Did anyone hear the interrobang?"
"Oh, yes. Woman next door was temporarily deafened by it. What’s this?"
"Ah. You don’t see many of these anymore. It’s an emoticon. Hold your head this way and it appears to be winking."
"Good God! You mean - ?"
"That’s the mouth."
"You mean - ?"
"That’s the nose."
"Good grief. Then it’s -?"
"Oh, yes, sir. There’s no doubt about it, sir. The punctuation murderer has struck again."
It was a truly delightful read, and I recommend it to anyone who has ever winced at a poorly punctuated passage. :-)
posted by Rebeccah @ 1:47 PM
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