"Eats, Shites and Leaves" is a celebration of all things shite about the misuse of English, highlighting the prevalence of absent apostrophes, ghastly grammar, suspect sentences, rambling repetitiveness, commentators' claptrap, tortuous tautologies, insane instructions, and quirky quotations in society today.
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"'A lucky-dip of malapropisms' The Observer"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From the Publisher
" I know that you believe that you understood what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant' - Robert McCloskey, US State Department Spokesman
Featuring a plethora of examples that show how to get the worst out of the world's most commonly spoken language, Eats, Shites and Leaves is a wittily informative insight into how the English language can be used and abused in the twenty-first century.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
91 of 96 people found the following review helpful
By Aaron C Reskew
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book is obviously a parody of "Eats shoots and leaves" and it's very good. As the title suggests it's about the bad use of English, or is that the use of bad English? Either way, it lists a number of examples of tortured syntax and downright bad grammar, and it does it in a generally off-the cuff manner.
Examples of what not to do include repetition, repetition, switching sentences between being written in the active voice and when you write in the passive voice, and using prepositions to end sentences with. Did I mention repetition?
It also includes a number of examples of celebrity-speak and signs that simply boggle the mind - "Dog for sale - eats anything and likes children" being just one such example.
Well worth a read.
184 of 195 people found the following review helpful
By "justjade12"
Format:Hardcover
"Eats, Shites and Leaves" is the parody of Lynne Truss' "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" and is a much kinder read for anyone interested enough to give it a go. I would suggest that it is mostly suited for those with a minor obsession with the English Language; whether they are students, teachers or just "Sticklers" who appreciate English fully and can still joke about it.
As an English Student, I found the book both interesting and entertaining, even though at first glance it appears to be a list of English "Do's and Don'ts"; which by the way quite a lot of it is. If you can plough through the lists and deliberate mistakes (I recommend small doses), you'll find that it is very cleverly written and leaves you feeling as if you've been entertained, rather than preached to about spelling, grammar and "good English" for 165 pages. The whole book is brilliantly illustrated with examples of "bad English", delighting in the oral blunders of all the people we love to see stuff-up their precisely constructed speeches, ranging from George W. Bush to Britney Spears.
If you are thinking about reading/purchasing this book and you haven't yet read "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" I strongly advise that you do so at some point before or after reading "Eats, Shites and Leaves". Although they aren't closely related as parodies go, they do neatly complement each other and are more interesting in combination.
Overall "Eats, Shites and Leaves" is a good read, managing to incorporate entertainment, interesting facts and actual education in an approachable and funny way. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something different to read, especially with Christmas just around the corner.
As an English Student, I found the book both interesting and entertaining, even though at first glance it appears to be a list of English "Do's and Don'ts"; which by the way quite a lot of it is. If you can plough through the lists and deliberate mistakes (I recommend small doses), you'll find that it is very cleverly written and leaves you feeling as if you've been entertained, rather than preached to about spelling, grammar and "good English" for 165 pages. The whole book is brilliantly illustrated with examples of "bad English", delighting in the oral blunders of all the people we love to see stuff-up their precisely constructed speeches, ranging from George W. Bush to Britney Spears.
If you are thinking about reading/purchasing this book and you haven't yet read "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" I strongly advise that you do so at some point before or after reading "Eats, Shites and Leaves". Although they aren't closely related as parodies go, they do neatly complement each other and are more interesting in combination.
Overall "Eats, Shites and Leaves" is a good read, managing to incorporate entertainment, interesting facts and actual education in an approachable and funny way. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for something different to read, especially with Christmas just around the corner.
98 of 125 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
This one of the very few books I have ever regretted buying.
Starting off with a statement that seems to suggest that the relevance of rules in a living language are of minor importance - a stance with which I heartily disagree, incidentally - the book then goes off into a badly structured exposition of rules interspersed with attempts at humour.
Eats, shoots, and leaves I read with enjoyment. It was both informative and entertaining, and had structure. This low-grade imitation I found myself skimming, trying to find something worth spending time reading. It was not a fruitful search.
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves was an unexpected and surprising but well deserved success. I suppose it was bound to spawn copy-cats. This book, in my view, fails as an imitation and as a parody.
Starting off with a statement that seems to suggest that the relevance of rules in a living language are of minor importance - a stance with which I heartily disagree, incidentally - the book then goes off into a badly structured exposition of rules interspersed with attempts at humour.
Eats, shoots, and leaves I read with enjoyment. It was both informative and entertaining, and had structure. This low-grade imitation I found myself skimming, trying to find something worth spending time reading. It was not a fruitful search.
Eats, Shoots, and Leaves was an unexpected and surprising but well deserved success. I suppose it was bound to spawn copy-cats. This book, in my view, fails as an imitation and as a parody.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
INSPIRED!
This book is an unusual twist on the original. Hilarious in places and the examples are pertinent and opportune all the way through.
Published 1 month ago by natalie
4.0 out of 5 stars
I love English, loved this book
Crap. It doesn't have the apostrophe - I checked the index!
I still love this book, much food for thought and it made me laugh.
N.B. Read more
I still love this book, much food for thought and it made me laugh.
N.B. Read more
Published 2 months ago by jonbirduk
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun and informative
Present for my wife (English teacher) and is obviously a spoof on "Eats shoots and leaves" book. Has some great lines and is informative on how poorly language is used.
Published 4 months ago by Andrew King
1.0 out of 5 stars
Didn't Like It
Perhaps I am lacking the right sort of humour to appreciate this book but I simply did not find it funny. Read more
Published 7 months ago by TCM
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wickedly Funny!
This is one of the funniest books I have ever read. The superbly humorous collection of malformed English quotations is presented in a manner that is incredibly amusing regardless... Read more
Published on 29 Nov 2008 by Rory Mercer
3.0 out of 5 stars
It's OK
a few clever snippets, a few good quotes, I've read around so I see a lot of "been done before" stuff, for me the title is still the most memorable bit. I really like the title!
Published on 15 Nov 2006 by Rex Rover
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant
A really fun book. A light witty approach to the english language.
Published on 4 Oct 2005 by "anna281259"
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is the funnny version!
Quite obviously, this is a pardoy of the hugely popular "Eats, Shoots & Leaves" by Lynne Truss, but let me tell you that this version is by far more enjoyable and is easily worthy... Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2005 by "dw-uk"
4.0 out of 5 stars
FUNNY!!
this books states the most obvious thing to the human brain, but is is amazing how many people don't actually think of it, this book is very amusing!!
Published on 25 Feb 2005 by Hannah Mitchell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Complementary medicine
This book was, of course, prompted by "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" and is billed as a parody (well it's written by one). Read more
Published on 19 Dec 2004 by P. J. A. Jennings
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