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Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Paperback)

by Lynne Truss (Author)

4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

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Product details

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Profile (5 Jul 2007)
Language English
ISBN-10: 1846680352
ISBN-13: 978-1846680359
Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 12.8 x 1.6 cm

Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 91,775 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

"'If Lynne Truss were Roman Catholic I'd nominate her for sainthood' Frank McCourt 'This book will stimulate and satisfy. It's worth its weight in gold.' Independent 'She's a soul sister. She's one of us.' Richard Madeley, Richard and Judy 'Lynne Truss deserves to be piled high with honours' Sunday Times"

Product Description

The international bestseller - reissued and with a new introduction. A witty, entertaining, impassioned guide to perfect punctuation, for everyone who cares about precise writing. When social histories come to be written of the first decade of the 21st century, people will note a turning point in 2003 when declining standards of punctuation were reversed. Linguists will record Lynne Truss as the saviour of the semi-colon and the avenging angel of the apostrophe. 'If Lynne Truss were Roman Catholic I'd nominate her for sainthood' Frank McCourt 'This book will stimulate and satisfy. It's worth its weight in gold.' Boyd Tonkin, Independent 'A witty, elegant and passionate book that should be on every writer's shelf' Observer 'Lynne Truss deserves to be piled high with honours ...' John Humphrys 'It can only be a matter of time before the new government seizes the chance to appoint her as minister for punctuation. The manifesto is already written.' Guardian 'She's a soul sister. She's one of us.' Richard Madeley, Richard and Judy

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Inside This Book (Learn More)

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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

17 Reviews

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

Average Customer Review

4.0 out of 5 stars (17 customer reviews)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book for the pedant in your life!, 4 Jul 2007

By	Mr. P. G. Smith "Bookworm Phil" (Southsea, Hants, UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I highly recommend this book IF you have an interest in the english language, its punctuation, the development and abuse of said. This book is accessible, very funny, and well written. Lynne obviously cares about her subject and actually had a long-running national newspaper column on punctuation and its abuse.
If you are regularly infuriated by the greengrocer's apostrophe (carrot's, apple's, etc.) or wonder who invented the question mark (these things don't just turn up out of the blue, you know) then this is the book for you.
Buy it. Read it. Read it again. Bore everyone you know to tears with it. I did!

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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply a wonderful book for learning punctuation, 2 April 2008

By	Miseri57 (England) - See all my reviews

A gem of a book. I would recommend this book for just about anyone who's wanting to improve their punctuation, as well as those who feel they need to refresh or even re-learn the art of punctuation.

It's a great and easy read and can even be used as a decent reference.

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10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't help cheering it on, because it has done such a good job in its humble way, 28 Jan 2008

By	John A. Launders "JA" (Kent) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

How does a book about how to use commas and colons properly have lodged itself at No 1 on bestseller lists? Maybe Lynne Truss' books success shows that it is not just a few reactionaries who care. Truss agrees it's selling off the internet and stickler-types probably don't do their shopping on the internet. Lynne Truss wonders if there might be readers whose higher education has given them at least a guilty conscience about what they have not been taught, suddenly thinking that perhaps it does matter and I wouldn't mind knowing this stuff. Those copies stacked in Waterstone's might show that there are plenty of people who want to be, as Lynne Truss puts it, 'virtuous'.

While Truss says that 'despair' gave this book its impetus, she does not sound despairing either in print or in person. The title itself is a joke, about an irate panda who walks into a cafe, orders a sandwich, eats it, draws a gun and fires two shots into the air. The waiter finds the explanation for this erratic behavior in a badly punctuated wildlife manual which the bear leaves behind: Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like mammal, native to China. Eats, shoots and leaves.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: Why, Commas Really Do Make a Difference! tells you the rules, but is also full of jokes and anecdotes. It is a sort of celebration of punctuation. You can't help cheering it on, because it has done such a good job in its humble way. She speaks of the delights of the semi-colon with relish. She has listened to the man from the Apostrophe Protection Society (yes, it exists) but does not sound like a member of any such group. "I was so worried when I wrote the book that people would assume that anyone interested in this subject would be small-minded". --Lynne Truss.

I don't really know where punctuation is going. But this is a very good moment to look at it and see what state it's in. The internet and emails have come along very conveniently for people who didn't learn punctuation and can therefore get by. Punctuation helps give rhythm and a tone of voice to writing, and Truss thinks it no accident that readers of emails often find it difficult to pick up the tone of the person who's written it, with all those dashes. The grace notes get lopped off and it becomes very bald. So people start needing exclamation marks and capital letters, desperately trying to express a tone of voice.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and educational!
I absolutely loved this book. Not only was it a clear and concise guide to good punctuation and the history and possible future of the subject, but it was really funny! Read more

Published 1 day ago by Sulkyblue

3.0 out of 5 stars An amusing book of grammar for sticklers
I've heard lots of excellent things about this book, so it's been on my list for about three years or so. Read more

Published 11 days ago by L. R. Richardson

4.0 out of 5 stars CLEVER
Does the English Language facinate you, do you become annoyed when it is not the correct grammar-this is the book for you.

Published 3 months ago by J. Lynch

4.0 out of 5 stars This woman is brilliant!
I borrowed this from the library; what a delight! I did not expect to enjoy it (got it through curiosity more than anything) but it was superb. Read more

Published 3 months ago by Robert's Mummy

1.0 out of 5 stars Awful!
I think my title just about sums it up, but I'll go on. Basically this book is one long rant against people who need help with their grammar. It's not the least bit helpful. Read more

Published 3 months ago by nerdygirl

3.0 out of 5 stars Mildly entertaining and mildly irritating
I find it quite interesting that somebody who writes a book which is supposed to serve as a punctuation guide can write something like "Sticklers unite! Read more

Published 5 months ago by Jacko

2.0 out of 5 stars Really rather dull, pedantic and irritating
I tried reading this a couple of years ago and threw it away in frustration after about 30 pages. I hate not finishing books so picked it up again recently. Read more

Published 8 months ago by N. Green

5.0 out of 5 stars Splendid read!
This book has to be one of the most amazing books I've ever read. Lynne Truss makes punctuation sexy! Read more

Published 9 months ago by KH Rane

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be compulsory reading for every office worker!
I have for many years been what the author calls a "stickler", i.e. someone who exercises total pedantry where punctuation is concerned. Read more

Published 12 months ago by P. Smith

4.0 out of 5 stars Delicious Miniature
On the state of the nation's punctuation: this sounds like the kind of essay topic a prefect would award a wayward junior as punishment for some minor infringement ("500 words on... Read more

Published 15 months ago by Andy

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