I’m obviously a stickler for grammar and enjoy finding grammatical errors, typos, and other funny goofs with the English language as evidenced in the Gotchas (new design coming) and the series I’ve written for Webreference. Imagine my excitement when hearing about this runaway bestseller in which the author takes a “zero-tolerance approach to punctuation.”
It hasn’t been in America very long and already it has reached the coveted bestseller lists, and this despite retaining its British syntax. In reading the introduction, I was pleased to find the publisher had decided not to change the UK spellings, phrases, and even punctuation rules in the American version of the book. Hurrah! It would have been a nice touch to add a note regarding the differences in the rules of American and British grammar.
A couple of problems do come with leaving the British intact, however. A sign mentioned in the book is racist in American English and should have been omitted. Also present is the word “fag,” harmless in Britain, but a prejudicial term in the US. Not everyone realizes this.
Writing this review is stressful knowing the punctuation is going to be checked with a magnifying glass, while I remain true to what I have been taught. Here’s an example of where we disagree:
Rule eight in using an apostrophe to indicate the plural of words such as do, don’t, but, and and. In reviewing my entire library of grammar-related books, a majority indicate the apostrophe is not needed when the context is clear. Thus, use dos, don’ts, buts, ands, Bs, CDs, and so on. Use the apostrophe when minding your p’s and q’s and trying to remember to cross those t’s.
Truss clearly explains the purpose of ellipses and [sic], two items that have confused writers and readers. Since this book has given me a renewed and refreshed outlook into punctuation, I’m on the lookout for more gotchas.
Those hemming and hawing at this review and the thought of saving punctuation won’t want to come within ten feet of this book.
Update: Someone asked me if this would make a good book for learning the grammar rules. No, not this one. This is more for people who know the rules and need a laugh. It’s the ‘fiction’ of grammar more than a how-to.
VITAL STATISTICS:
TITLE: Eat, Shoots & Leaves
AUTHOR: Lynne Truss
PUBLISHER: Gotham Books
PUBLICATION DATE: April 2004
ISBN: 1592400876
FORMAT: Paperback
PAGES: 240
PRICE: US$17.50