Come inside, it says, for CD’s, VIDEO’s, DVD’s, and BOOK’s. A printed banner has appeared on the concourse of a petrol station near to where I live. Read moreĮither this will ring bells for you, or it won’t. Any alternative approaches are seen as stupidity, criminal negligence, or signs of a complete societal breakdown. In this approach, grammar and usage aren't things to be appreciated they're bludgeons used to pummel those lesser creatures who misuse them, and they provide ways of feeling smugly superior to others. And heaven help anybody who dares to break those rules in their presence. They may be tone-deaf, but by golly, they know the rules they've been taught. On the other hand, you also find people like Lynne Truss. And they understand that the rules serve the language and its users, not the other way around. They enjoy a comma placed in just the right location. They're aware of the importance of cadence. They relish the continuous tug-of-war between language snobs and language slobs, prescriptivists and descriptivists, the mavens and the guys in the street. They revel in the ongoing development of the language, being part of a multi-generational conversation about how words are used and how they ought to be used. The usage guides I adore are based on a love for the English language. Putting aside any quibbles based on the differences between American and British usage, the "Zero Tolerance" bit in the subtitle pretty much indicates where we part ways.
A little bit of the history of the use and development of punctuation found its way into the text, providing a welcome diversion from the somewhat lengthy and sometimes contradictory "lessons."Experiments in Reading Read more
Perhaps I was just being difficult, but better examples would have helped her make her point. Some of her examples could have been better chosen she didn't always convince me of her arguments in some cases. Truss notes this briefly in her introduction to the American version the book is still useful in addressing punctuation, although it shouldn't be used as substitute for a style manual.Part punctuation manual, and part satirical and cynical commentary, Eats, Shoots & Leaves alternates between being informative, amusing, and sometimes even annoying. Atrocious use of punctuation is only one symptom of the continuing decline of the language, and according to Truss, appropriate use of punctuation and spelling must be vehemently defended and employed.Because this book was originally written to address a British audience, some discrepancies creep into the American publication since British English and American English differ in grammar, spelling, punctuation, meaning, and nuance. The English language (British or otherwise) seems to be in grave danger.
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