Review of Lynne Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves
The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
Jun 12, 2009
In Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, award-winning writer, columnist, radio broadcaster, and self-proclaimed “stickler” Lynne Truss has done the improbable: she has made the subject of punctuation not only entertaining, but popular as well. First published in the U.K. in 2003 and reissued in 2007, Truss’s treatise on the history, usage, and importance of punctuation is a #1 New York Times bestseller and has sold over three million copies worldwide.
Disheartened by “plummeting punctuation standards” – witnessed everywhere from movie titles (Two Weeks Notice) to advertisements (“Ladie’s hairdresser”) – Truss wrote Eats, Shoots & Leaves to explain how to use punctuation and, even more importantly, why. The result of Truss’s exaggerated indignation and enviable sense of humor is a remarkably insightful and informative book that will have readers laughing while learning.
Punctuation in Practice
Despite Truss’s claim that “Eats, Shoots & Leaves is not a book about grammar”, she spends much of her time expounding the rules of punctuation. In addition to listing the various applications of each mark, Truss provides illustrative and often hilarious examples of how the symbols should (and should not) be used. She also discusses differences in American and British standards (such as in the case of the Oxford comma), as well as mentions current debates (i.e. is it “Truss’ book” or “Truss’s book”?).
Some critics have taken great pleasure in pointing out Eats, Shoots & Leaves own grammatical errors. However, Truss is careful to warn readers that she is “not a grammarian” (nor is she her own copyeditor). Whether or not the author has made mistakes is irrelevant; what truly matters is that Truss’s instructions are correct, comprehensible, and wonderfully comical.
The Provenance of Punctuation
Truss peppers her book with anecdotes about the origins and evolution of punctuation: the semi-colon, it seems, was used by the Greeks to indicate a question. In doing so, she further illuminates its purpose, as well as depicts language as a living entity capable of adapting and changing over time. To underscore the importance of punctuation, at least to some, Truss includes quotes about punctuation from famous and influential literary figures.
In Defense of Punctuation
Truss is clearly distraught over the general disregard for and obsolescence of punctuation (which she blames on pedagogues and technology); and if it does nothing else, Eats, Shoots & Leaves convincingly justifies her despair. Most readers are likely aware from personal experience that incorrect punctuation can radically alter the intended meaning of a written message; and Eats, Shoots & Leaves offers plenty of anecdotes of such mix-ups. However, Truss also argues that, in addition to ideas, punctuation is what allows a writer to communicate style, voice, individuality, and artistry.
Perhaps Truss’s only mistake is in depicting herself as a somewhat obnoxious, militant punctuation fanatic, as doing so invites readers to dismiss her concerns as nothing more than the rantings of a socially maladjusted linguistic lunatic. In reality, Eats, Shoots & Leaves will resonate with any reader who has ever been unintentionally slighted, confused, or insulted by another’s printed words.
In today’s modern world, where indirect and informal communication - text messages, emails, and tweets – is commonplace; books are on the endangered species list; and the Internet is the world’s most prolific and indiscriminate publisher, punctuation is perhaps more pertinent than ever. Luckily, Eats, Shoots & Leaves offers readers a funny, educational, and practical guide to perfect punctuation.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Profile, 2007. ISBN: 978-1846680359. Paperback, 209 pages.
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