![]() Though Truss is a bit pedantic about the smaller nuances of punctuation, the information offered in the book is presented in a witty and relatable manner. The cover shows a panda bear holding a smoking gun, showing that the unnecessary comma can completely change the meaning of the title. As the book’s cover demonstrates, a failure to properly punctuate can lead to disastrous results. Eats, Shoots and Leaves is not a book about grammar it is about using punctuation effectively to convey proper meaning. ‘The reason it’s worth standing up for punctuation is not that it’s an arbitrary system of notation’, Truss assures the reader, ‘the reason to stand up for punctuation is that without it there is no reliable way of communicating meaning’ (p. 6), the information presented in Eats, Shoots & Leaves is extremely valuable. However, despite Truss’s self-described ‘stickler’ nature (p. She jokingly suggests forming a militant vigilante wing of the Apostrophe Protection Society () to correct punctuation-gone-wrong in everyday society. She admits that the absence of a question mark in a charity-shop sign (‘Can you spare any old records’) and the missing apostrophe in the movie title Two Weeks Notice make her a bit crazy. Lynne Truss admits early on in her book Eats, Shoots & Leaves hhat she is an ‘unattractive, know-all obsessive’ when it comes to punctuation (p. ![]() ![]() Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, London: Fourth Estate, 2009. ![]()
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