Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss (Notebook - 1 Oct 2009) Paperback

One can hardly grant full marks to a punctuation book that does not extol the serial comma. The author (usually) omits it and gives no reason for her preference; unlike most who avoid the serial comma, she mentions a couple points in its favor. Ironically, she fails even to note that her later example "Don't guess, use a timer or watch" lacks the ambiguity she ascribes to it if written by an author who consistently uses serial commas. If you require solider reasons for insisting on its use, try an Internet search on "parents God comma".

This is rather a funny book, and we in the U.S. certainly needn't expect British humour to be exactly the same as ours. Still, it seems a bit odd to allude to abortions in a humorous context even in our so-called civilization.

Indeed there is much to praise in this book. Most of the advice given is sound, particularly that on the use of what we Americans call quotation marks. It was a nice surprise to see double quotes used in a British context (and kudos to the American publisher for not dumbing down the opus by Americanizing it). The modern British preference for leaving punctuation outside quotation marks, when warranted, is catching on over here too, especially in technical use; this book provides a welcome introduction to it for non-technical Americans.

The advice on forming possessives turned out to be sound but unnecessarily prolix, and the author omitted the key information on how a possessive such as Thomas' is pronounced by the organization that insists on that spelling. (And did you know there's no apostrophe in Harrods?)

The author provides a lot of information new to me; still, I've run across a lot in other places that could have given some valuable weight to this slender volume, which you can enjoy in a single afternoon or evening. So, unless you're a student in a course for which it's recommended or required, my advice is to save money by waiting for a future paperback or remaindered edition. This book is timeless; you needn't rush...

I enjoyed this book, and came away with an increased awareness of the way that I write in everyday situations. I find myself catching punctuation errors more often, even (especially!) in the notes coming home from school. While this is not a primer on puctuation (nor is it, I believe, intended to be), it is useful as a treatise on the importance of our communication in whatever form it may take. Even if it is an online review.

I teach a class on writing advertising, and one of my students recommended this book after seeing what a stickler I am on punctuation and grammar (the sad thing is that I'm not THAT much of a stickler--their punctuation and grammar is just so atrocious that I seem like it to them). This is basically a humorous rant against the deterioration of punctuation in today's world. Truss covers the history of much of the punctuation, correct usage and common mistakes. Because she's a British writer, she also points out differences in usage between the U.K. and U.S. Although she comes across as an old-fashioned fuddy-duddy at times, she also explains when a certain usage is debatable or a matter of taste. In most instances, I agree with her recommendation. Although this book isn't as comprehensive as Strunk & White or other usage guides, if the goal was to write a book that "normal" people would find readable, then Truss has succeeded.

Humor (or humour, if you prefer) and a subtle angst draw the reader helplessly toward the next page, and the next. A rallying cry for those of us wincing (and sometimes wondering) in our caves. Bravo, Ms. Truss! Bravo!

Reading this book brought back memories of elementary school grammar, which I despised. Lynne's examples made me laugh many times. And she made me feel guilty about my use or lack thereof in my online correspondence. I recommend the book to anyone who is a copy editor at heart.

This was my first experiment with giving the gift of a Kindle book. My wife downloaded it flawlessly, and has been laughing out loud ever since. She's a grammar geek who has found her mentor and role model. Highly recommend if you know anyone with grammar in their blood!

Laugh out loud while reading a grammar book? Youbetcha. Then you laugh out loud at yourself for laughing at a grammar book. If you love the written word, this book takes you places you might never have considered going: the history of capital letters and commas, for example. Written with tongue-in-cheek British humor, the only person who might be offended is Gertrude Stein (read the book!).

Firstly, the book is focused on British English which is slightly different than American English with respect to the rules of punctuation. If you're an American that really wanted to knock the punctuation ball out of the park, you may be slightly disappointed. If you take the British English focus as a learning opportunity, however, you'll be ecstatic. The "haha/funny/entertaining" reviews I had seen previously may have been slightly overstated. The book is exceptionally entertaining if you expected a textbook; less so if you expected to chuckle throughout.

Overall, the book was a useful opportunity to revisit the guidance behind, and be introduced to the history of, punctuation. The nuances are sometimes muddied as the "if-then" exceptions get mixed in with American vs. English differences. At the end of the day, writing is about communicating. If your punctuation facilitates that end, then "mission: accomplished."

I am a born stickler. I am passionate about written communication and even more passionate about clarity within that communication. It is great to know that there are other people in the world who see signs in shop windows that appear to be written by people who failed to pay attention in all the years they went to grade school. I have actually carried a Sharpie and corrected blatantly poor punctuation and grammar. This book is fantastic and incredibly humorous. The author has that fantastic British wit and it makes the book much like reading a script from a Monty Python sketch in places. I highly recommend this book and the fact that it became a bestseller gives all of us sticklers hope!

Very funny book. Never thought that grammar would be enjoyable but in this case it is. The humor infectious and illustrates very effectively what the author is trying to get across. Wish I would have had this book when I went through high school.

I love this book. It's so engaging while educational that I buy it for teacher presents (only English teachers though). The kid version is pretty good too. My son brought it into school and within a few weeks every classroom in the fourth grade had its own.

This is a nice resource to have around. Great rules and devices to remember them. A memorable book on punctuation and grammar. That said, it's not really a "thumb to find it" kind of book. So it's not the easiest of references.

As an editor and part-time teacher--with a history of teaching English grammar at various times in my teaching life--I pre-ordered this book with great anticipation. I was disappointed, probably because my expectations were so high. There are cute nuggets here and there, accurate and lively attempts at explaining punctuation rules. However, it is not quite as entertaining and engaging as I was led to believe it would be. For most people, I'd rate it at 3 stars. If you are an English teacher looking for ideas to inspire you into coming up with examples that will engage your students, I'd give it 4 stars. It's cute and mildly amusing but could have been incisive and engaging. I'll end on a strength: Truss does incorporate examples from the history of English, other languages, and printing about which not everyone knows.

This is a nice resource to have around. Great rules and devices to remember them. A memorable book on punctuation and grammar. That said, it's not really a "thumb to find it" kind of book. So it's not the easiest of references.

As an editor and part-time teacher--with a history of teaching English grammar at various times in my teaching life--I pre-ordered this book with great anticipation. I was disappointed, probably because my expectations were so high. There are cute nuggets here and there, accurate and lively attempts at explaining punctuation rules. However, it is not quite as entertaining and engaging as I was led to believe it would be. For most people, I'd rate it at 3 stars. If you are an English teacher looking for ideas to inspire you into coming up with examples that will engage your students, I'd give it 4 stars. It's cute and mildly amusing but could have been incisive and engaging. I'll end on a strength: Truss does incorporate examples from the history of English, other languages, and printing about which not everyone knows.

Ms Truss has given the literary world an excellent book that delivers an important message for all would-be authors, report-writers and minute-takers. Written in an amusing yet authoritative manner, this should be prescribed reading for all scholars at secondary and higher educational levels, who are required to master the intricacies of English language punctuation.