Truss, Eats, Shoots and Leaves -- Jerz: EL150 (Intro to Literary Study)
"The big final rule for the comma is one that you won't find in any books by grammarians. It is quite easy to remember, however. The rule is: don't use commas like a stupid person. I mean it."
After reading through these sections, I was not offended. But not being offended was strange, because I can identify with sticking commas into paragraphs where I would pause when I read the text. I don't know what it is about Truss's writing style, but instead of feeling like she is pointing a finger at me saying, "you're dumb if you don't understand this." I feel like she is telling a story where I realize my own mistakes. Its as if the book is almost a novel and there is a moral at the end teaching you to identify your own flaws in punctuation. I was just wondering if anyone else felt this way after reading these sections. And if not, how does her writing style make you feel?
Comments (2)
Lynne Truss, a journalist and broadcaster, believes that pedants have received a bad press. Her book is a call to arms for those who wince when they spot signs stating: "Trouser's reduced" or "Fishermens Cottage's." Truss wants to give people permission to care about punctuation. Only half in jest, she advocates the formation of a vigilante force which would fan out across the globe removing anomalous apostrophes and inserting commas into otherwise unwieldy sentences.
Posted by SEO | March 21, 2007 9:02 AM
Posted on March 21, 2007 09:02
Yes, I know what you mean! Truss makes me chuckle at myself instead of making me feel bad.
Posted by Bethany Bouchard | March 21, 2007 9:37 AM
Posted on March 21, 2007 09:37