Punctuations are crucial to achieving proper sentence structure and flow. In contemporary times, due to the widespread use of colloquial language, punctuation marks in sentences have been given lesser and lesser importance. Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a book that attempts to present this issue of dwindling punctuation usage in a concise and humorous format. Written by popular radio show host and author Lynne Truss, this book bemoans the lack of proper grammar in present writing at large.
The author, in her book, dedicates chapters to various devices of punctuation in grammar. She dedicates entire chapters to apostrophes as well as commas, which are vital links in the chain of Used punctuation. Chapters on semicolons, colons, exclamation marks, quotation marks, and question marks are provided as well in Eats, Shoots & Leaves.
Lynne Truss discusses the history of punctuations with the help of interesting anecdotes that help in engaging the readers attention. She talks about the impairing effects of internet language use, in terms of how important rules for writing have come to be disregarded. Additionally, chapters on hyphens, ellipses, brackets, emoticons, and dashes have been included as in this intriguing book.
The title of this book is based on syntactic ambiguity, which means that the meaning can be interpreted in more than one way. It has been taken from the context of a popular joke which features a mad panda in a restaurant. Eats, Shoots & Leaves was published in 2010 by Fourth Estate, and is available in the form of a paperback.