Book Report: Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation

There are few things that prove my geekiness more than this. I read a book about grammar. Not only did I read it, I'm blogging about it.

From what I've seen, people either really liked this book, or they really hated it. But most of them are missing the point.

I saw the book as a clever and humorous attempt to point out how the myriad of horrendous grammatical errors one sees every single day impair meaning and understanding. If you look at it as a grammar guide, it's only so-so. The author sticks to the British rules, and even then she gleefully breaks them when she chooses.

So the sticklers hate this book.

But then again, if you listen to grammar nerds, they never agree. I've seen copy editors almost come to blows over the placement of a semi-colon. Because here's the thing -- almost everyone learned grammar a little differently. If you get four or five grammar books, you'll get four or five slightly different instructions on what to do. Ultimately, the sticklers will never agree, because they can't.

Punctuation exists to help make the writer's intent clear. Most of the time, we follow standard rules to make it so. It's still means "it is." But the tricky little points?

The English language is a live thing. It changes and flows as time does. The rules today might not be the same as the rules in ten years.

I'm a grammar nerd, but even I know when to say when.