By Lynn Truss

You’d be surprised how punctuation affects us all!

I used to live in Los Angeles, which has famously become a melting pot. I’ll leave it to more profound minds to discuss the ramifications and benefits of the blending of so many cultures in one place. I’ll just confine myself to the effect that blending has had on the language: I don’t like it and I’ll tell you why. It has nothing to do with xenophobia (an unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or of that which is foreign or strange). In fact, I loved having access to so many cultures. What bothered me was the effect that multiple converging languages had on signage.

Petty? Probably. But I just couldn’t help extrapolate the effect signs written by non-English speakers — and left unchecked by sign company proofreaders — would have on future generations.

So you can imagine my joy at finding a book devoted to this and other niggling grammatical worries. Not only does Eats, Shoots & Leaves author Lynn Truss share my concern over errors made on signage; she’s raised the correction of them to high art. The subtitle of the book is “The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation” and she isn’t kidding. If you’ve ever cringed at a sign that read “Banana’s for Sale” (which of course should be the apostrophe-less “Bananas for Sale”); you’ll love this book.

A clue to the content of the book can be seen in its title, which comes from an old joke:

A panda walks into a restaurant, sits down and orders a sandwich. After he finishes eating, he pulls out a gun and shoots the waiter. He then stands up to leave.

“Hey!” shouts the manager. “Where are you going? You just shot my waiter and you didn’t pay for your sandwich!”

The panda yells back at the manager, while throwing a badly punctuated wildlife manual at him, “Hey, I’m a panda! Look it up!”

The manager opens the manual and sees the following definition for the panda: “A large bearlike mammal with characteristic black and white markings, native to certain mountain forests in China. Eats, shoots and leaves.”

This just shows you how much trouble one lone comma can create. Had the comma after “eats” been omitted, the panda would have just stuck to eating shoots and leaves and there wouldn’t have been any gunplay.

Truss is so hopping mad about the abuse of language; she has stopped just short of advocating gunplay herself for language abusers. But she does it with such wit and insight; she makes you want to join in.

Here are just a few examples from the book that explain how we get ourselves into trouble with punctuation:

Commas run amuk

A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.

In the first example, the poor hypothetical woman doesn’t amount to much without a man around. In the second, the man is the one left wanting. The meaning is completely reversed simply by replacing the first comma with a colon and moving the second comma.

Misplaced apostrophes

A sign hangs in front of a large children’s playground that reads “Giant Kid’s Playground.” Truss points out that it’s no wonder no one uses the playground. The misplaced apostrophe strikes fear in the hearts of neighborhood children by announcing the presence of the Giant Kid who owns the playground.

Although Lynn Truss advocates for all of us to become soldiers in the punctuation war by packing correction fluid and stickers to both cover unwanted punctuation and introduce punctuation that’s missing; it’s all done with tongue firmly planted in cheek. That’s what makes this book so special. Like the proverbial spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down, Eats, Shoots & Leaves uses humor to distract us while poking us with a stick to jar us awake.

We hope you enjoyed this book review of Eats, Shoots & Leaves. You might also want to read our other book reviews:

The Elements of Style

The Chicago Manual of Style

Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

You might also be interested in these holiday gifts for writers.

The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS) book and Web site are divided into logical categories, which cover all aspects of writing and grammar, from punctuation to split infinitives to how to capitalize the president of the United State’s title. (And no, you don’t get to decide that based on your opinion of him.)

Some examples of the questions the CMOS answers:

• Which is correct: Web site, web site, website or Website?
• Should there be a comma after website in the question above?
• Which is correct, Boston Tea Party or Boston tea party?
• What is the proper format for citing an information source?

Although the online version offers quick answers to a lot of questions that can pop up while writing, it doesn’t address all of them. You need the print version for that.

The Chicago Manual of Style online version is based on an annual subscription, but there is a 30-day free trial. Also, they offer a free FAQ that answers common grammar questions and doesn’t require registration to access.

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We hope you enjoyed this book review of The Chicago Manual of Style. You might also want to read our other book reviews:

Eats, Shoots & Leaves

The Elements of Style

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home

You might also be interested in these gifts for writers.

What do you call a baseball player who keeps adjusting his
batting glove for the 28th time, backing in and out of the
batters box, checking his grip, etc.?

The ump’s ire? Maybe Ruth? A lumbercheck?

Any of the above new terms for one of the more fidgety boys of summer is known as a neologism. Who would have thought one of the more serious vocabulary words I’ve ever heard could be so fun?

Dictionaries define a neologism as a recently created word, sometimes resulting from a combination of words. Since inspiration and insanity are close cousins, it’s not surprising that The American Heritage Dictionary also incorporates this little ditty into their definitions of neologism: “The invention of new words regarded as a symptom of certain psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.”

But you don’t have to be crazy to come up with neologisms. Just ask illustrator Michael Kline, who has made a successful career out of mangling words. He’s the illustrator of many children’s magazine articles and 25 books, including WordPlay Café, which teaches children to have fun with language. He also authors and illustrates the WordPlay Café Neologisms Contest Blog, which runs a weekly contest that encourages people to come up with their own neologisms to match his illustrations.

The results of people’s manglings are quite clever. Here are last week’s winners:

What do you call it when you forget to attach
a file to an important e-mail?

1st place: Mailnutrition
2nd place: Filefaux pas
3rd place: Dettachments
Honorable mention: ADD: Attachment Deficit Disorder

If you’d like to try your hand at mangling a few words, you can enter the contest (or just look at the past entries) by going to WordPlay Café. The first-place winner gets his or her choice of a copy of the WordPlay Café book, or an original, autographed sketch of the illustration on which the winning entry was based.

You also can contact Michael at WordPlay Café for permission to use his illustrations on your blog or Web site and to find out about the terms of use. (Ed. note: No taking without asking first, please.)

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com

For some reason, a lot of Internet terms have multiple versions. This is partly because Web-related words are relatively new and haven’t had a chance to settle into standard, agreed-upon forms. Another reason is that American English words in general have a tendency to morph over time. Proving that America really is a democracy, unacceptable word forms sometimes become acceptable over the long haul if enough people use them.

The following are the latest versions of some of the Internet terms we use all the time, based on rules set forth by The Chicago Manual of Style:

* Commands, icons, file names, keys and other technology-related terms
When writing about features in software or blogs, or on Web sites or keyboards, match the capitalization of the feature you’re mentioning. For example: “Hit Enter to access the page.” Enter is capitalized on keyboards, so it should be capitalized in this usage.

To further differentiate any of these terms, you can use italics, bold, a different font or quotes. If you’re writing about two types, you might want to use italics for one and bold for another: commands and file names. Whichever style you choose, be consistent.

* dot-com
This term should hyphenated, not written dot.com. (That would read dot dot com.) If used in a headline, capitalize both the d and the c: “Her Dot-Com Empire Made Her Millions Before She Jumped Out the Window.”

* e-mail, e-business, e-commerce, e-solutions, etc.
The e words should be lowercase and hyphenated, unless they appear at the beginning of a sentence. In that case, the e would be capitalized: “E-commerce provided a good living for him, but he preferred to dress like a homeless person anyway.”

* Internet
If you’re referring to the worldwide collection of Web sites, Internet should be capitalized. If you’re only referring to a network of computers, it should be lowercase.

* log in and its many variations
When you’re referring to logging into a site, the appropriate form is log on or log in (not logon or login). The same obviously applies to log off (not logoff). When you’re using the term as an adjective, however, it should be hyphenated: “She logged in on the log-in page.”

* online
This started as on-line, but it has now morphed into online — a perfect example of how language changes over time.

* pop-up
It’s appropriate to hyphenate the name for these annoying pages that disrupt your surfing.

* Web and Web site
At this point, Web is still treated as a proper noun, therefore both Web and Web site are capitalized. Since so many people already use web site or website, however, The Chicago Manual of Style editors predict that the uncapitalized form will eventually take over. Whichever form you use, be consistent.

* Video game names
Following the same rule as movie or book titles, video game titles should be italicized: “He sat in his chair and played Tomb Raider until his head fell off.”

You might also be interested in these related posts:

• Wordz We Misspell
• Grammar Myth #1
• Grammar Myth #2
• Keywords 101
• Using Quotations
• Writing Tools for Bloggers
• Social Networking Site Guide for Beginners
• Online Social Networking for Book Lovers

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com

Common misspellings
(The bold words are spelled correctly.)

accommodate
Don’t you just want to take out that extra “c”?

a lot
A lot of the time, you see this written as “alot,” which it’s not.

cemetery
I’ve misspelled this with an “a” replacing the third “e” more times than I want to admit.

easement
I tend to want to ease out that second “e” and make it “easment” but that would be incorrect.

fiery
What a strange spelling to indicate something that’s on fire. This word seems more suited to a mythical forest creature than to indicate the hot nature of one of the planet’s basic elements.

foreclosure
Here’s another example of a word with an “e” (after “for”) that gets left off a lot of the time.

gauge
I always have to look twice at this word to make sure I’m not confusing it with gouge.

judgment
Unlike “easement” and “foreclosure,” the proper American form of this word doesn’t contain an “e.” If the writer is British, however, chances are you will find the “e” in place, making “judgement” an acceptable spelling.

liaison
You can blame this one on the people who lived in France about 400 years ago. We’ve had to live with that extra “i” ever since.

misspell
This one has always bothered me. It’s not that the spelling doesn’t make sense, it does. It’s just that it looks funny to me. Other people must agree because it is often misspelled.

occurrence
Not only does it have two pesky double consonants, but every time I spell it, I want to replace that last “e” with an “a.”

perseverance
So many people pronounce this purs-er-veer-ance, it’s easy to think it has a third “r.”

supersede
If precede is spelled with a “c” and means “to go before,” then why would supersede, which means “to take the place of,” be spelled with an “s”? I have no idea. They both indicate movement and would seem to be related.

words with “or” instead of “er”: lessor, grantor, mortgagor
There are many words that seem like they should end in “er” but instead terminate in “or.” In some cases, such as in “lessor,”swapping the “or” for an “er” (“lesser”) changes the meaning entirely.

You might also be interested in these related posts:

• Grammar Myth #1
• Grammar Myth #2
• Keywords 101
• Using Quotations
• Writing Tools for Bloggers
• Posting Checklist

Copyright 2007WordPlayBlog.com

Reviewing the following checklist before you submit each post can save you time and possibly embarrassment:

[ ] Have you run your spelling-check software?

[ ] Have you incorporated your keywords into your copy and headline?

[ ] Does your headline convey that your post contains content that benefits your readers?

[ ] Are there any words that might have questionable capitalization, punctuation or spelling? If so, look them up in a dictionary or The Chicago Manual of Style. Also, see our list of common word errors.

[ ] Does your post contain content that benefits your readers?

[ ] Have you written anything that might really offend someone (and therefore get you in trouble legally)?

[ ] Have you broken your text into paragraphs that aren’t too long?

Special note to WordPress users:

Don’t take copy from a Microsoft Word document and put it into your blog. Doing so can create code problems. If you have copy from a Word doc in a WordPress post or page, do the following: (1.) copy it into Notepad, (2.) delete it from the WordPress interface and then (3.) paste the copy from Notepad back into WordPress. This will remove the bad code.

Another great solution is to use free Windows Live Writer software to create your blog posts.

If you have any tasks you think should be added to this list, please leave a comment.

Clipboard photo by Danny de Bruyne

You might also be interested in these writing-related WordPlay posts:

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com

Writing good blog posts isn’t difficult when you’re passionate about your topic. But that same passion can cause you to not notice if a few (or maybe even more than a few) errors slip through. If you want to raise your writing to the next level, the following tools can help:

* Your spelling-check software

This is your first line of defense against typos. That’s pretty obvious. But what you might not realize is that because aspects of the English language actually change more often than you’d think (a good example is the recent influx of Web-related terms), spelling software sometimes isn’t up-to-date. So, here’s an important caveat: if your software doesn’t contain a word, or if you suspect it’s displaying the wrong hyphenation, capitalization, etc., you should refer to a dictionary or the next tool below.

* The Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS)

Available in print and versions, this resource is a practical guide to editorial style. Although the online version offers easy answers to most questions that can pop up while writing, it doesn’t address all of them. You need the print version for that.

Some examples of the questions TCMS answers:

• Should “president” be capitalized when not used in front of someone’s name?
• What is the proper format for citing an information source?
• Which is correct: “Web site,” “web site,” “website” or “Website”?

The online version is based on an annual subscription, but there is a 30-day free trial. Also, they offer a free-for-everyone that answers common grammar questions.

Please also read our full review of this book.

* Send: The Essential Guide to Email for Office and Home

Send, by David Shipley and Will Schwalbe, is the first comprehensive guide to e-mail etiquette and standards. Since e-mail and the immediacy of blogging are closely related, awareness of the newly emerging rules regarding electronic communication can only benefit bloggers. Written with wit and style, Send is both a great resource and a fun read.

Please also read our full review of this book.

There are obviously plenty of other good resources out there, but using even just these three will help you significantly improve the quality of your writing.

Sometimes communing with others can help too. If you like to read, why not try a social networking site for book lovers or a general social networking site? Seeing how others write can often either inspire you or show you what not to do. And if the objective of your blogging is to make money, you owe it to yourself to learn how to make money online with Google Adsense. Many bloggers will tell you it’s the gold standard for monetizing a blog.

Copyright 2007-2009 WordPlayBlog.com

Terms
1. Dearth (pronounced: derth)
2. Frisson (pronounced: free SAW)
3. Furbelows (pronounced: FUR buh lohz)
4. Heterogeneous (pronounced: he tuh ruh JEE nee uhs)
5. Misogyny (pronounced: mi SAH juh nee)
6. Mordant (pronounced: MAWR dint)
7. Profligate (pronounced: PRAH fluh git)
8. Rectitude (pronounced: REK tuh tood)
9. Sartorial (pronounced: sahr TAW ree uhl)
10. Tautology (pronounced: taw TAH luh jee)

A. Composed of unlike or unrelated parts; widely different
B. Extremely wasteful; recklessly extravagant
C. Caustic or sarcastic
D. Needless repetition of an idea in a different word, phrase or sentence
E. Pertaining to clothing or dress, especially men’s
F. A shudder or tingle experienced from excitement, fear or pleasure
G. Correct conduct according to principles
H. Hatred of women, especially by a man
I. Showy, useless trim or ornamentation
J. A scarcity or lack

(Scroll the page so you can’t see the answers until you’re ready.)

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Answers
1J, 2F, 3I, 4A, 5H, 6C, 7B, 8G, 9E, 10D

Also, you might want to try Fifty-cent Words: A Vocabulary Words Quiz.

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com

Match the terms below with their definitions. See the bottom of this post for the answers.

Terms
1. Apercu (pronounced: a per SOO)
2. Concomitant (pronounced: kahn KAH muh tuhnt)
3. Habitué (pronounced: hu BI choo ay)
4. Lagniappe (pronounced: LAN yap)
5. Nabob (pronounced: NAY bob)
6. Paucity (pronounced: PAW suh tee)
7. Peregrinations (pronounced: pe ruh gri NAY shunz)
8. Raconteur (pronounced: ra kahn TER)
9. Tendentious (pronounced: ten DEN shuhs)
10. Verisimilitude (pronounced: ve ruh si MI luh tood)

Definitions
A. An item given free to a customer with the purchase of another item
B. Journeys
C. A small amount or insufficiency
D. The appearance of being true or real
E. Having a definite tendency, bias or purpose
F. Accompanying; attendant
G. A person who excels at telling stories
H. A very rich or important person
I. A person who frequents a particular place
J. A quick impression or insight

(Scroll the page so you can’t see the answers until you’re ready.)

__________

__________

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Answers
1J, 2F, 3I, 4A, 5H, 6C, 7B, 8G, 9E, 10D

Also, you might want to try Vocabulary Quiz: More 50-cent Words.

Copyright 2007 WordPlayBlog.com