Eats, Shoots and Leaves
November 5th, 2005 . by Jilly
I just finished reading Lynne Truss’ book Eats, Shoots and Leaves. This book leads you through common mistakes in punctuation, in a non-textbook kinda way.
It really bothers me to see things like a sign that says…Come inside for CD’s, video’s, book’s, and DVD’s. I’ve been out of school for a few years now. I have to admit that sometimes I’m a little foggy on when to use its or it’s, when to use colons and semicolons, and dashes.
Punctuation can completely change the meaning of a sentence. The book gave the example below.
A woman, without her man, is nothing.
A woman: without her, man is nothing.
If you’re looking to freshen up on punctuation, then this is the book for you. Its a short book, only about 200 pages. I had fun reading this book and will definitely keep it around for a quick reference.
If you’re still wondering what the rule for its and it’s. Well, let me tell you.
It’s stands for it is or it has.
Its denotes possession. As in…I don’t have its lid anymore.