The Pre-Loved edit from Shopbop
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
-9% $9.99
FREE delivery Monday, January 27 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon.com
Sold by: Amazon.com
$9.99 with 9 percent savings
List Price: $11.00
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Monday, January 27 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Tomorrow, January 23. Order within 2 hrs 56 mins.
In Stock
$$9.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$9.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$6.44
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
This item shows wear including moderate wear to edges and cover. This item shows wear including moderate wear to edges and cover. See less
FREE delivery Monday, January 27 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or Prime members get FREE delivery Friday, January 24. Order within 10 hrs 56 mins.
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$9.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$9.99
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation Paperback – Bargain Price, April 11, 2006

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,106 ratings

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$9.99","priceAmount":9.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"g2UF2q7W8uFlzPFK%2Bwa15l3MUgFVkwGD8q7WutKhgFI4L6YiTJuDj4FkecWFQR95F2WkJiY165XxnuHr28EbHeNZKTtA%2BI%2BLJD0NUQKGCX9oEFa50fO6UpyLgHeXDlD7CUuIATikjSQ%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$6.44","priceAmount":6.44,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"6","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"44","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"g2UF2q7W8uFlzPFK%2Bwa15l3MUgFVkwGDbf0RsKhhcmVaEfYTpKGCzdArd2zgzVX3R%2FHYgieQmsqO%2BYdSOWmgwOSCH34iixMpR8R7e0zXHdRnaLW9bUNc8J38fiMqQVVSwcf1pC7lyqr%2BRrIwsoaZZxmRF2IUUnE32UdMrclvTRQaQZ04WfFJYmVj0omvH7qF","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

The spirited and scholarly #1 New York Times bestseller combines boisterous history with grammar how-to’s to show how important punctuation is in our world—period.

In Eats, Shoots & Leaves, former editor Lynne Truss, gravely concerned about our current grammatical state, boldly defends proper punctuation. She proclaims, in her delightfully urbane, witty, and very English way, that it is time to look at our commas and semicolons and see them as the wonderful and necessary things they are. Using examples from literature, history, neighborhood signage, and her own imagination, Truss shows how meaning is shaped by commas and apostrophes, and the hilarious consequences of punctuation gone awry.

Featuring a foreword by Frank McCourt, and interspersed with a lively history of punctuation from the invention of the question mark in the time of Charlemagne to George Orwell shunning the semicolon, Eats, Shoots & Leaves makes a powerful case for the preservation of proper punctuation.
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now

Frequently bought together

This item: Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
$9.99
Get it as soon as Monday, Jan 27
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
$7.99
Get it as soon as Monday, Jan 27
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“You don’t need to be a grammar nerd to enjoy this one… Who knew grammar could be so much fun?” —Newsweek

“Witty and instructive… Truss is an entertaining, well-read scold in a culture that could use more scolding.” —
USA Today

“Truss is William Safire crossed with John Cleese’s Basil Fawlty.” —
Entertainment Weekly

“Witty, smart, passionate, it gives long-overdue attention to ‘the traffic signals of language.’”—
John Rechy, Los Angeles Times Book Review “Best Books of 2004: Nonfiction”

“Truss’s scholarship is impressive and never dry.” —
Edmund Morris, The New York Times

“[Truss is] a reformer with the soul of a stand-up comedian.” —
Boston Globe

“ This book changed my life in small, perfect ways like learning how to make better coffee or fold an omelet. It’s the perfect gift of anyone who cares about grammar and a gentle introduction for those who don’t care enough.” —
Boston Sunday Globe

“Lynne Truss makes [punctuation] a joy to contemplate.” —
Elle Magazine

“A witty look at the amusing foibles of punctuation.” —
Reader’s Digest

“Lynne Truss has done the English-speaking world a huge service.” —
The Christian Science Monitor

“Witty and playful.” —
Time Out New York

From the Back Cover

Praise for Lynne Truss and Eats, Shoots & Leaves:

Eats, Shoots & Leaves "makes correct usage so cool that you have to admire Ms. Truss."
JANET MASLIN,
THE NEW YORK TIMES

"Witty, smart, passionate."
LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK REVIEW, BEST BOOKS OF 2004: NONFICTION

"Who knew grammar could be so much fun?"
NEWSWEEK

"Witty and instructive. . . . Truss is an entertaining, well-read scold in a culture that could use more scolding."
USA TODAY

"Truss is William Safire crossed with John Cleese s Basil Fawlty."
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

"Lynne Truss has done the English-speaking world a huge service."
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR

"This book changed my life in small, perfect ways like learning how to make better coffee or fold an omelet. It s the perfect gift for anyone who cares about grammar and a gentle introduction for those who don t care enough."
THE BOSTON SUNDAY GLOBE

"Lynne Truss makes [punctuation] a joy to contemplate."
ELLE

"If Lynne Truss were Roman Catholic I d nominate her for sainthood."
Frank McCourt, author of
Angela s Ashes

"Truss s scholarship is impressive and never dry."
EDMUND MORRIS,
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1592402038
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Avery; Reprint edition (April 11, 2006)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 240 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781592402038
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1592402038
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 240L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.7 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.99 x 0.64 x 7.26 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 4,106 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Lynne Truss
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Lynne Truss is a writer and journalist who started out as a literary editor with a blue pencil and then got sidetracked. The author of three novels and numerous radio comedy dramas, she spent six years as the television critic of The Times of London, followed by four (rather peculiar) years as a sports columnist for the same newspaper. She won Columnist of the Year for her work for Women's Journal. Lynne Truss also hosted Cutting a Dash, a popular BBC Radio 4 series about punctuation. She now reviews books for the Sunday Times of London and is a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4. She lives in Brighton, England.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4,106 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book entertaining and informative. They describe it as a helpful reference for learning about punctuation. Readers praise the writing style as well-written and passionate. They appreciate the historical context and humor in the book. The pacing is described as lighthearted and breezy.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

316 customers mention "Readability"286 positive30 negative

Customers find the book engaging and enjoyable to read. They appreciate the witty writing style that makes the words come alive with vibrancy.

"This is a great fun book, and I really enjoyed reading it. It has been a while since I laughed so hard...." Read more

"Lynne Truss writes a wickedly funny treatise on the death-- if we, the faithful who care about apostrophes, are not armed and ready to fight the..." Read more

"...I feel 'free' to a few mistakes in this review! The book is very interesting, and as a Portuguese speaker, I can relate to many probles the author..." Read more

"I enjoyed this book a great deal. It is packed with good information and presents grammar in an interesting and funny way. That’s not easy to do!" Read more

165 customers mention "Educational value"151 positive14 negative

Customers find the book informative and helpful for writing. They appreciate the interesting presentation of grammar in a humorous way. The author does a good job explaining punctuation. Overall, readers consider the book educational and persuasive.

"...This book does not intend to teach you. Rather, it informs you! Did you say women use exclamation marks more often than men?..." Read more

"...But for those of us who read this book there are wonderful tidbits...." Read more

"Lynne Truss has done an excellent job educating (and entertaining) the public on punctuation...." Read more

"I enjoyed this book a great deal. It is packed with good information and presents grammar in an interesting and funny way. That’s not easy to do!" Read more

133 customers mention "Punctuation"121 positive12 negative

Customers find this book helpful for learning how to use punctuation in the real world. They appreciate learning about the history and context of each punctuation mark. The book presents grammar in an interesting and funny way, explaining the functions and usage of common punctuation marks like the apostrophe and comma. Readers also mention that the chapter on commas made them laugh out loud.

"...Throughout the audio you will hear interviews with punctuation professionals and secret societies with the sole goal of correcting punctuation..." Read more

"...It is packed with good information and presents grammar in an interesting and funny way. That’s not easy to do!" Read more

"...purpose to inform the reader in a whimsical and interesting manner about correct punctuation, I, nonetheless, found her roundabout— sometimes cute..." Read more

"...Lynne Truss explains the functions and usage of common punctuation marks like the apostrophe, comma, semicolon, and colon very clearly...." Read more

122 customers mention "Writing style"97 positive25 negative

Customers find the book's writing style engaging and informative. They appreciate the author's knowledge and passion for writing. The book provides helpful tips and tricks for writers, highlighting the importance of proper grammar and punctuation. Readers mention that their awareness of grammar has improved after reading this book.

"...Writing. Truss' writing is un-matched. She has a simple technique that includes intelligence and advanced ideas...." Read more

"...punctuation marks like the apostrophe, comma, semicolon, and colon very clearly. I really did not know how a semicolon or colon could be used...." Read more

"...providing examples Truss shows us and reminds us that there is craft to writing, and to using punctuation to elevate your thoughts to better than..." Read more

"...The book is a quick, amusing read, and it is besides an attractive little volume, panda-covered, of course: the perfect gift for the sticklers in..." Read more

21 customers mention "History lesson"17 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the book's history lesson on punctuation. They appreciate the historical and modern perspective, as well as the humorous account of errors and foibles. The book is described as an easy read with great examples that make learning new things enjoyable.

"...She references her work with many historical facts, what gives even more relevance to the work; and also, more strenght!..." Read more

"...But there is enough deadpan humor, historical trivia, and useful information in this modest work to make up for the lapse...." Read more

"...Truss's Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a breezy, funny account of the history, abuse, and proper use of a host of punctuation marks--the apostrophe..." Read more

"...Truss goes through all of the most common punctuation marks, gives us their history, and makes them all seem interesting too...." Read more

16 customers mention "Pacing"13 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing. They find the tone light-hearted, joyful, and instructive. The sense of humor is refreshingly irreverent, and the occasional chuckle is appreciated. Readers describe the book as calming and therapeutic, with a nice textured hard cover and thick, glossy pages.

"...action in the face of mixed up itses may go unheeded, but her light-hearted, best-selling paean to punctuation, originally published in Great..." Read more

"...This is basically a humorous rant against the deterioration of punctuation in today's world...." Read more

"I found this calming and therapeutic...." Read more

"...book is put together like a children's picture book, with a nice textured hard cover and thick, glossy pages...." Read more

13 customers mention "Gift value"13 positive0 negative

Customers find the book a great gift for writers of any age. They say it's fun and would be a good gift for anyone who speaks and writes English.

"...This book would make a great gift for others who enjoy writing...." Read more

"...It's the perfect gift for a fellow wordie like me! Great book, great price and shipping from the seller, great gift." Read more

"...My copy now has many highlighted phrases. It makes a great gift if you know someone else who had proper punctuation drilled into them in grammar..." Read more

"...A great gift for your writer or English-major friends." Read more

21 customers mention "Ease of follow"13 positive8 negative

Customers have different views on the book's ease of follow. Some find it easy to follow with examples and the rules explained in layman's terms. Others find it confusing, with nuances getting mixed up and concepts not clearly defined.

"...rules apply to the punctuation, Truss lists these rules in a very organized manner and elaborates where extra information is needed...." Read more

"...The nuances are sometimes muddied as the "if-then" exceptions get mixed in with American vs. English differences...." Read more

"...The rules are explained in layman's terms (I hope I wrote that correctly) and it is all a good read...." Read more

"...Author Lynne Truss provides a very entertaining and easy-to-follow approach to refreshing her readers on their grammar and punctuation." Read more

Sticklers, the best is yet to come!
5 out of 5 stars
Sticklers, the best is yet to come!
A beautiful trip! I was looking for a different place but I found an English Library in Ecuador! I found this book in a previous version and fell in love with Lynne Truss! I had to have a brand new version for myself!
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2008
    This is a great fun book, and I really enjoyed reading it. It has been a while since I laughed so hard. Wait, should I have said, "This is a great, fun book"? When do we use Mrs. Comma?

    The author writes, "Punctuation has been defined many ways. Some grammarians use the analogy of stitching: punctuation as the basting that holds the fabric of language in shape. Another writer tells us that punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop." (p. 7).

    Punctuation can alter the sense of a string of words. Take the following example:

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

    The use of punctuation is like fashion; it has its moments. One day it might be fashionable to use a semi-colon; another day it might not! Wait a second! Did I use my punctuation right? Should there have been a semi-colon after the word semi-colon? What a conundrum! And talking of semi-colons, did you know that colon in Greek means a limb (hence part of a strophe. A strophe is the first of two movements made by a chorus during the performance of a choral ode, but you all knew that, didn't you)? So a semi-colon is a half limb. But wait a minute, does apostrophe come from strophe or the other way round? Or maybe there is no relation whatsoever? Open your dictionaries!

    Did you know that women use exclamation marks more than men! Wait, I really meant to put a question mark!

    Did you know that most punctuation marks were invented by the early printers? Punctuation can render the written word into the way we talk. For example, poses between words, marking thoughts...

    How about punctuation in text messages? Do any of us bother putting them? And how about in emails or while chatting on the internet, how do we use punctuation? Who invented the smileys and for what reason? Smileys are made of punctuation marks. For example, :-) is a smiley meaning a smiling face. Smileys are made of punctuation marks. Funny enough, I was looking for the plural of smiley (which I thought to be smilies) and could not find the word in either the Oxford or the Webster dictionary. I, however, was able to find it in the Collins and the American Heritage dictionary. I wonder why that is?! Hey, was that a correct usage of punctuation?!!!!!

    Here's a nice fact: a few years ago, the average age of email users was 20. It is now 30, and climbing. More and more of us are using email to communicate with each other, and more and more of us are at a loss of how to use punctuation properly, if any. Just look at all the punctuation mistakes I have made in this short review (please don't count the grammatical errors!!!!!).

    This is a book you will love reading, and you will find yourself with a smile on your face. This book does not intend to teach you. Rather, it informs you! Did you say women use exclamation marks more often than men?

    The title of the book came about from a dictionary definition of panda. According to the author, the dictionary defined panda as a bear-like animal that eats, shoots and leaves. On the cover of the book, you actually see a panda on a ladder erasing the comma after eats. The sentence should have correctly read, `a bear-like animal that eats shoots and leaves.' Well, no one is perfect. (I keep wondering whether I am using punctuation correctly. What hath this book done to me? I mean to me!!!!!)

    I highly recommend the audio version of this book as well. In fact, the book is based on the audio version. Throughout the audio you will hear interviews with punctuation professionals and secret societies with the sole goal of correcting punctuation mistakes. Really, no kidding! Well, maybe not that secret. One such society has as its goal to correct apostrophe mistakes. For example, its or it's? They actually write letters to editors and store owners (is that owner's?) making them aware of the correct usage of this infamous punctuation mark. Some store owners actually change their signposts to reflect the correct usage. But many don't. Amazing! Who said all secret societies are bad?

    Here's a fact: The English language first picked up the apostrophe in the 16th century. The word in Greek means "turning away", and hence "omission" or "elusion". In classical texts, it was used to mark dropped letters, as in t'cius for "tertius" (p. 37).

    O, before I forget, here's a useful insight: The American and British editions of this book use punctuation differently!

    Wait, before I go, here's another thought: hopefully the author won't read my review and use me as an example of how horrible my punctuation is!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    24 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 15, 2004
    Lynne Truss writes a wickedly funny treatise on the death-- if we, the faithful who care about apostrophes, are not armed and ready to fight the barbarians-- of punctuation as we know it. Of course, her dilemma is that only people who care about correct punctuation are the ones who will read this fascinating book. Those who are most guilty will not or cannot read her.
    But for those of us who read this book there are wonderful tidbits. For example, Oliver Wendell Holmes said that We have to dismount from an idea and get back into the saddle again at every parenthesis while the writer Gertrude Stein found question marks the most uninteresting of all punctuation marks. F. Scott Fitzgerald said that the exclamation point (as it is known in America) is "like laughing at your own jokes." My favorite image from the book is that of the semicolon that "quietly practises the piano with crossed hands."
    For those of us who care, Ms. Truss gives a good review of the rules of punctution. She discusses thoroughly the correct use of all forms of punctuation, from the apostrophe to the hyphen, and compares the differences between British and American usage. She also discusses the blight that e-mail messages have brought on us all. "I keep thinking that what we do now, with this medium of instant delivery, isn't writing, and doesn't even qualify as typing either: it's just sending. What did you do today? Sent a lot of stuff."
    I fear that punctuation problems are worse on this side of the pond than they are in England. I attended a black tie event recently for over 300 people in which words large enough to be read from the back of the dinning hall were projected on a huge screen behind the speaker. The apostrophe was used over and over to express the plural, rather than the possessive of words. I felt as obsolete as a rotary telephone.
    34 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2025
    The author describes, with wit, the troubles with punctuation in the English language. As a non-native speaker (a Brazilian living in Brazil!), I feel 'free' to a few mistakes in this review! The book is very interesting, and as a Portuguese speaker, I can relate to many probles the author faces. She references her work with many historical facts, what gives even more relevance to the work; and also, more strenght! This is the sad reality for all languages in our days: being destroyed by the use of all internet and media available everywhere. One point that, in my opinion, is affecting negatively the English language, and not worked by the author here, is the influence of foreigners in English native countries, who bring their own native language to influence English, thus 'creating' something new. That's a problem that could be analysed in another work. Very interesting read that, at least for me, helped learn and be reminded of many grammatical rules I've forgotten. Very good book!

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Nichole
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read
    Reviewed in Canada on November 10, 2024
    Got my daughter hooked on this book. Really helped her with essays and vocabulary.
  • Fenella Ann de'Souza
    5.0 out of 5 stars Humourous and helpful
    Reviewed in India on June 29, 2024
    This book helps you to understand the fine nuances of punctuation in a light digestible manner with easy explanation
  • Jose Euardo Guevara
    5.0 out of 5 stars libro
    Reviewed in Mexico on August 2, 2018
    buen libro! me llego en buen estado, aunque es mas pequeño de lo que pense parece una edicion de bolsillo.
  • 5t4n5 Dot Com
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable and educational
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2019
    An absolute delight of a book.

    Lynne has managed to take a rather dull and tedious subject — that of punctuation — and made it interesting and fun to learn.

    Yes, it can come across as nothing but a curmudgeon having a rant, but it’s an intelligent curmudgeon having an amusing rant that is very educational.

    We are now in an age where the written word is being used more than any other time in history to communicate; most people barely talk any more, preferring to text, or email, rather than pick up the phone or visit in person. At no other time in history has the correct meaning and interpretation of the written word been more important, while punctuation, which gives the meaning and interpretation to the written word, is so utterly neglected and misunderstood.

    Yes, punctuation is important, and while some of it is art, a lot of it is not:

    … is there any art involved in using the apostrophe? No. Using the apostrophe correctly is a mere negative proof: it tells the world you are not a thicko.

    Whether or not you think your punctuation could use a little housekeeping, this is a fun and interesting book to read and you will learn a few things while reading it: well worth it!
  • Christiane
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very funny
    Reviewed in Germany on August 6, 2018
    I always punctuate my text messages and have a panic attack when I’ve sent one off without putting a full stop at the end of it; in fact, I’ve been called a grammar Nazi, which is one reason why I loved this book !

    However, it’s not only because of Ms Truss’s straightforward and witty way of clarifying – as far as possible - the rules of punctuation in English that I enjoyed it so much, but also because of all the bits about its (punctuation's) history and development through the ages; from the Bible via Greek choruses, medieval illuminators, Venetian printers, Shakespeare and “Lady Chatterley’s Lover” to James Thurber almost coming to blows with his editor (and lots of hilarious snippets, jokes and anecdotes in between). I never knew that the things I had detested forever were called the Oxford comma and the double possessive; now I know (but I still detest them); I’ve fallen in love with the semicolon [and am probably over-using it (or “overusing” it ?)]; and I know I’ll never be using asterisks or angle brackets to show emphasis.

    In summary : a very funny book on a deadly serious subject.

    P.S. I wish it had an index !