Have you ever received an email or text message that you had to read multiple times in order to understand it? In this era of constant written communication, speed often gets in the way of accuracy, especially when it comes to grammar and punctuation. Whether you know it or not, the way in which you write has an effect on the way people perceive you. As a writer and former editor, I place a high value on thoughtful and accurate writing. I am actually more inclined to do business with someone who shows care in written communication.
If you’re interested in improving your writing, I highly recommend reading Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation, by Lynne Truss. This book is quite entertaining, and uses examples and stories to show the importance of proper punctuation.
Here’s a summary from Amazon Books:
“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.”
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