In her highly popular book, Eats, Shoots & Leaves, obsessive-compulsive punctuation policewoman, Lynn Truss, quotes Nicholson Baker in his book Room Temperature as he muses poetically on the shape of the comma. It recalls to his mind...
"the pedals of grand pianos, mosquito larvae, paisleys, adult nostril openings, the spiraling decays of fundamental particles, the prows of gondolas..."
"adult nostril openings..." Man, that's great! I wish I'd thought of that first.
Okay. Now, if you'd like to have a little fun with how they're used instead of what they look like, go here http://eatsshootsandleaves.com/ESLquiz.html for a little game to see how savvy you are with commas and apostrophes. I'm "a 92% stickler."
Well? How did you do?
11 comments:
i'm an 83% stickler. :)
Oh dear. I shall not post my score lest I be covered with shame. The comma's were easy, but the apostrophies...!
(Is that how plural apostrophe is spelled?)
I'm a 75% stickler.
::hides face behind arm:: I am ashamed.
Fun! I really didn't do as well as I thought I was going to do though - there was one comma rule in which I wasn't aware of that got me twice... and well, I shall not go on w/ my excuses. I should have done better. 67%
I'm glad that doesn't go on my exam records for colleges and schools to see. :-)
I bet I could get 100% if I tried again. :-D
83%
ok well... fine.
:-)
tommy, take heart. You did better than I did. 58%. If my grandfather knew...
92%.
naturally. twinkums, dear.
I'm an 83% stickler.
Well, I suppose that's alright.
:)
me gettum 92%.
i got 100%....can't complain. =)
I got 92%... I missed the understood subject compound sentence... oh well.
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