The Accidental Apostrophe: . . . And Other Misadventures in Punctuation - Hardcover

Taggart, Caroline

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1782438203 ISBN 13: 9781782438205

Publisher: Michael O'Mara, 2018

Synopsis

In Roman times, blocks of text were written without even wordspacingnevermindpunctuation. Orators would prepare carefully so that they didn’t get confused between, say, therapists and the rapists. As we entered the Christian era, it became more important to remove any likelihood of misinterpretation. For example, "If you are tempted, yield not, resisting the urge to commit a sin" vs. "If you are tempted, yield, not resisting the urge to commit a sin." So yes, punctuation does matter, and it is there to help—to clarify meaning, to convey emphasis, to indicate that you are asking a question or quoting someone else’s words. Caroline Taggart points out what matters and what doesn’t; why using six exclamation marks where one will do is fine in a text but not at school; why hang glider pilots in training really need a hyphen; and how throwing in the odd semicolon will impress your friends. This is an ideal guide to the (perceived) minefield that is punctuation.

About this title

About the Author:

Caroline Taggart is the bestselling author of I Used to Know That and, in the same series, A Classical Education. She also co-wrote My Grammar and I (Or Should that Be 'Me'?). 

Review:

"Explores the origins of common proverbs and sayings, examining whether they really do hold true." —Daily Mirror on An Apple a Day

"This book aims to fill you in on the stuff you wish you'd been taught at school." —Times on A Classical Education

"Beautifully produced . . . a lot of fun." —Tribune on My Grammar and I (Or Should That Be 'Me'?)

About this edition

• Publisher: Michael O'Mara
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1782438203
• ISBN 13: 9781782438205
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 192