The best example of the usefulness of the Oxford comma has be the title of the excellent book by Liz Truss…
well worth reading…here it is devoid of any punctuation, so make of it what you will:
Eats Shoots And Leaves
As a hint, there is no photo of a lothario on the cover, but a panda.
As said, correctly applied it avoids misunderstandings.
Franglais:
The best example of the usefulness of the Oxford comma has be the title of the excellent book by Liz Truss…
well worth reading…here it is devoid of any punctuation, so make of it what you will:Eats Shoots And Leaves
As a hint, there is no photo of a lothario on the cover, but a panda.
As said, correctly applied it avoids misunderstandings.
“Eats, shoots and leaves” is the title of a book about correct punctuation written (and the dangers of poor punctuation) written by a long-serving editor for the New Yorker magazine. I regret I do not recall her name. It was published about a decade ago or so.
Dipster:
Franglais:
The best example of the usefulness of the Oxford comma has be the title of the excellent book by Liz Truss…
well worth reading…here it is devoid of any punctuation, so make of it what you will:Eats Shoots And Leaves
As a hint, there is no photo of a lothario on the cover, but a panda.
As said, correctly applied it avoids misunderstandings.
“Eats, shoots and leaves” is the title of a book about correct punctuation written (and the dangers of poor punctuation) written by a long-serving editor for the New Yorker magazine. I regret I do not recall her name. It was published about a decade ago or so.
Yes I read it when it first came out in 2003 and still have the copy. Before that I used Fowler as a good guide. However, if you fancy a challenge, try Oliver Kamm’s ‘Accidence will Happen: the Non-Pedantic Guide to English’. He attempts to debunk all the English language buffs like Liz Truss, Fowler etc who have written guides over the last century or three. It certainly makes you sit up and we should be alert to false claims, but I stand by a lot of the common-sense stuff TBH.
I think it was Lyn Truss, wasn’t it, who wrote Eats Shoots and Leaves? Liz Truss is a whole different kettle of fish of whom I will say no more. 
I may have mentioned this before but an owner driver in the NT many years ago called his truck The Wombat, after a marsupial whose diet consists of roots and leaves. As our Australian members will know, the word ‘Roots’ has a whole different meaning there so the sign on the back of his last trailer ‘The Wombat. Eats, Roots, and Leaves’ was supposed to represent his attitude to the opposite ■■■.
Spardo:
I think it was Lyn Truss, wasn’t it, who wrote Eats Shoots and Leaves? Liz Truss is a whole different kettle of fish of whom I will say no more.I may have mentioned this before but an owner driver in the NT many years ago called his truck The Wombat, after a marsupial whose diet consists of roots and leaves. As our Australian members will know, the word ‘Roots’ has a whole different meaning there so the sign on the back of his last trailer ‘The Wombat. Eats, Roots, and Leaves’ was supposed to represent his attitude to the opposite ■■■.
Apologies.
Yes, Lynne Truss, not Liz. As you say well leave Liz alone, here. Lynne wrote some very funny plays for BBC R4. Books too, although I havent read any yet, this thread is a nice reminder to self to check them out soon.
I`m fairly sure she did broadcast in her own voice too around sports events of some sort?
Spardo:
I think it was Lyn Truss, wasn’t it, who wrote Eats Shoots and Leaves? Liz Truss is a whole different kettle of fish of whom I will say no more.I may have mentioned this before but an owner driver in the NT many years ago called his truck The Wombat, after a marsupial whose diet consists of roots and leaves. As our Australian members will know, the word ‘Roots’ has a whole different meaning there so the sign on the back of his last trailer ‘The Wombat. Eats, Roots, and Leaves’ was supposed to represent his attitude to the opposite ■■■.
Thanks David, saved me trying to formulate a polite explanation.
Wombat, eats, roots, shoots and leaves. 
Kempston:
Looks a bit busy at Covent Garden.0
How I hated markets, Spitalfields was most often for me, waiting to tip and having to drive round the block to let an artic turn the corner, then, when they finally started to take the apples it was only to sell them off the wagon. Half a dozen cases off in the blink of an eye and then nothing till the next customer came along.
I had the same feelings for the Parisian ones too, but strangely enough the easiest was the last one I did, and that was with my French wagon at Covent Garden. I was really well looked after. Those Cockneys are so nice to foreigners.
Mrsteel:
Bewick ,
Hello Dennis, your description of the Atki Leader is very similar to one i once read by Pat Kennet who incidentally came to John Raymond’s yard back in the seventies to road test a Silver Knight ( FTX 702K iirc)
fitted with a David Brown range change gearbox and 8lxb engine. While i worked there i drove a Leader for
while (ETX 990K), not a bad machine !
Regards, Allan
ETX 990K was later operated by Allan Marriott in Ferryhill and, later scrapped for its engine value
Spardo:
No disagreement from me Franglais, though Robert I must admit to not being a frequent user of the semi-colon, but not because I believe it to be incorrect, I don’t.
Who would have thought that a group of thicko lorry drivers would be discussing semantics?But that is the upside, the downside is those like me who are pedants. Being effectively alone in the house most of the time I am a frequent shouter at the tv when some numpty commits the ultimate sin and confuses a double negative. The only relief is when the younger woman who comes in regularly to look after my wife’s needs (no, I don’t mean that
Like your good self, I something of a pedant when it comes to what we used to call “the Queen’s English” (Mum was a bit of a stickler, she even had a “telephone voice” which amused me and my brother no end). Notwithstanding, I’m all for people speaking in their local dialect, many of which are disappearing rapidly. I’d often pitch up at a yard in (say) Cheadle or Bradford or Huddersfield chasing a backload and - after too long - someone would come out and say “Ent got nowt for yer drive”. That’s the local dialect, double-negatives and all, and it’s fine by me. BTW don’t shout at the telly; they can’t hear you. 
ParkRoyal2100:
BTW don’t shout at the telly; they can’t hear you.
How do you know? Whhooo. 
The tellie’s a bit thinner now, so less room for them, doesn’t mean they aren’t still there you know. I can hear them. 
