{"id":1489,"date":"2013-06-27T04:51:46","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T08:51:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/facilitativeleadership.wordpress.com\/?p=1489"},"modified":"2026-04-21T14:00:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T18:00:31","slug":"eats-shoots-and-leaves","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/eats-shoots-and-leaves\/","title":{"rendered":"Punctuation Precision, Humorously Proven by Eats, Shoots and Leaves"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Eats, Shoots and Leaves<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Our bias about the importance of rhetorical precision has been discussed and emphasized in other blogs. Hard to believe it took us almost ten years to read <a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"Lynne Truss\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lynnetruss.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"homepage noopener noreferrer\">Lynne Truss<\/a>\u2019s book, \u201c<a class=\"zem_slink\" title=\"Eats, Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Eats-Shoots-Leaves-Tolerance-Punctuation\/dp\/1861976127%3FSubscriptionId%3D0G81C5DAZ03ZR9WH9X82%26tag%3Dzemanta-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1861976127\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"amazon noopener noreferrer\">Eats, Shoots and Leaves<\/a>\u201d. Her primary chapter topics include the use or abuse of apostrophes, commas, dashes, and other. To understand the title, note the implied humor that follows \u201cA panda walks into a caf\u00e9 . . .\u201d Here are some of our favorite examples, copied dot for dot from the book, to prove the importance of a single dot of ink and how it could affect building consensus.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">A woman, without her man, is nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">A woman: without her, man is nothing.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Or<img wpfc-lazyload-disable=\"true\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-9978 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/51fhD1Xn25L._SX342_BO1204203200_.jpg\" alt=\"Eats, Shoots and Leaves\" width=\"344\" height=\"499\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/51fhD1Xn25L._SX342_BO1204203200_.jpg 344w, https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/51fhD1Xn25L._SX342_BO1204203200_-207x300.jpg 207w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 344px) 100vw, 344px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cA re-formed rock band is quite different from a reformed one. Likewise, a long-standing friend is different from a long standing one. A cross-section of the public is quite different from a cross section of the public.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Or<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Is it extra-marital sex or extra marital sex?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Is it a pickled-herring merchant or a pickled herring merchant?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">If you are sensitive to details, you will enjoy this book, light reading or reading under a light. As Joseph Robertson wrote in 1785, <\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\u201cThe art of punctuation is of infinite consequence in writing (<span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">NOTE<\/span>: facilitative documenting); as it contributes to the perspicuity, and consequently to the beauty, of every composition.\u201d <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">This is one self-help book that gives you permission to love punctuation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt; color: #000000;\">Meetings must rise above the tiny opening of words and embrace the fullness of human insight\u2014through listening, visuals, stories, numbers, and symbols. The transformation begins not in tools, but in mindset. Leave your ego at the threshold, and step into the structures of meetings that get results.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #000080;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">In a world where everyone can engage in decisions that affect them<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Lead the Change\u2014One Meeting at a Time<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Are you ready to transform how decisions are made, problems are solved, and alignment is built in your organization?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>True meeting leadership goes beyond setting an agenda.<\/b> It requires a facilitator who can navigate complexity, balance voices, and drive toward outcomes with clarity and consensus. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/public-facilitation-training\/\"><b>Professional Meeting Leadership Workshop<\/b><\/a> and facilitation training equips you to do just that\u2014blending <b>human-centric methods<\/b> with <b>structured analytical tools<\/b> to foster rigor, inclusivity, and results that stick.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b><\/b><b>Practice live.<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b><\/b><b>Get expert feedback.<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b><\/b><b>Build confidence that lasts.<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Whether your meetings suffer from unclear objectives, disengaged participants, or decision fatigue, this workshop will help you <b>identify the root causes<\/b>, <b>apply proven facilitation techniques<\/b>, and <b>emerge as the leader every team needs<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Take the first step today\u2014transform your meetings and magnify your impact.<\/b><b><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">\ud83d\udc49 <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/public-facilitation-training\/\"><b>Click here to reserve your seat now.<\/b><b><\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"font-size: 8pt;\"><i>#facilitationtraining #meetingdesign<\/i><\/span><i><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><b>Because every meeting should be a catalyst for change\u2014not just another calendar event.<\/b><\/span><b><\/b><\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<h4><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">With Bookmarks no longer a feature in WordPress, we provide the following for your benefit and reference.<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">20 Prioritization Techniques = <a href=\"https:\/\/foldingburritos.com\/product-prioritization-techniques\/\">https:\/\/foldingburritos.com\/product-prioritization-techniques\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Creativity Techniques = <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mycoted.com\/Category:Creativity_Techniques\">https:\/\/www.mycoted.com\/Category:Creativity_Techniques<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Facilitation Training Calendar = <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/public-facilitation-training-calendar\/\">https:\/\/mgrush.com\/public-facilitation-training-calendar\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Liberating Structures = <a href=\"http:\/\/www.liberatingstructures.com\/ls-menu\">http:\/\/www.liberatingstructures.com\/ls-menu<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Management Methods = <a href=\"https:\/\/www.valuebasedmanagement.net\/\">https:\/\/www.valuebasedmanagement.net<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Newseum = https:\/\/www.freedomforum.org\/todaysfrontpages\/<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">People Search = <a href=\"https:\/\/pudding.cool\/2019\/05\/people-map\/\">https:\/\/pudding.cool\/2019\/05\/people-map\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Scrum Events Agendas = <a href=\"https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/scrum-facilitation\/\">https:\/\/mgrush.com\/blog\/scrum-facilitation\/<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Teleconference call = <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/DYu_bGbZiiQ\">https:\/\/youtu.be\/DYu_bGbZiiQ<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Thiagi\/ 400 ready-to-use training games = <a href=\"http:\/\/thiagi.net\/archive\/www\/games.html\">http:\/\/thiagi.net\/archive\/www\/games.html<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Visualization methods = <a href=\"http:\/\/www.visual-literacy.org\/periodic_table\/periodic_table.html\">http:\/\/www.visual-literacy.org\/periodic_table\/periodic_table.html#<\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><b>______<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\">Related article<\/span><\/h4>\n<ul class=\"zemanta-article-ul\">\n<li class=\"zemanta-article-ul-li\"><span style=\"font-size: 12pt;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/writeatyourownrisk.wordpress.com\/2013\/03\/04\/beguiling-grammar\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Beguiling Grammar<\/a> (writeatyourownrisk.wordpress.com)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Eats, Shoots and Leaves Our bias about the importance of rhetorical precision has been discussed and emphasized in other blogs. Hard to believe it took us almost ten years to read Lynne Truss\u2019s book, \u201cEats, Shoots and Leaves\u201d. Her primary chapter topics include the use or abuse of apostrophes, commas, dashes, and other. To understand [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[453185969],"tags":[453189029,453190836,453191105,453190835],"class_list":["post-1489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication-skills","tag-facilitation-skills","tag-language-precision","tag-meeting-problems","tag-punctuation-precision"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Punctuation: Humorously Unveiled by Eats, Shoots and Leaves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Lynne Truss\u2019s book, Eats, Shoots and Leaves includes the use or abuse of apostrophes, commas, dashes, and other. 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