punctuation

Does it drive you crazy when people can’t tell the difference between their, there, and they’re?

Do you do a slow burn when someone puts an apostrophe where it doesn’t belong?

If you’re a Millennial or Gen Z, are you offended when your parents put a period at the end of their text?

Punctuation, grammar, and spelling matter a lot to many people, maybe moreso than they will admit. In fact, some proudly wear the mantle of “stickler.”

British author and journalist Lynne Truss is a stickler, and proud of it. And about 20 years ago she tapped into a whole vein of sticklers, first in Great Britain, then in the US, with her book Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

And suddenly people were openly expressing their disdain at misspelled signs, badly punctuated emails, and the general lack of literacy.

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I met Lynne in 2004 when she was on a US book tour.

so here now, from 2004, Lynne Truss.

Lynne Truss will be 70 in May. And yes, I ran AI punctuation, spelling and grammar checks on this script.

Do you know how hard it is to interview someone who you know will be assessing every sentence that comes out of your mouth?

I hadn’t been so self-conscious since I interviewed William F. Buckley, but it turns out, Mignon Fogarty was much nicer than what I’d feared. When I talked with her in 2009 about her books and podcast, she was nothing but cordial. And forgiving.

Since 2006 Mignon Fogarty has produced and hosted the “Grammar Girl” podcast. Who would’ve guessed that the nation was full of people so enchanted by .. grammar.

Indeed, proper language usage means a lot to many people. If you doubt me, just make a usage mistake on social media and watch how many of your “friends” will correct you.

So here now, from 2009, Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty.

Now I've Heard Everything

But You Knew What I Meant: Lynne Truss On The Degradation of Language

Mignon Fogarty

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