When Lynne Truss’ grammar diatribe, Eats, Shoots And Leaves hit bookshelves back in 2003, it marked the dawning of the modern pedant era. Her insistence on a return to correct punctuation opened the door for all other linguistic fascism, giving recognition and acceptance to the kind of killjoy for whom (never who) an incorrectly positioned apostrophe causes a mild apoplexy, and others’ semicolon misuse can bestow a week-long aura of smug self-worth.
No more! After 12 long years of getting away with muttering ‘fewer’ when loved ones talk about ‘less people’, and sharply intaken breaths at an unwitting split infinitive, the nitpicker has had his day.
In truth, says Times columnist Kamm in this essential volume, there are very few hard and fast linguistic rules. Pocket-sized, presumably so one can have it to hand when confronted with everyday pedantry, this is the equivalent of an exorcist’s bible. Carry it with you to disarm the pedant in your life.
Book Review: Accidence Will Happen: The Non-Pedantic Guide To English Usage by Oliver Kamm
