Sucker for sweet words
Remember when I asked, “Who can explain grammar anyway?”
It was a rhetorical question. However, apparently William Safire can. I am in love with his book, How Not To Write. Not only does Safire explain grammar, he does so with tongue firmly in cheek. I never believed a book on grammar could be so entertaining; if, prior to this, you’d told me I would chuckle over rules of grammar, I would have thought you soft in the head.
It’s not just Safire’s humour that draws me, however. It’s his - at times - almost poetic turn of phrase. His description of the semicolon as “a form of punctuation that makes a full stop but continues to dribble” caused me to tumble head over heels in love.
Unlike the period, which decisively separates complete thoughts, or the comma, which gently separates phrases, the semicolon is the Cleopatra of punctuation marks; she separates and connects at the same time, making hungry where most she satisfies.
How could I resist? It would have taken a harder heart than mine to remain impervious.
“…continues to dribble.”
ROTFL!!!
Comment by PerpetualStudent — September 12, 2005 @ 1:37 pm