Help a Thief

Help a Thief by Caroline Taggart

Help a Thief is a non-fiction book in the Language and Skills collection that caught my eye and attention when I read the title. It was written in a humorous way, as the author Caroline addresses the advantages and disadvantages of punctuation in the English language.

The book has 11 chapters with references and an index, talking about grammar and whether Druids’ Cross should have an apostrophe. It expounds on grammar usage and words, generally pointing out what matters and what doesn’t, why using six exclamation marks where one will do is perfectly OK in a text.

Help a Thief has 189 pages and is fun to read, addressing some clarifying examples of using the semicolon (;) and the apostrophe (‘), which can be a point of admiration and give you credit in writing.

Caroline also notes in her book that the difference between giving a lecture or accepting an award is that you would probably prepare what you were going to say, think about your choice of words and try not to repeat yourself or ramble on too long. The same distinction applies to written words, as you use punctuation to help the reader understand more clearly, just as if you were giving a lecture.

I recommend reading this book to anyone who loves to write and connect with readers, either through a book or any media, using correct punctuation and grammar to make writing more effective and to avoid confusion in the English language.

Help a Thief by Caroline Taggart

Shatha