Punctuation Gun Panda Information Leaves Verb Noun Bamboo

"Punctuation"-the marks we use in writing, such as , : " . - are very important to "convey" (communicate) meaning. Here is perhaps one of the most well known, stories that "illustrate" (shows) the importance of punctuation.

A "panda" (animal that looks like a bear and is typically black and white) walks into a café. He orders a sandwich, eats it, then takes out a gun and "fires it" (shoots it) at the other "patrons" (customers).

"Why?" asks the confused, surviving waiter, as the panda "makes towards" (walks towards) the exit. The panda produces a badly punctuated "wildlife manual" (information book about animals living in nature) and gives it to the waiter.

"Well, I'm a panda," he says, at the door. "Look it up" (look for the information in the book).

The waiter turns to the information on pandas in the manual and finds an explanation. "Panda. Large black-and-white bear-like animal, "native to" (comes originally from) China. Eats, shoots, and leaves." The correct punctuation is: "Eats shoots and leaves."

"shoots" =

1) (verb) to fire a gun; to cause a bullet to leave a gun

2) (noun) bamboo shoots; the young part of a bamboo plant, eaten as a vegetable, especially in Asian food

"leaves" =

1) (verb) to depart; to remove oneself from a place

2) (noun) plural of leaf, the smaller green things that grow off of largest part of on a tree or plant