Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style - Benjamin Dreyer

Written by Benjamin Dreyer
Read by Benjamin Dreyer, Alison Fraser
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

New York Times best seller • A sharp, funny grammar guide they’ll actually want to read, from Random House’s longtime copy chief and one of Twitter’s leading language gurus

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by O: The Oprah Magazine • Paste • Shelf Awareness

“Essential (and delightful!)” (People)

We all write, all the time: books, blogs, emails. Lots and lots of emails. And we all want to write better. Benjamin Dreyer is here to help.

As Random House’s copy chief, Dreyer has upheld the standards of the legendary publisher for more than two decades. He is beloved by authors and editors alike - not to mention his followers on social media - for deconstructing the English language with playful erudition. Now, he distills everything he has learned from the myriad books he has copyedited and overseen into a useful guide not just for writers but for everyone who wants to put their best prose foot forward.

As authoritative as it is amusing, Dreyer’s English offers lessons on punctuation, from the underloved semicolon to the enigmatic en dash; the rules and nonrules of grammar, including why it’s okay to begin a sentence with “And” or “But” and to confidently split an infinitive; and why it’s best to avoid the doldrums of the Wan Intensifiers and Throat Clearers, including “very,” “rather,” “of course,” and the dreaded “actually.” Dreyer will let you know whether “alright” is all right (sometimes) and even help you brush up on your spelling - though, as he notes, “The problem with mnemonic devices is that I can never remember them.”

And yes: “Only godless savages eschew the series comma.”

Chockful of advice, insider wisdom, and fun facts, this audiobook will prove to be invaluable to everyone who wants to shore up their writing skills, mandatory for people who spend their time editing and shaping other people’s prose, and - perhaps best of all - an utter treat for anyone who simply revels in language.

Praise for Dreyer’s English

“Playful, smart, self-conscious, and personal… One encounters wisdom and good sense on nearly every page of Dreyer’s English.” (The Wall Street Journal)

“Destined to become a classic.” (The Millions)

“Dreyer can help you…with tips on punctuation and spelling…. Even better: He’ll entertain you while he’s at it.” (Newsday)

Critic Reviews

“Interwoven with cultural history and lively self-revelation, this bracing manual will up your game even if all you’re writing is emails.” (People Book of the Week)

“Call it the hedonic appeal. Dreyer beckons readers by showing that his rules make prose pleasurable…. His book is in love with the toothsomeness of language. Its sentences capture writing’s physicality.” (Katy Waldman, The New Yorker)

“Brimming with wit and revelatory wisdom, this style manual-cum-linguistic jubilee from Random House’s copy chief…entertains as it enlightens.” (O: The Oprah Magazine)

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