Alfred Ayres

author

Alfred Ayres

1825–1902

Best known as Alfred Ayres, this American writer and elocution teacher built a reputation on helping readers speak and write with more precision. His books on usage, pronunciation, and public speaking made him a recognizable name for people interested in clear, polished English.

2 Audiobooks

The Mentor A little book for the guidance of such men and boys as would appear to advantage in the society of persons of the better sort

The Mentor A little book for the guidance of such men and boys as would appear to advantage in the society of persons of the better sort

by Alfred Ayres

The Verbalist A Manual Devoted to Brief Discussions of the Right and the Wrong Use of Words and to Some Other Matters of Interest to Those Who Would Speak and Write with Propriety.

The Verbalist A Manual Devoted to Brief Discussions of the Right and the Wrong Use of Words and to Some Other Matters of Interest to Those Who Would Speak and Write with Propriety.

by Alfred Ayres

About the author

Writing under the pen name Alfred Ayres, Thomas Embly Osmun was an American actor, author, and elocutionist. Sources consulted during this search agree that he was born in Ohio in 1826 and died in 1902, though some catalogs give the birth year with slight uncertainty.

He studied at Oberlin College and also spent years in Germany and Paris. Biographical references describe him as especially devoted to orthoepy, pronunciation, and elocution, and those interests shaped much of his writing.

Ayres is remembered for practical books such as The Verbalist, The Mentor, and The Essentials of Elocution. His work was aimed at readers who wanted to improve their language, speaking style, and social polish, and it still gives a clear sense of late-19th-century ideas about correct English and effective expression.