Audiobook · read by volunteers
Stops, or How to Punctuate
Paul Allardyce (1855–1895)
Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater, stepheather, Zachary Brewster-Geisz, Laurie Anne Walden, Sarah Jennings, Miranda Stinson, Shurtagal, Kara Shallenberg (1969-2023), Clarica, Kristen McQuillin · 16 chapters · 2 h 00
About the book
Punctuation is the quiet machinery of written English, and Paul Allardyce explains it here with patience and clarity. His book goes through the marks one by one, starting with the full stop and the comma, and shows how each helps a reader to follow the sense of a sentence. He gives rules, but he also gives reasons, and he points out where good writers have disagreed or have chosen to bend the rules. Written at the end of the nineteenth century, the guide shows how English was taught in its time, and many of its principles remain useful. Sixteen sections, read by a team of volunteers, last about two hours. Whether you want to improve your own writing, enjoy the history of the language or simply listen to a brisk explanation of the humble comma, this book is a handy and unexpectedly entertaining companion.
Introduction
Paul Allardyce lived from 1855 to 1895, and Stops, or How to Punctuate was published in 1895. The book is a handbook for writers and students, and it follows a long tradition of manuals that set out to explain the use of the points in written English.
Languages continue to change, and English vocabulary has never stopped evolving. Even so, its system of punctuation has remained steady for the most part. That continuity is what makes an old guide still worth hearing: the full stop, the comma and the other marks do the same jobs now that they did in the 1890s, although fashions in style, especially about the use of commas, have shifted.
The LibriVox recording has sixteen sections, starting with the introduction and the chapters on the full stop and the comma, and lasts about two hours. Several volunteers share the reading. The text is easy to follow, and the examples are short enough to be heard clearly. Listening to a punctuation guide may sound odd, but the way the reader pauses at each mark gives a pleasing demonstration of what the guide is about. The advice is practical, and the author often shows how a mark can change the meaning of a sentence. Some of his recommendations may strike modern readers as old-fashioned, but they offer a revealing view of the way people were taught to write in the late nineteenth century. For writers and editors it is an enjoyable refresher, and for others a curiosity.
Public domain
Paul Allardyce died in 1895: the work is in the public domain in Switzerland, more than 70 years after the author’s death.
The LibriVox volunteers dedicated this recording to the public domain.
Sources : LibriVox page · Files at the Internet Archive · Original text