The Elements of Style


Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater

(3.8 stars; 28 reviews)

“The Elements of Style (1918) by William Strunk, Jr. is an American English writing style guide. It is one of the best-known and most influential prescriptive treatment of English grammar and usage, and often is required reading in U.S. high school and university composition classes. The original 1918 edition of The Elements of Style detailed eight elementary rules of usage, ten elementary principles of composition, “a few matters of form”, and a list of commonly "misused" words and expressions. This book, printed as a private edition in 1918 for the use of his students, became a classic on the local campus, known as "the little book", and its successive editions have since sold over ten million copies. This version is based on the public-domain text from 1918, which was originally uploaded to Wikibooks and wikified by Wikibooks:User:Lord Emsworth in 2003. In January 2006, Kernigh transwikied the text from Wikibooks:Elements of Style to Wikisource.” (Summary by Wikipedia and Wikisource) (1 hr 51 min)

Chapters

00 – I. Introductory 4:57 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater
01 – II. Elementary Rules of Usage: Rules 1 – 4 12:16 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater
02 – II. Elementary Rules of Usage: Rules 5 – 8 10:16 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater
03 – III. Elementary Principles of Composition: Rules 9 – 10 14:18 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater
04 – III. Elementary Principles of Composition: Rules 11 – 13 11:38 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater
05 – III. Elementary Principles of Composition: Rules 14 – 16 12:45 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater
06 – III. Elementary Principles of Composition: Rules 17 – 18 7:39 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater
07 – IV. A Few Matters of Form 6:48 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater
08 – V. Words and Expressions Commonly Misused: all right to most 13:04 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater
09 – V. Words and Expressions Commonly Misused: nature to would 10:35 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater
10 – VI. Spelling 6:49 Read by Nicholas James Bridgewater

Reviews

Good Recording.


(5 stars)

The reader's voice is clear. He has a good mic. It is a solo project so you don't have to adjust to several voices. The only thing better would be to have the information sent directly into your brain via USB.

The value of an audiobook


(0 stars)

@Sorker: Thanks for your interest in this recording. If you feel that it deserves a better version than the one I recorded, you are most welcome to volunteer and record your own version. You don't seem to appreciate, however, the time and effort that volunteers take to make these recordings. You may not like my reading style, but I am sure that many others will do so. I believe that books should be read with emotion and clarity, which I convey in my style. This book, in particular, is an instruction book, so it has to be read particularly clearly. I will continue to record books with my own style. I'm not familiar with John Houseman, btw, but I've just looked him up on YouTube and he has a wonderful voice. So I'll take your statement as a compliment, because he's definitely a model for any reader to aspire to emulate. He also happens to be a British-American actor, and I am also both British and American, which is interesting. In any case, it is the instructional value of this book that matters, not the style of its reader. If you prefer a different style, record it yourself. Until now, I haven't found a free audiobook of this classic work. Now it is available to the entire world for free. @Purifier: Thanks for your comments! :D

Distracting reading style


(2 stars)

I applaud Mr. Bridgewater's efforts; however I find his reading style somewhat distracting. He seems like a very nice fellow and I understand that enunciation is important, however so is vitamin A, but too much of it will blind you.With respect to the adage "put up or shut up" I am preparing to record and upload my own version. I'm sure many people like his reading style, (14K+ downloads! He certainly has the whole enunciation thing down!) Be that as it may, I hope that my effort proves worthwhile. (By the way, the shipping line Cunard? It’s pronounced “Kewnard.” :)

Great recording


(5 stars)

This is a great recording of a classic book. I am an experienced audio book listener as I have a reading disability, and I can surely say that the negative reviewer is wrong. The reader's narration is on par with what professional readers produce. Especially the reader's ability to enter into the subject and presumed mind of the author is welcomed. Thank you very much Nicholas for your effort and skills as evidenced by this fine recording.

i already have the printed book


(5 stars)

but having ir on the go..is just great... now i can reafirm concepts i often forget... great job 🤓


(5 stars)

Excellent piece of writing manual. As a non- native speaker of English, the element of style has given me confidence and command in my writing......