How to Speak and Write Correctly

Devlin, JosephProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 252K words
Chapters: 26

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.How to Speak and Write Correctly by Joseph DevlinAuthor: Devlin, Joseph,Language: English, Class: PE: Language and Literatures: English, Release Date: Sep 1, 2004

Editor's review

Written in the early twentieth century, this is a guide to English grammar and writing in which Joseph Devlin sets out the basic norms of spoken and written English in a concise, practical manner. The book is organized around core topics such as parts of speech, sentence structure, punctuation, and principles of rhetoric; its language is plain, its examples direct, and it avoids complex terminology, making it suitable as foundational training in English expression. Its value lies not in keeping up with contemporary usage trends but in helping readers build a clear grammatical framework and a sense of writing, and its explanations of sentence elements, common grammatical errors, and punctuation rules remain informative today. As a public-domain e-book, it is convenient to consult and excerpt at any time, and suits reading in segments while commuting, preparing lessons, or studying independently. Readers should note that some usages and examples bear the marks of their era and should be used in comparison with contemporary English norms, treating the book as an introductory reader for understanding grammatical logic rather than as the sole standard.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Adult self-learners who want to systematically organize an English grammar framework and fill basic gaps
English teachers or tutors who need to explain sentence elements and punctuation rules to students
Beginning and intermediate learners who prefer to learn English writing through rules plus examples
Non-native readers who want low-cost practice in English expression using a public-domain e-book

Not a good fit for

Learners seeking contemporary spoken trends, internet slang, or the latest usage changes
Advanced readers who want to directly improve academic paper or business writing
Casual readers who only want to develop a feel for the language through extensive reading of original novels

Reading tips

First read the table of contents, then divide the book into four weeks covering parts of speech, sentences, punctuation, and rhetoric, reading one part closely each week and taking notes.
After each chapter, rewrite three to five English sentences you have recently written using the rules in the book, and check them against it.
When you encounter examples that differ from contemporary usage, mark them and consult a modern dictionary or grammar book for comparison.
Treat the punctuation and common errors chapters as reference pages to dip into while writing; there is no need to memorize them all at once.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book suitable for complete beginners in English?

Not really for complete beginners. The book assumes readers already have basic English vocabulary and some awareness of simple sentences, and its explanations revolve around grammatical terminology. Complete beginners should first build basic vocabulary and sentence patterns, then use it as a supplementary reader for organizing rules; otherwise they may struggle with the dense terminology.

Can the English usage in the book still be copied as is?

Not entirely. The book was written long ago, and some examples, spelling conventions, and usages bear the marks of their era and differ from contemporary English norms. It is best used as a reference for understanding grammatical logic and writing principles, with specific usage checked against modern dictionaries, grammar books, and actual language data.

What should I pay attention to when reading it as a public-domain e-book?

Public-domain e-books are convenient for searching and excerpting, but formatting quality varies and some passages may lack modern annotations. Use the e-book search function to locate chapters, look up unfamiliar examples in a dictionary first, and then judge whether they are outdated usage so as to avoid memorizing them by mistake.

Comments

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About the author

Devlin, Joseph Author

Joseph Devlin is an author about whom very limited biographical information is publicly available; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly recorded. The main confirmed clue comes from his book How to Speak and Write Correctly. The work is a practical guide to English usage, dealing with the norms of spoken and written English, including grammar, word choice, sentence structure and writing habits, and is addressed to general readers and learners who wish to improve the accuracy of their English. In subject matter it clearly leans toward language correctness and writing instruction, stressing clear, correct and appropriate expression rather than literary creation or academic theory. Because verifiable information about the author's life is scarce, discussions of his career and background should be treated with caution, and readers should rely primarily on the work itself.