Alfred Ayres

Alfred Ayres was the pen name of Thomas Embley Osmun (1826–1902), an American teacher of elocution and writer on English usage. He lived and taught in New York and became known for small, opinionated handbooks on correct speech and writing. The Verbalist, a manual of the right and wrong use of words, and The Orthoëpist, a guide to pronunciation, went through many editions, and he also wrote on elocution and acting. Little else is recorded of his life. His books reflect the nineteenth-century American enthusiasm for linguistic correctness and self-improvement, and they remain entertaining for the confidence of their judgments.