Customer Reviews

Standard Deviants: English Punctuation 1 [VHS]

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I show this to my freshman composition I classes nearly every semester, and I hear a lot of groans. They beg me not to play another one. I think some of that is "we're too cool for this" attitude, plus there is a volume 2! This video does what no video I'm aware of has ever attempted - to explain how English punctuation works. It's not an exciting subject; it's not even something most people ever think about, but the Standard Deviants have managed to make punctuation relatively entertaining. Yes, their humor is silly, even dorky; I assume these programs were made for high school students. But it's better for me to show this video than go through hours of examples and handbooks myself, thereby putting my students to sleep.

The only thing I'd really complain about is the fact that this video starts with the period. Now, I'd assume (and hope) that everybody knows how to use a period. That's where I get groans. If they'd gloss over the period, they could spend more time and detail on comma rules, which is where everybody needs work (sometimes including me).

If you're looking for a boring, staid presentation of punctuation rules to put your students to sleep, this ain't the place. If you're looking for an exciting, up-to-the-minute presentation of punctuation that will make your students instant English majors, this isn't that, either. What it is is an excellent effort, a good attempt to take an incredibly dull subject and make it entertaining. And you have to give them credit for that.