Product Details

• Actors: Standard Deviants
• Directors: Cerebellum Corporation
• Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Surround Sound, THX, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Cerebellum Corporation
• DVD Release Date: April 10, 2000
• Run Time: 75 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005B802
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,903 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

English grammar is serious stuff, and there's only so much that can be done to make it entertaining. But the Standard Deviants, an energetic troupe of young performers whose specialty is making serious academic subjects engaging, happily dive into what they call "The Split-Infinitive World of English Grammar." The lessons on this DVD have been prepared by a panel of serious academics, but flashy graphics abound. And the performers do their best to liven up presentations of basic concepts. Nouns, verbs, adjectives, and other parts of speech are explained with some offbeat examples (for instance, a film of a lizard is used to demonstrate why "gecko" is a common noun). While introducing a section on verbals, a young woman mentions that a "funky thing" verbs can do is function as other parts of speech. Eventually all parts of speech are covered, and basic sentence structures are introduced. At the end of each set of lessons a quiz is presented, which a student can either take or skip. After proceeding through all the lessons on this DVD (which contains about two hours worth of material), a student can take the "Gram Slam," a comprehensive exam. English grammar will never be a barrel of fun, but the Standard Deviants deserve credit for making this review course as engaging as the subject is ever likely to get. "--Robert J. McNamara"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I beg to differ... all flash, no substance., April 28, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Standard Deviants: Grammar For All - Learning English Grammar - The Parts of Speech (DVD)

Good luck remembering anything you were "taught" in this program! There's no structure, no method. The stuff is just "thrown out at you" and you're supposed to absorb it somehow. The kids are cute, and some of the jokes were kinda funny, but I found myself having to watch it over and over, trying to figure out what they were trying to teach me. If you really want to learn grammar, look for something more instructional.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for Review of the Basics of Grammar, October 22, 2004

By 

Laura De Giorgio "hypnotherapist" (Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Standard Deviants: Grammar For All - Learning English Grammar - The Parts of Speech (DVD)

This DVD takes you at a rapid speed through the basics of grammar. There are three more DVDs in this series that deal with grammar and punctuation.

The DVD may be best used perhaps for a review of grammar -
to brush up on what you know.

If you're starting from scratch,
it may also been a solid introduction - getting acquainted with
the elements of grammar. If words like "adverbs" or "adjectives" sound like mystical language to you - they will be demystified here.

On the other hand, if you're struggling with conjugating irregular verbs, you'll still have to pick a good grammar book and to memorize the verbs you don't know.

And, as a matter of fact, this DVD is best used in conjunction with a good grammar book. DVD only helps to learn and memorize areas of grammar faster, but it does not replace the need to work separately on the areas that may be challenging for you.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flash AND Substance, January 19, 2010

By 

Miss Athena (Plattsburgh, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Standard Deviants: Grammar For All - Learning English Grammar - The Parts of Speech (DVD)

beg to differ with the last reviewer; this dvd is structured and substantive. It is rapidly paced, but it keeps the viewer's attention with music, graphics, and its overall fun format and "cool" vibe -- it is not for a really young audience, and that may be one reason for its pace. I am a college grammar instructor, and I feel it is on target for my first year students. Perhaps the target audience is 9-12? Also, in my estimation, it is not meant to be shown like a movie from start to finish, but section by section as needed (hence its structure); repeat viewing is probably the best way to go for some of the trickier parts of speech (for example, verbs). The video starts out with the question "What is Grammar?" and then proceeds to walk its viewers through the eight parts of speech. I rated it three stars rather than five because its graphics are a bit dated and it gives cursory treatment to a few parts of speech. As far as supplementing lectures, or for self learners, this video is one of the best I've seen and, for an academic video the price cannot be beat.