What's a Talking Head?
Talking Heads Intro
The Talking Heads were developed to introduce grammar charts on the CD-ROMs that accompany Understanding and Using English Grammar (blue book) and Fundamentals of English Grammar (black book). I wanted to find a way to speak directly to students who were using a computer program. To do this, I came up with the solution of creating grammar characters, animated cartoon characters named for aspects of English grammar. I affectionately call them Talking Heads.
These characters are the closest I could come to getting inside a computer myself and talking directly to the learner. Creating these grammar characters is some of the most enjoyable writing I've ever done.
—Betty Azar
I wanted to bring fun and a human presence to the computer screen along with effective pedagogy.
The Talking Heads
* point out things to notice in a chart,
* place structures in context,
* summarize key grammar points,
* anticipate questions and problem areas,
* make information in a chart accessible,
* get students ready for practice activities, and
* very importantly, engage and motivate students.
In other words, the Talking Heads do, at least in part, what teachers naturally do when discussing grammar with their students.
Another purpose of the talking heads is to expose students to a variety of speaking styles in conversational English.
—Betty Azar
Those of you who are experienced teachers might find it interesting to see how I, as the author of the charts, would talk about the grammar to students; perhaps less experienced teachers might get some new ideas about how to approach grammar charts in their classes.
The voluminous practice material on the CD-ROMs isn't available here, but the Talking Heads are here for you to use in any way you find helpful. Whatever the case, I hope you enjoy my characters — they run the gamut of human personalities.
—Betty Azar
SAMPLE 265 KB, swf
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CONTENTS
* Course Intro
* FEGi 1-0 Overview
* FEGi 1-1a The simple present and the present progressive
* FEGi 1-1b The simple present and the present progressive
* FEGi 1-2 Forms of the simple present and the present progressive
* FEGi 1-3 Frequency adverbs
* FEGi 1-4 Final -s
* FEGi 1-5 Spelling of final -s/-es
* FEGi 1-6 Non-action verbs
* FEGi 1-7 Present verbs: short answers to yes/no questions
* FEGi 2-0 Overview
* FEGi 2-1 Expressing past time: the simple past
* FEGi 2-2 Forms of the simple past: regular verbs
* FEGi 2-3 Forms of the simple past: be
* FEGi 2-4 Regular verbs: pronunciation of -ed endings
* FEGi 2-5 Spelling of -ing and -ed endings
* FEGi 2-6 The principal parts of a verb
* FEGi 2-7 Irregular verbs: a reference list
* FEGi 2-8 The simple past and the past progressive
* FEGi 2-9 Forms of the past progressive
* FEGi 2-10 Expressing past time: using time clauses
* FEGi 2-11 Expressing past habit: used to
* FEGi 3-0 Overview
* FEGi 3-1 Expressing future time: be going to and will
* FEGi 3-2 Forms with be going to
* FEGi 3-3 Forms with will
* FEGi 3-4a Sureness about the future
* FEGi 3-4b Sureness about the future
* FEGi 3-5 Be going to vs. will
* FEGi 3-6 Expressing the future in time clauses and if-clauses
* FEGi 3-7 Using the present progressive to express future time
* FEGi 3-8 Using the simple present to express future time
* FEGi 3-9 Immediate future: using be about to
* FEGi 3-10 Parallel verbs
* FEGi 4-0 Overview
* FEGi 4-1 Past participle
* FEGi 4-2 Forms of the present perfect
* FEGi 4-3 Meanings of the present perfect
* FEGi 4-4 Simple past vs. present perfect
* FEGi 4-5 Using since and for
* FEGi 4-6 Present perfect progressive
* FEGi 4-7 Present perfect progressive vs. present perfect
* FEGi 4-8 Using already, yet, still, and anymore
* FEGi 4-9 Past perfect
* FEGi 5-0 Overview
* FEGi 5-1 Yes/no questions and short answers
* FEGi 5-2 Yes/no questions and information questions
* FEGi 5-3 Where, why, when, and what time
* FEGi 5-4 Questions with who, who(m), and what
* FEGi 5-5 Spoken and written contractions with question words
* FEGi 5-6 Using what + a form of do
* FEGi 5-7 Using what kind of
* FEGi 5-8 Using which
* FEGi 5-9 Using whose
* FEGi 5-10 Using how
* FEGi 5-11 Using how often
* FEGi 5-12 Using how far
* FEGi 5-13 Length of time: it + take and how long
* FEGi 5-14 More questions with how
* FEGi 5-15 Using how about and what about
* FEGi 5-16 Tag questions
* FEGi 6-0 Overview
* FEGi 6-1 Pronunciation of final -s/-es
* FEGi 6-2 Plural forms of nouns
* FEGi 6-3 Subjects, verbs, and objects
* FEGi 6-4 Objects of prepositions
* FEGi 6-5 Prepositions of time
* FEGi 6-6 Word order: place and time
* FEGi 6-7 Subject-verb agreement
* FEGi 6-8 Using adjectives to describe nouns
* FEGi 6-9 Using nouns as adjectives
* FEGi 6-10 Personal pronouns: subjects and objects
* FEGi 6-11 Possessive nouns
* FEGi 6-12 Possessive pronouns and adjectives
* FEGi 6-13 Reflexive pronouns
* FEGi 6-14 Singular forms of other: another vs. the other
* FEGi 6-15 Plural forms of other: others(s) vs. the other(s)
* FEGi 6-16 Summary of forms of other
* FEGi 7-0 Overview
* FEGi 7-1 The form of modal auxiliaries
* FEGi 7-2 Expressing ability: can and could
* FEGi 7-3 Expressing possibility: may and might / Expressing permission: may and can
* FEGi 7-4 Using could to express possibility
* FEGi 7-5 Polite questions: may I, could I, can I
* FEGi 7-6 Polite questions: would you, could you, will you, can you
* FEGi 7-7 Expressing advice: should and ought to
* FEGi 7-8 Expressing advice: had better
* FEGi 7-9 Expressing necessity: have to, have got to, must
* FEGi 7-10 Expressing lack of necessity: do not have to / Expressing prohibition: must not
* FEGi 7-11 Making logical conclusions: must
* FEGi 7-12 Giving instructions: imperative sentences
* FEGi 7-13 Making suggestions: let's and why don’t
* FEGi 7-14 Stating preferences: prefer, like… better, would rather
* FEGi 8-0 Overview
* FEGi 8-1 Connecting ideas with and
* FEGi 8-2 Connecting ideas with but and or
* FEGi 8-3 Connecting ideas with so
* FEGi 8-4 Using auxiliary verbs after but and and
* FEGi 8-5 Using and + too, so, either, neither
* FEGi 8-6 Connecting ideas with because
* FEGi 8-7 Connecting ideas with even though/although
* FEGi 9-0 Overview
* FEGi 9-1 Making comparisons with as… as
* FEGi 9-2 Comparative and superlative
* FEGi 9-3 Comparative and superlative forms of adjectives and adverbs
* FEGi 9-4 Completing a comparative
* FEGi 9-5 Modifying comparatives
* FEGi 9-6 Comparisons with less… than and not as… as
* FEGi 9-7 Unclear comparisons
* FEGi 9-8 Using more with nouns
* FEGi 9-9 Repeating a comparative
* FEGi 9-10 Using double comparatives
* FEGi 9-11 Using superlatives
* FEGi 9-12 Using the same, similar, different, like, alike
* FEGi 10-0 Overview
* FEGi 10-1 Active sentences and passive sentences
* FEGi 10-2 Form of the passive
* FEGi 10-3 Transitive and intransitive verbs
* FEGi 10-4 Using the by-phrase
* FEGi 10-5 The passive forms of the present and past progressive
* FEGi 10-6 Passive modal auxiliaries
* FEGi 10-7 Using past participles as adjectives (stative passive)
* FEGi 10-8 Participial adjectives: -ed vs. -ing
* FEGi 10-9 Get + adjective; get + past participle
* FEGi 10-10 Using be used/accustomed to and get used/accustomed to
* FEGi 10-11 Used to vs. be used to
* FEGi 10-12 Using be supposed to
* FEGi 11-0 Overview
* FEGi 11-1 A vs. AN
* FEGi 11-2 Count and noncount nouns
* FEGi 11-3 Noncount nouns
* FEGi 11-4 More noncount nouns
* FEGi 11-5 Using several, a lot of, many/much, and a few/a little
* FEGi 11-6 Nouns that can be count or noncount
* FEGi 11-7 Using units of measure with noncount nouns
* FEGi 11-8a Guidelines for article usage
* FEGi 11-8b Guidelines for article usage
* FEGi 11-9 Using THE or ∅ with names
* FEGi 11-10 Capitalization
* FEGi 12-0 Overview
* FEGi 12-1 Adjective clauses: introduction
* FEGi 12-2 Using who and whom in adjective clauses
* FEGi 12-3 Using who, who(m), and that in adjective clauses
* FEGi 12-4 Using which and that in adjective clauses
* FEGi 12-5 Singular and plural verbs in adjective clauses
* FEGi 12-6 Using prepositions in adjective clauses
* FEGi 12-7 Using whose in adjective clauses
* FEGi 13-0 Overview
* FEGi 13-1 Verb + gerund
* FEGi 13-2 Go + -ing
* FEGi 13-3 Verb + infinitive
* FEGi 13-4 Verb + gerund or infinitive
* FEGi 13-5 Preposition + gerund
* FEGi 13-6 Using by and with to express how something is done
* FEGi 13-7 Using gerunds as subjects; using it + infinitive
* FEGi 13-8 It + infinitive: using for (someone)
* FEGi 13-9 Expressing purpose with in order to and for
* FEGi 13-10 Using infinitives with too and enough
* FEGi 14-0 Overview
* FEGi 14-1 Noun clauses: introduction
* FEGi 14-2 Noun clauses that begin with a question word
* FEGi 14-3 Noun clauses with who, what, whose + be
* FEGi 14-4 Noun clauses that begin with if or whether
* FEGi 14-5 Noun clauses that begin with that
* FEGi 14-6 Other uses of that-clauses
* FEGi 14-7 Substituting so for a that-clause in conversational responses
* FEGi 14-8 Quoted speech
* FEGi 14-9 Quoted speech vs. reported speech
* FEGi 14-10 Verb forms in reported speech
* FEGi 14-11 Common reporting verbs: tell, ask, answer/reply
* FEGi A1-1 Phrasal verbs: introduction
* FEGi A1-2 Phrasal verbs: intransitive
* FEGi A1-3 Three-word phrasal verbs
* FEGi A1-4 Phrasal verbs: a reference list
* FEGi A2-1 Preposition combinations: introduction
* FEGi A2-2 Preposition combinations: a reference list
Each Talking Head animation talks about a grammar point. Open a chapter and choose a grammar topic to open the animation. Click the play button at the top right of the animation's text box to play the animation.
NOTES; Open with a flashplayer or your browser
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