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 372 KB, swf
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* UUEGi 1-0 Overview
* UUEGi 1-1 The simple tenses
* UUEGi 1-2 The progressive tenses
* UUEGi 1-3 The perfect tenses
* UUEGi 1-4 The perfect progressive tenses
* UUEGi 1-5 Summary chart of verb tenses
* UUEGi 1-6 Spelling of -ing and -ed forms
* UUEGi 2-0 Overview
* UUEGi 2-1 Simple present
* UUEGi 2-2 Present progressive
* UUEGi 2-3 Stative verbs
* UUEGi 2-4 Am/is/are being + adjective
* UUEGi 2-5 Regular and irregular verbs
* UUEGi 2-6 Regular verbs: pronunciation of -ed endings
* UUEGi 2-7 Irregular verbs: an alphabetical list
* UUEGi 2-8 Troublesome verbs: raise/rise, set/sit, lay/lie
* UUEGi 2-9 Simple past
* UUEGi 2-10 Past progressive
* UUEGi 2-11 Using progressive verbs with always to complain
* UUEGi 2-12 Using expressions of place with progressive verbs
* UUEGi 3-0 Overview
* UUEGi 3-1 Present perfect
* UUEGi 3-2 Present perfect progressive
* UUEGi 3-3 Past perfect
* UUEGi 3-4 Past perfect progressive
* UUEGi 4-0 Overview
* UUEGi 4-1 Simple future: will and be going to
* UUEGi 4-2 Will vs. be going to
* UUEGi 4-3 Expressing the future in time clauses
* UUEGi 4-4 Using the present progressive and the simple present to express future time
* UUEGi 4-5 Future progressive
* UUEGi 4-6 Future perfect
UUEGi 4-7 Future perfect progressive
* UUEGi 5-0 Overview
* UUEGi 5-1 Adverb clauses of time: form
* UUEGi 5-2 Using adverb clauses to show time relationships
* UUEGi 6-0 Overview
* UUEGi 6-1 Final –s/-es: use, pronunciation, and spelling
* UUEGi 6-2 Basic subject-verb agreement
* UUEGi 6-3 Subject-verb agreement: using expressions of quantity
* UUEGi 6-4 Subject-verb agreement: using there + be
* UUEGi 6-5 Subject-verb agreement: some irregularities
* UUEGi 7-0 Overview
* UUEGi 7-1 Regular and irregular plural nouns
* UUEGi 7-2 Possessive nouns
* UUEGi 7-3 Using nouns as modifiers
* UUEGi 7-4 Count and nouncount nouns
* UUEGi 7-5 Noncount nouns
* UUEGi 7-6 Some common nouncount nouns
* UUEGi 7-7 Basic article usage
* UUEGi 7-8 General guidelines for article usage
* UUEGi 7-9 Expressions of quantity
* UUEGi 7-10 Using a few and few; a little and little
* UUEGi 7-11 Using of in expressions of quantity
* UUEGi 7-12 All (of) and both (of)
* UUEGi 7-13 Singular expressions of quantity: one, each, every
* UUEGi 8-0 Overview
* UUEGi 8-1 Personal pronouns
* UUEGi 8-2 Personal pronouns: agreement with generic nouns and indefinite pronouns
* UUEGi 8-3 Personal pronouns: agreement with collective nouns
* UUEGi 8-4 Reflexive pronouns
* UUEGi 8-5 Using you, one, and theyas impersonal pronouns
* UUEGi 8-6 Forms of other
* UUEGi 8-7 Common expressions with other
* UUEGi 9-1 Introduction
* UUEGi 9-2 Polite questions with I as the subject
* UUEGi 9-3 Polite questions with you as the subject
* UUEGi 9-4 Polite requests with would you mind
* UUEGi 9-5 Expressing necessity: must, have to, have got to
* UUEGi 9-6 Lack of necessity and prohibition: have to and must in the negative
* UUEGi 9-7 Advisability: should, ought to, had better
* UUEGi 9-8 The past form of should
* UUEGi 9-9 Expectations: be supposed to
* UUEGi 9-10 Making suggestions: let's, why don't, shall I/we
* UUEGi 9-11 Making suggestions: could vs. should
* UUEGi 10-0 Overview
* UUEGi 10-1 Degrees of certainty: present time
* UUEGi 10-2 Degrees of certainty: present time negative
* UUEGi 10-3 Degrees of certainty: past time
* UUEGi 10-4 Degrees of certainty: future time
* UUEGi 10-5 Progressive forms of modals
* UUEGi 10-6 Ability: can and could
* UUEGi 10-7 Using would to express a repeated action in the past
* UUEGi 10-8 Expressing preference: would rather
* UUEGi 10-9 Combining modals with phrasal modals
* UUEGi 10-10 Summary chart of modals and similar expressions
* UUEGi 11-0 Overview
* UUEGi 11-1 Forming the passive
* UUEGi 11-2 Using the passive
* UUEGi 11-3 Indirect objects used as passive subjects
* UUEGi 11-4 The passive form of modals and phrasal modals
* UUEGi 11-5 Stative passive
* UUEGi 11-6 Common stative passive verbs + prepositions
* UUEGi 11-7 The passive with get
* UUEGi 11-8 Participial adjectives
* UUEGi 12-0 Overview
* UUEGi 12-1 Introduction
* UUEGi 12-2 Noun clauses beginning with a question word
* UUEGi 12-3 Noun clauses beginning with whether or if
* UUEGi 12-4 Question words followed by infinitives
* UUEGi 12-5 Noun clauses beginning with that
* UUEGi 12-6 Quoted speech
* UUEGi 12-7 Reported speech: verb forms in noun clauses
* UUEGi 12-8 Using the subjunctive in noun clauses
* UUEGi 12-9 Using -ever words
* UUEGi 13-0 Overview
* UUEGi 13-1 Introduction
* UUEGi 13-2 Adjective clause pronouns used as the subject
* UUEGi 13-3 Adjective clause pronouns used as the object of a verb
* UUEGi 13-4 Adjective clause pronouns used as the object of a preposition
* UUEGi 13-5 Usual patterns of adjective clauses
* UUEGi 13-6 Using whose
* UUEGi 13-7 Using where in adjective clauses
* UUEGi 13-8 Using when in adjective clauses
* UUEGi 13-9 Using adjective clauses to modify pronouns
* UUEGi 13-10 Punctuating adjective clauses
* UUEGi 13-11 Using expressions of quantity in adjective clauses
* UUEGi 13-12 Using Noun + of which
* UUEGi 13-13 Using which to modify a whole sentence
* UUEGi 13-14 Reducing adjective clauses to adjective phrases: introduction
UUEGi 13-15 Changing an adjective clause to an adjective phrase
* UUEGi 14-0 Overview
* UUEGi 14-1 Gerunds: introduction
* UUEGi 14-2 Using gerunds as the objects of prepostions
* UUEGi 14-3 Common preposition combinations followed by gerunds
* UUEGi 14-4 Common verbs followed by gerunds
* UUEGi 14-5 Go + gerund
* UUEGi 14-6 Special expressions followed by -ing
* UUEGi 14-7 Common verbs followed by infinitives
* UUEGi 14-8 Common verbs followed by either infinitives or gerunds
* UUEGi 14-9 Reference list of verbs followed by gerunds
* UUEGi 14-10 Reference list of verbs followed by infinitives
* UUEGi 14-11 It + infinitive; gerunds and infinitives as subjects
* UUEGi 15-0 Overview
* UUEGi 15-1 Infinitive of purpose: in order to
* UUEGi 15-2 Adjectives followed by infinitives
* UUEGi 15-3 Using infinitves with too and enough
* UUEGi 15-4 Passive and past forms of infinitives and gerunds
* UUEGi 15-5 Using gerunds or passive infinitives following need
* UUEGi 15-6 Using a possessive to modify a gerund
* UUEGi 15-7 Using verbs of perception
* UUEGi 15-8 Using the simple form after let and help
* UUEGi 15-9 Using causative verbs: make, have, get
* UUEGi 16-0 Overview
* UUEGi 16-1 Parallel structure
* UUEGi 16-2 Paired conjunctions: both… and; not on… but also; either… or; neither… nor
* UUEGi 16-3 Combining independent clauses with coordinating conjunctions
* UUEGi 17-0 Overview
* UUEGi 17-1 Introduction
* UUEGi 17-2 Using adverb clauses to show cause and effect
* UUEGi 17-3 Expressing contrast (unexpected result): Using even though
* UUEGi 17-4 Showing direct contrast: while and whereas
* UUEGi 17-5 Expressing conditions in adverb clauses: if-clauses
* UUEGi 17-6 Adverb clauses of condition: using whether or not and even if
* UUEGi 17-7 Adverb clauses of condition: using in case and in the event that
* UUEGi 17-8 Adverb clauses of condition: using unless
* UUEGi 17-9 Adverb clauses of condition: using only if
* UUEGi 18-0 Overview
* UUEGi 18-1 Introduction
* UUEGi 18-2 Changing time clauses to modifying adverbial phrases
* UUEGi 18-3 Expressing the idea of “during the same time” in modifying adverbial phrases
* UUEGi 18-4 Expressing cause and effect in modifying adverbial phrases
* UUEGi 18-5 Using upon + -ing in modiying adverbial phrases
* UUEGi 19-0 Overview
* UUEGi 19-1 Using because of and due to
* UUEGi 19-2 Using transitions to show cause and effect: therefore and consequently
* UUEGi 19-3 Summary of patterns and punctuation
* UUEGi 19-4 Other ways of expressing cause and effect: such… that and so… that
* UUEGi 19-5 Expressing purpose: using so that
* UUEGi 19-6 Showing contrast (unexpected result)
* UUEGi 19-7 Showing direct contrast
* UUEGi 19-8 Expressing conditions: using otherwise and or (else)
* UUEGi 19-9 Summary of connectives: cause and effect, contrast, condition
* UUEGi 20-0 Overview
* UUEGi 20-1 Overview of basic verb forms used in conditional sentences
* UUEGi 20-2 True in the present or future
* UUEGi 20-3 Untrue (contrary to fact) in the present or future
* UUEGi 20-4 Untrue (contrary to fact) in the past
* UUEGi 20-5 Using progressive verb forms in conditional sentences
* UUEGi 20-6 Using “mixed time” in conditional sentences
* UUEGi 20-7 Omitting if
* UUEGi 20-8 Implied conditions
* UUEGi 20-9 Using as if/as though
* UUEGi 20-10 Verb forms following wish
* UUEGi 20-11 Using would to make wishes about the future
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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