Review of Punctuation Course by:

RESOURCE LINKS MAGAZINE

CONNECTING CLASSROOMS, LIBRARIES & CANADIAN LEARNING RESOURCES

Volume 10 - Number 1 - October 2004

THE BASIC COZY PUNCTUATION COURSE

Rackham, Marie
Splashes From The River, Inc.
2 DVDs - 89 pg. Workbook

In acknowledging that there is no absolute agreement on the correct or preferred use of many punctuation marks, this 2 DVD and workbook course introduces the listener/reader to the basic ways to use punctuation.  The author's "cozy" approach to teaching the uses of punctuation is perfectly captured by her words, "Punctuation marks are language traffic signs/ They tell you when to start and stop/Or how to read the lines".

The author employs humorous short poems to convey the essentials of what the "dots, lines and squiggles" mean and how they are used.  The filmed tutorials, set in the Campbell River area on Vancouver Island, feature colourful graphics and classical music to set a relaxed mood for learning the punctuation basics.  One of the lessons discusses discrepancies in uses of punctuation signs and emphasizes clarifying meaning and preventing misunderstanding through the use of punctuation.  Lessons deal with periods, commas, exclamation marks, quotation marks, apostrophes, colons, semicolons, hyphens, dashes, parentheses, brackets, and slashes.  Each lesson includes exercises and answer keys.  Appendices cover capitalization, italics, and a glossary of terms.

The course is useful for classroom settings, private tutoring, home schooling, adult basic education and by anyone who wants to improve their use of punctuation.

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Reviewer - C. Lyn Currie