Review: The Cozy Punctuation Course
Review: The Cozy Punctuation CourseRating: 
Highly Recommended
Highly RecommendedAudience Level: Elementary – Adult
Subject(s): Language, English
Date Reviewed: 1/19/2004
The Basic Cozy Punctuation Course is a presentation of 15 English punctuation tutorials that encompass the rules for the proper use of commas, question marks, colons, and other punctuation. The lessons are taught by retired English teacher Marie Rackham; the background surroundings are set in and around some of the most beautiful views in British Columbia. Classical background music by composers Mozart, Bach, Chopin, Beethoven, and others add to a peaceful learning environment. The real life examples used in the lessons make the transfer and application of these skills clear-cut.
The transition from one lesson to another is well done and the length of each is kept short enough to hold the viewers attention. The instructor has a colorful personality and her enthusiasm for language is evident; this makes the material less tedious and easier to assimilate. The accompanying workbook has a table of contents, exercises, answer key and some extra information not found in the filmed lessons. Short, catchy sayings are included in each lesson. For example when explaining the comma the quote attached is: “Of all the punctuation marks, I like the comma best, for when I’m running out of breath she lets me take a rest.” Additionally, in the appendix is a glossary and a listing of the music incorporated in the lessons.
This resource is highly recommended and should be purchased by public, academic, and school media libraries. The information found in these lessons would be very useful for the independent learner or as a tutorial to supplement and reinforce classroom instruction. The home schooled population would find this material succinct and practical. Additionally, these materials are a great resource for students who have learned English as a second language.
