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This video explores the basic concept of sentence structure. Gil T. Mann is very close to learning the result of his court trial. The sentence structures contained in his written statement will determine whether he is found guilty, or just plain Gil T. Learners from secondary school age up to adulthood will benefit from this humorous exploration of simple, complex, and run-on sentences, and the value of the humble conjunction. Show Less

Learners can struggle with conjugation and tense agreement. It all sounds like utter linguistic jargon to Gil T. Mann. But these are actually core grammar concepts we use every day when writing English. Gil quickly learns the importance of matching the number of nouns with the correct conjugation of a verb, as well as using consistent verb tenses to get his meaning across on the stand. Will he learn quickly enough to get himself out of trouble? Show Less

This video explores basic grammar questions for learners: When should you use a comma? How do you use quotation marks in your writing to show someone else is speaking? And what on earth is the difference between a colon and a semi-colon, anyway?! Many learners from secondary school age up to adult struggle with these basic grammar concepts. Gil T. Mann shares the same frustrations as he fumbles his way through his written defence statement in court. Will he be able to correctly punctuate his innocence? Show Less

Gary and Abby have a new card game called Adverb Attack... except they’re not sure how to play. Let’s learn the rules of the game together and learn all about adverbs at the same time! This Miniclip outlines what adverbs are and the four different types – how, where, when, and how often. Through the use of a simple card game, students will discover how adverbs can add more information to a verb, and how to identify adverbs in writing. Show Less

The Monster House is wild with activity! It’s Igor’s birthday, and his friends and family are organising a surprise party for him. With a house this busy, there is an abundance of verbs to explore! This Miniclip details the four verbs types – doing verbs, thinking verbs, saying verbs, and relating verbs. Students can explore how verbs are anchored in time with tense through the examples provided and class activities. Show Less

Gary and Liz have heard that their local council wants to build a shopping centre on their favourite park. They’re trying to come up with some snappy slogans to use at the rally to save the park. Maybe using some contractions will help save the park! This Miniclip looks at what contractions are, the rules of creating them, and the role that apostrophe’s play to signal missing letters. Students will also discover that contractions are part of informal language and create a casual tone – which wouldn’t be suitable in their letter to the mayor! Show Less

Pat has lost her cat Donut, so she’s enlisted the help of Officer Ray to find her! But her police report has no useful information that will help find Donut. Perhaps if she uses adjectives to describe Donut, they will be able to find her faster! This Miniclip investigates five different types of adjectives—possessive, describing, numbering, classifying, and comparing adjectives. Students will learn how to make writing more expressive, and how they can expand simple noun groups into more descriptive ones! Show Less

Vito has been reading before bed – and now his dream is full of nouns! This Miniclip dives into Vito’s dream to investigate the different types of nouns – common nouns, proper nouns, and pronouns – and how they represent peoples, places, objects, and ideas. Students will also learn to recognise that capital letters signal proper nouns and how to recognise the different nouns in their writing. Show Less

Abby has just finished writing a letter to her pen pal Igor – but her dog Mylo ripped it all up! Can you help Abby piece her letter back together with the help of conjunctions? This Miniclip explores the power of conjunctions and how they can combine clauses into compound sentences for more interesting and cohesive writing. Common coordinating and subordinating conjunctions such as ‘and’, ‘but, ‘so’, ‘or’, and ‘because’ are featured in this video, with plenty of other examples mentioned. Show Less

Different literary devices are used across multiple mediums, from television to books and blogs. Understanding what these devices are, where they are used and how they influence language is crucial for developing a student’s response to a text and skills in their own writing. With amusing examples and animations, this Miniclip briefly examines three techniques: modality; metaphor; and emphasis through repetition, positioning and short sentences. Show Less

Persuasive texts are all around us. They convince us to believe ideas and buy goods and services – but how? Discover the purpose of persuasive texts and the elements that work together to achieve desired outcomes from target audiences in this short Miniclip. Students will deconstruct a hilarious example of a persuasive text, and recognise that they encounter them more often than they realise! Show Less

Calendars, instruction manuals, newspaper articles, and dictionaries all have something in common – they are all informative texts. Informative texts are used to provide facts and information, and this purpose is illustrated through the example of a research project on honey bees. Students will learn about the distinctive features of informative texts through creative animations and amusing examples. Show Less

With popular examples such as Cinderella, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland used to illustrate the concept, young students will discover the purpose of imaginative texts and the features that distinguish them from other text types. Students will discover how language contributes to the readers experience and learn some techniques they can use to produce more engaging stories. Show Less

Ever wondered how to create a killer publication layout? Come and explore the visual and interactive elements of media texts with the irrepressible Bertram Poppingstock. In this episode, he launches into a mission to stop an evil media mogul from destroying the world with her hideous, sub-standard media publications. Who knew that visual print media layouts were so important? Show Less

Bertram Poppingstock is as determined as ever to save the world from his latest archrival – an evil media mogul manipulating the news to serve her own diabolical agenda. Want to become a savvier consumer of popular media? From sensationalised hard news to human interest stories and gossip columns, you’ll soon be an expert on techniques used to deliver news and entertainment in print and electronic media. Show Less

Tired of lame media clichés? Well, so are we, along with our auspicious pal, Bertram Poppingstock. Come along with us on our mission to weed out and stifle stereotypes in the media. We trace the origins of media stereotypes from false assumptions, traditions and prejudice, and look at how they are represented in popular media and how we should respond to them. Show Less

Do you find yourself getting all hot under the collar because of media bias? Well, Bertram Poppingstock knows exactly how you feel. Watch as he wages a one man war against biased reporting in print and electronic media, explaining to us mere mortals the ins and outs of persuasive media spin. Topics covered include rhetorical techniques and the use of evidence to manipulate a target audience. Show Less

Poems can be almost as tasty as cheese. Almost. Discover why in this entertaining and fact-filled introduction to understanding the purpose, tone and structure of poetic dedications. With an emphasis on various types of ode and a close analysis of a classic elegy, this celebration of dedications will engage and equip students embarking on a poetry study. Show Less

There are almost as many poetic short forms as there are bunnies, but that won’t stop our presenters from trying to name all of them! This fun introduction to short forms offers both an overview and a close look at four forms: haiku, cinquain, limerick and triolet. Sample poems and specific information about their crafting will aid students in their study and appreciation of poetry. Show Less

Bet you thought you’d never find these words in the same sentence: sharks, tuxedoes and poetry. In this rapid-fire look at narrative poetry, you will. Thankfully, it’s also highly educational! Learn about the ancient origins of narrative poetry, typical elements and popular forms like ballads, idylls and epic poems. Beloved classics including Beowulf, The Man from Snowy River and Paradise Lost are discussed. Show Less

In this program, students will find accessible explanations and examples of persuasive literary techniques used in advertising. The common rhetorical devices used in English are demonstrated in engaging detail. The theme of car commercials provides a useful context in which students can explore the effect of multiple techniques, including allusion, simile and metaphor, hyperbole, personification, evaluative language and parody. Show Less

This programme identifies the characteristics of various storytelling genres, from thrillers to fantasy and science fiction. Students will encounter precise instruction on the features common to specific genres to assist them in creative writing and literary analysis. Delivered in a light-hearted tone, viewers will find themselves entertained and challenged to apply these principles to their writing. Show Less

Eve has barely warmed up her Presidential office chair and a crisis is already looming. Watch the lunacy unfold as Eve scrambles to deliver her first big oral presentation with help from her future self. Can she achieve the unthinkable and prevent an unhinged alien from annihilating Earth? And more importantly, how can she get out of wearing ugly Presidential hats and badges? Show Less

This engaging clip provides clear and precise instructions to students who wish to develop fluency and neatness in their handwriting. A difficult skill to master, handwriting requires practice of simple, repeatable exercises such as those presented in this program. Left-handed writing is also addressed, with useful tips accompanied by graphic demonstrations. Show Less