The main premise of this article is that tape recordings can be a very useful tool to the classroom language teacher. The author points out that the tapes are ideal for the habituation type of learning (dialogs, memorization, repetition, etc.,) which is preliminary to the communication stage of language learning. He is mainly concerned with five types of habituation learning--dialogs, narratives, drills, quizzes and tests. He gives samples for each type of recorded practice (active and passive participation), illustrating the rationale for each procedure. He points out that being able to stop and repeat the recording also prevents monotony and fatigue for both the teacher and student. It is also easy to adapt the recorded drills for use as quizzes and tests. In his section on the use of tape recordings for more advanced levels, the author discusses how the recorder can expand the student's exposure to different dialects and language styles. (FB)