LING 120B
Syntax I
Description: Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour (when scheduled). Enforced requisite: course 20. Course 120A is not requisite to 120B. Descriptive analysis of morphological and syntactic structures in natural languages; emphasis on insight into nature of such structures rather than linguistics formalization. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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3 of 4
Most Helpful Review
Spring 2025 - Overall, the class content itself is not difficult as long as you take the time to do all of the practice questions/examples on the slides, do the homework properly, etc. It's very easy to make mistakes, but once you understand the material I actually found it interesting. Exams took the same format as homework assignments, but different questions and a bit more difficult. Exam averages were around the mid 70s for both the midterm and final, with no cheat sheet being allowed, but I personally thought it was easy if you reviewed the homeworks thoroughly. Homework was given weekly and about 4-6 pages, taking around 1-2 hours. Graded on accuracy, and the professor decided to drop the lowest score. Lecture was not required and not recorded, but I personally didn't go after week 3 and just reviewed the slides on my own time. Professor Motter is a kind person, but his lecture style is a bit boring. He reads off the slides directly (and quickly) and the slides can feel verbose, so I found it more productive to self-study. Kalen Chang was an amazing TA though! Definitely recommend him if he TAs again. Discussion sections weren't required but I always went because the LA worksheets were very good review and practice for homework + exams, and Kalen is great at explaining exactly what you need to know. I went to his OH before the final, and it was one of my best study resources.
Spring 2025 - Overall, the class content itself is not difficult as long as you take the time to do all of the practice questions/examples on the slides, do the homework properly, etc. It's very easy to make mistakes, but once you understand the material I actually found it interesting. Exams took the same format as homework assignments, but different questions and a bit more difficult. Exam averages were around the mid 70s for both the midterm and final, with no cheat sheet being allowed, but I personally thought it was easy if you reviewed the homeworks thoroughly. Homework was given weekly and about 4-6 pages, taking around 1-2 hours. Graded on accuracy, and the professor decided to drop the lowest score. Lecture was not required and not recorded, but I personally didn't go after week 3 and just reviewed the slides on my own time. Professor Motter is a kind person, but his lecture style is a bit boring. He reads off the slides directly (and quickly) and the slides can feel verbose, so I found it more productive to self-study. Kalen Chang was an amazing TA though! Definitely recommend him if he TAs again. Discussion sections weren't required but I always went because the LA worksheets were very good review and practice for homework + exams, and Kalen is great at explaining exactly what you need to know. I went to his OH before the final, and it was one of my best study resources.
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2025 - Honestly, I’m so thankful to have taken Ethan for Syntax I. To be completely honest, both the content of Syntax and Ethan himself can feel a little intimidating at first. When I was first learning the material or wanted to ask a question, I was nervous, since Ethan clearly knows the subject extremely well. But I strongly encourage you to push past that hesitation. After I hit a roadblock in the class, Ethan personally reached out to me after noticing a low exam grade, which led to a great conversation during office hours and a turning point in my experience with the course. He provides helpful handouts that explain the material covered in the lecture, and I highly recommend following along with them as he teaches. The content can feel very overwhelming in the beginning, but paying close attention during class will help a lot. One of the most overlooked resources in the course is his worksheets. These are introduced in discussion sections, but there usually isn’t enough time to finish them during the session. I highly recommend doing them on your own each week before the homework, and especially before exams. These worksheets are excellent for practice, and while Ethan does provide an exam study guide, the worksheets often cover the extra material some students tend to miss. They really help tie things together and are especially useful when you’re trying to get comfortable with the trees. Syntax is a course that builds on itself week by week. It’s important to stay on top of the material, which is why I keep emphasizing how useful the worksheets are. When Ethan says to reach out if you need help, he really means it. He is responsive, patient, and genuinely wants students to succeed. I asked plenty of questions I felt like I should already know, and he always helped clarify without making me feel bad. He listens, and he’s supportive. If you stay caught up, practice consistently, and take the time to understand how everything connects, you will do well. Homework is manageable if you keep up with the lectures and discussions. Going to sections can also give you small grade boosts, especially if you make the effort to gain points back. I also recommend coming in with specific questions. Syntax can be confusing, but when you know what you’re stuck on, both Ethan and the TAs give really helpful feedback. Exams are open note, so I suggest bringing your completed homework, the handouts, and your own versions of the worksheets (not just the answer keys). The syntax tree questions may look intimidating at first, but they are always based on patterns and structures you have already seen. Once you get the trees down, the harder part becomes the theory and analysis questions. If anything is unclear, ask about it beforehand. I wish I had done that more. Last tip, try not to turn in homework late or after class. Ethan seems to value punctuality, especially when it comes to discussion attendance and assignment deadlines, so be considerate with that.
Winter 2025 - Honestly, I’m so thankful to have taken Ethan for Syntax I. To be completely honest, both the content of Syntax and Ethan himself can feel a little intimidating at first. When I was first learning the material or wanted to ask a question, I was nervous, since Ethan clearly knows the subject extremely well. But I strongly encourage you to push past that hesitation. After I hit a roadblock in the class, Ethan personally reached out to me after noticing a low exam grade, which led to a great conversation during office hours and a turning point in my experience with the course. He provides helpful handouts that explain the material covered in the lecture, and I highly recommend following along with them as he teaches. The content can feel very overwhelming in the beginning, but paying close attention during class will help a lot. One of the most overlooked resources in the course is his worksheets. These are introduced in discussion sections, but there usually isn’t enough time to finish them during the session. I highly recommend doing them on your own each week before the homework, and especially before exams. These worksheets are excellent for practice, and while Ethan does provide an exam study guide, the worksheets often cover the extra material some students tend to miss. They really help tie things together and are especially useful when you’re trying to get comfortable with the trees. Syntax is a course that builds on itself week by week. It’s important to stay on top of the material, which is why I keep emphasizing how useful the worksheets are. When Ethan says to reach out if you need help, he really means it. He is responsive, patient, and genuinely wants students to succeed. I asked plenty of questions I felt like I should already know, and he always helped clarify without making me feel bad. He listens, and he’s supportive. If you stay caught up, practice consistently, and take the time to understand how everything connects, you will do well. Homework is manageable if you keep up with the lectures and discussions. Going to sections can also give you small grade boosts, especially if you make the effort to gain points back. I also recommend coming in with specific questions. Syntax can be confusing, but when you know what you’re stuck on, both Ethan and the TAs give really helpful feedback. Exams are open note, so I suggest bringing your completed homework, the handouts, and your own versions of the worksheets (not just the answer keys). The syntax tree questions may look intimidating at first, but they are always based on patterns and structures you have already seen. Once you get the trees down, the harder part becomes the theory and analysis questions. If anything is unclear, ask about it beforehand. I wish I had done that more. Last tip, try not to turn in homework late or after class. Ethan seems to value punctuality, especially when it comes to discussion attendance and assignment deadlines, so be considerate with that.
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Most Helpful Review
Schutze is an interesting professor, I have never had one like him. He was very informative, and concise... but simultaneously extremely boring during lecture on average. I've never had a professor who is good at conveying information but at the same time difficult to listen to because he is so dry. Overall he was very helpful out of class. At first he seems disinterested (maybe because it's an intro level course, and therefore relatively easy?); however, once students start asking questions "outside of the box" he is much more interested. He takes feedback very well. In the first few weeks of the quarter he asked the class to submit positive and negative attributes of the class. At least for me personally, he address and fixed everything I thought was negative about the course, including things such as teaching styles and homework deadlines. The homework is difficult but helps to get the point across and also helps with tests. His handouts and podcasts are also extremely helpful. I would take another class with him, overall I enjoyed him.
Schutze is an interesting professor, I have never had one like him. He was very informative, and concise... but simultaneously extremely boring during lecture on average. I've never had a professor who is good at conveying information but at the same time difficult to listen to because he is so dry. Overall he was very helpful out of class. At first he seems disinterested (maybe because it's an intro level course, and therefore relatively easy?); however, once students start asking questions "outside of the box" he is much more interested. He takes feedback very well. In the first few weeks of the quarter he asked the class to submit positive and negative attributes of the class. At least for me personally, he address and fixed everything I thought was negative about the course, including things such as teaching styles and homework deadlines. The homework is difficult but helps to get the point across and also helps with tests. His handouts and podcasts are also extremely helpful. I would take another class with him, overall I enjoyed him.
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3 of 4
