Ethan is an amazing instructor for Ling 120B. He designs the course so you feel like you are "discovering" syntax, exploring possible frameworks and selecting the "optimal" one based on real evidence. I've found that this approach allows students to gain a truly strong understanding of the abstract theoretical concepts covered in the class. Additionally, he goes out of his way to be understanding during difficult times and offer help when needed. If you have to take Ling 120B, take it with Ethan!

Grateful to have had Ethan for LING120C, and learned a lot in his class.

Lectures are structured in a "follow along" way with handouts for almost every class. Although some parts of lecture are reading/copying from this worksheet, the fill-in-the-blank/complete derivation sections are super helpful and are great resources for completing homework and studying.
There are weekly homework assignments based on the previous weeks lecture material, and Ethan/TAs are very helpful in clearing up any ambiguities and offering small hints. Homework is worth 60% of your grade but can be easy points with your lecture worksheets for reference and optional homework partner.
The exams are open note (see how the worksheets can be helpful) and open book; I found the exams to be extremely fair with one or two challenge portions to test if you can apply the material. The midterm and final exam are each worth 20% of your grade.

Overall, I would definitely recommend taking a course with Ethan due to the fact that he puts in the time to structure the material in a clear and digestible fashion.

Syntax 1 with Poole is a great class, it is definitely not a cake walk by any means, but you have the support and attention from TAs and Poole when you need help and clarification. (Grade was low due to outside circumstances during the quarter). The second half of the class is the harder section that will make or break grades, so stay alert and make sure you understand the material each week.

The material in this class is dry. However, Poole is a helpful professor during office hours. He is patient to explain and guide you to the answers. He provides handout notes in class so students don't have to print out anything. I like his sense of humor. Sometimes it helps during a boring lecture. Things in class usually don't make sense to you until you do the homework. The test (open-book) is challenging, in my opinion.

Compared to Ling 20, this class was definitely a step up as there is more emphasis on analysis rather than memorizing facts and rules. Also, the content keeps building upon itself throughout the quarter, so it's good to make sure you know what's going on as you go, because it'll get more confusing later. It definitely helps that Professor Poole is very organized and clear in lectures, and his handouts are a lifesaver

Genuinely, this class actually has the craziest reviews because so many people are die hard Ethan Poole supporters but I have never seen more people get Cs and Ds for an elective ever. Ethan seems more inspired and engaged with his research and passion for syntax than making it digestable and paced in a manner that would facilitate class-wide success. He makes his exams irreparably difficult and nothing even CLOSE to the midterm and final prep worksheets we were given or the homework we received as well. Ive never written a Bruinwalk review until it came to him. Don't get me wrong, he is not a bad professor at all but he is very bland and monotone for a already very complicated subject which would be easier to digest and understand if the professor was more energetic and enticing in my opinion. Attending lecture is your #1 step to try to get a better grade in this class but hands down as a 4th year it was the hardest most mentally taxing final exam I have ever taken EVER.

Professor Poole is definitely a super organized instructor and even provides handouts so it's easier to take notes. This is my 2nd Ling class, Ling 20 being the first, and it's super easy to get confused and lost. Totally my fault but I wish he would dumb down his lectures a bit. It's hard to truly understand the topic when he's speaking in big words lol. I think he's just too smart to dumb it down though. Hoping and praying for a C!!!

If you are willing to sit through a 2 hour lecture and pay attention, this class will be incredibly fruitful. No shade, but majority of our class either did not come to lecture or left halfway through; this got to the point where attendance became extra credit in the second half of the class.
Dr. Poole is a very interesting professor: I have never had a class that has mentioned Bjork or the Golden Girls so much, but he found a way. He flows through the material in a very thorough way, providing examples for why we have the structure we do. He does not have slides, but he provides physical packets that contain the lecture material on them. There is plenty of space to take notes so you can follow along with him, since he does exercises on the board that differ from the packet.
Syntax can be boring, but that does not mean it is necessarily easy. If you attend the lectures and discussion (the latter of which is extra credit), digest the material, and do the homework (which are completion based), you can do good!

I'm seeing a ton of negative reviews from Fall 2025 so I wanna come in with more of a positive take on Professor Poole. Keep in mind I really liked this professor so I'm a little biased, but I'll try to keep this review as impartial as possible!

Pros:
Professor Poole is one of the smartest professors that I have had. He is extremely eloquent and if you listen closely while he is lecturing you will learn A LOT.

He's also incredibly kind and helpful. He is always incredibly sweet if you go to ask him questions after class, and he's also sneakily one of the funniest professors that I've had here at UCLA. I found myself laughing in his class more than any other class, although that might've just been a unique experience.

The class and lecture material is all very well organized. He gives you a handout every lecture with basically everything that you need to know, so you can easily go back and review these for the exams.

Cons:
This class can be very boring. On one hand I like seeing Dr. Poole lecture because he kind of gets into a flow state where he explains everything super well, and his class is clearly structured in a very lecturey format because it works well for him. However, because of this, and because the class content is essentially grammar and drawing tons of trees, it can definitely get boring at times because it's not very engaging.

Honestly I kind of take this to be a pro, but the exams are hard in that they are very conceptual. I think why a couple people are complaining here from last quarter is because some exam questions were free-response and forced you to really think critically about the material. I personally loved this and feel like the whole point of college is to get you to think critically instead of just systematically memorizing how to do problems. That being said, you can certainly prepare for these problems by conceptually learning the material and reviewing the homework and discussion worksheets. Many conceptual exam questions were closely mirrored on the discussion worksheets and homework so good back and review those!

Overall, a little bit of a boring class at times, but I also feel like I learned a lot. Dr. Poole can get a little bit strict at times, but he's really kind if you come into this course engaged and curious. Hot take is that people are just complaining because they're used to memorization heavy classes, whereas in this class you actually have to understand the theory behind the syntax to succeed.

Horrible horrible horrible professor. NEVER TAKE HIM. His tests were completely different from homework and any worksheets. Literally the worst ever and let multiple people get c's for an elective lol. He is literally evil.