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ELA 5: Syntax 251 Views


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Description:

Today we're learning about syntax. Because without it...sentences make wouldn't much sense.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

[Coop and Dino singing]

00:13

"Syntax" might sound like a pretty fancy word …or…a Pokémon… [Gameboy playing pokemon]

00:17

…but all it refers to is the way words and phrases are arranged to make well-formed sentences.

00:23

Even though you might not throw the word "syntax" around too much in your day-to-day life, we're

00:26

here to tell you that as a speaker and writer of the English language, you already know [Girl reads book about Syntax]

00:30

a thing or two about syntax.

00:32

So congratulations!

00:34

What, don't believe us? Well, at least you know it's not a Pokémon.

00:38

And whether or not you know anything about syntax, you already know that the order of

00:41

words matters in language.

00:43

The sentence "I can swim" is pretty simple; three easy words that communicate an easy-to-grasp

00:48

idea…namely, that you would survive if pushed into a large body of water. [Girl pushes another girl in a lake]

00:52

…though we really hope that never happens to you…

00:54

But if we change the order of the words – that is, if we change the syntax – we get something

00:59

completely different. "Can I swim" is more of a question than a statement.

01:03

And the answer is, “we don’t know, but we hope you figure it out before you jump [Girl scrambling in the water]

01:07

into the ocean.”

01:08

Change the syntax again, and we might get "Swim I can,” which only makes sense if

01:13

you’re an old, green guy from Star Wars. Syntax is important; not just for making sure [Yoda by a lake]

01:17

we're writing and speaking correctly, but also for keeping our writing engaging.

01:21

The more repetitive your syntax, the more boring your sentence will be,

01:25

and no one wants that. [Girl falls asleep reading book about Syntax's]

01:26

Unless you're trying to put people to sleep.

01:28

In which case, insomniacs everywhere thank you. [Girl sleeping on a sofa]

01:31

Okay, so let's put it all to use…

01:33

Consider this passage: "The man turned off his ringing alarm clock. The man got out of bed.

01:38

The man looked out the window."

01:40

Pretty boring stuff, and it's not helped by the fact that each sentence has the exact same syntax:

01:46

subject, verb, object, each and every time. [Syntax's highlighted from a passage]

01:49

So. Boring.

01:50

But on the bright side, the insomniacs would be clapping, if they were awake. [Man sleeping in bed]

01:55

So let's try to shake things up syntactically, starting with that first sentence.

01:59

What if we start by focusing on the alarm clock, and see how the man responds to it?

02:04

Something like: "The alarm clock rang until the man turned it off." That's a bit better.

02:09

Now for the second and third sentences. We don't need to keep everything so separated. [Second and third sentences highlighted]

02:12

It’s okay to jumble them together, as long we understand what's going on.

02:16

Maybe: "Getting up, he went to the window and looked outside."

02:20

That gives us, "The alarm clock rang until the man turned it off. Getting up, he went

02:25

to the window and looked outside."

02:26

There. The guy's morning is still pretty boring, but at least the syntax isn't to blame. [Man reading a passage of writing]

02:31

The more aware we are of syntax and how it affects both meaning and reader engagement,

02:36

the better we'll be as writers. [Dino discussing syntax in writing]

02:38

And the better we are as writers, the better we are as people.

02:41

Plato said that, right? Or was it Socrates…? [Kids jumping up and down on old man's lawn]

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