Now the first part of the puzzle. For each of these following annotated Yoda sentences, write down the original. Today’s puzzle was written by computer scientist Jonathan May and originally appeared in the North American Computational Linguistics Olympiad. Yoda may be infinitely even-tempered but even Jedi Masters have their limits, and he is having none of Luke's nonsense. “That is why you fail,” he says, in what would come to be known among future generations as the original mic drop. Need a life coach? Master Yoda, the ultimate wise and wizened elder of indeterminate origin and unmistakable syntax, is here to help. Richard Hudson, emeritus professor of linguistics at University College London, says: “Language analysis uncovers the systems that we use to communicate, so it should be part of every child’s education. It combines the formal rigour and satisfaction of mathematics and the natural sciences with the cultural enrichment and human interest associated with the humanities. But language analysis of this kind is virtually absent from the UK’s schools, in contrast with many countries which seem to be more successful in education. It’s time to give our children the opportunity to catch up.”

Fear is the path to the dark side...fear leads to anger...anger leads to hate...hate leads to suffering." The Phantom Menace Congratulations if you have got this far. You have shown Jedi-like abilities at using what linguists would call an “unlabeled inversion transduction grammar”, which is a powerful formalism used in machine translation. The shadow of greed that is. Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” -- Revenge of the SithNext, mark up the following Yoda sentences in such a way that they each recover the original meaning, which is ‘use the Force Luke’. It might be the case that there are multiple solutions (in which case say so) or there may be no solutions. In the same vein, making decisions out of fear or anger is going to be a disaster. Seriously, Luke, go ask your father! PLEASE NO SPOILERS. Please write all comments using the Yoda notation, and if possible also in a silly voice. This is Yoda being brutally honest with Luke, who breathlessly says, "I don't believe it," after his Master raises an X-wing from the Dagobah swamp. It's a definitive statement that comes from Yoda's years and years of experience as a Jedi and a teacher, and it cuts through both to Luke and the audience.

In the Star Wars movies, Yoda speaks short sentences for a reason. If the result is total garbage, that could be why!

Why does Yoda use such a unique speech pattern?

Heavy stuff, I know, and it's about to get even more intense. Yoda originally delivers a variation on the theme to a pre-asthmatic Anakin, but he utterly exemplifies this life lesson on his deathbed. We see him, at the ripe old age of 900, ready to die. “Soon will I rest, yes, forever sleep. Earned it I have.” Luke, still clearly in need of some tutoring, tells Yoda that he can't go. Wrong again, kid. “Ah, strong am I with the Force, but not that strong,” Yoda tells him. “Twilight is upon me, and soon, night must fall. That is the way of things. The way of the Force.” After Luke comes to Dagobah, Yoda initially withholds his true identity. He's trying to get a sense of who Luke is as a person; Yoda understands that there's a lot at risk in training Luke to be a Jedi, especially considering what happened with his father. And Yoda is not impressed -- Luke is impatient and selfish. With "Adventure. Excitement. A Jedi craves not these things," the Jedi Master makes clear that Luke must understand the significance and meaning of the journey he thinks he wants to make. It's an important lesson for Luke and for audiences, because when Luke faces Vader at the film's climax, we see the stakes involved in the life of a Jedi. Another line that works both in-context ("I'm looking for a great warrior," Luke says to Yoda, which prompts this smart response) and standalone. It all filters into one of Yoda's great lessons: aggression and violence do not make a Jedi or a person strong. The meaning behind this quote is strengthened when one sees that Yoda knows the reality of war and battle in the prequel era. Also, don't let yourself get hangry and irritable in the process. Take a break and try to relax. Life has a way of working out. But what’s actually going on with Yoda, linguistically? First, let’s examine how Yoda doesn’t speak. Many of the world’s most-spoken languages—English, Mandarin—are built around constructions that go subject-verb-object. An example would be: Yoda grasped the lightsaber.

Yoda's advice tends to have a lot of applications and this evergreen, and twice spoken, wisdom is multifaceted. Basically, don't go full-bore evil and destroy a planet with your shiny new space station. Don't even give in to smaller infractions like lying about which pet consumed your homework this time. Because once you start rationalizing ways to bend the moral code and cut ethical corners, you're headed for trouble. Yoda speaks in the way he does to honour his own Jedi master. That’s not some random bit of trivia from Wookipedia either; that comes from Dave Filoni, the guy behind a lot of the Star Wars series you know and love. This sort of goes hand-in-hand with the bit about not being evil. The even-tempered but dogged pursuit of your dreams isn't going to be easy. You'll need persistence and tenacity. You'll need to realize that everything takes time. But it's the only way to learn and ultimately accomplish your goals. The curious feature of Yoda’s syntax that some linguists have commented on is that, although it is by no means consistent, he seems to speak as if he thinks OSV [or XSV] is normal,” Pullum told me. “In fact, he generalizes it, favoring the beginning of the sentence for various modifiers and complements that English syntax would normally leave till the end of the clause.” Rarely does life go exactly as planned, and that's OK. But if you convince yourself that you know exactly how this is going to play out, you're setting yourself up for certain failure. Just because you're delivered directly into the rancor's lair or the belly of a sandcrawler doesn't mean all hope is lost and your fate is sealed. Assess the situation at hand, figure out your options, and take decisive action. However, that doesn't get you off the hook on making terrible life decisions because...Worrying about what we can't control and clinging to what we think is ours is wasted time and energy. The only constant in life is change. “Luminous beings are we, not this crude matter,” as Yoda says. The wrong question that is.” Here's the truth we all need to hear: Ezra's journey both literally in the temple and figuratively in his life are his to decide. Most of the time when you're choosing between two options, they both have pros and cons, but one thing is for sure: No one can make the decision but you. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side. Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealousy. Or as many a sighing parent has said — the world does not revolve around you! The Rebel Alliance is bigger than any individual person, Luke! Leia knows it. Han, even from the depths of his carbonite slumber, probably knows it. But Luke is still just learning that his decisions impact other people and sometimes he's not very good at weighing out all the factors. Where's C-3PO when you actually need him to tell you the odds?