2級 Grammar 106-110

Before I go on, I'd like to make a little note that the rest of this week should be daily postings. Some of these are already primed and ready to go, while others are still in the "man, I gotta get that yoji written..." phase. Will we make it through? Vote in the comments for your own personal validation!

Recently I've been searching around for a post-JET job, and it's had mixed results. I know there are some opportunities out there, but for a lot of them I lack experience. Then there's the whole issue of job hunting almost a year before your current contract is up. It's hard to take it seriously when I don't want to leave my current contract so early, but at the same time I don't want to just sit around doing nothing. That's part of what the yoji is, really - letting me at least sharpen my Japanese while I have a secure job. Anyway, all that job-huntin` stuff will be the topic of these sentences. I promise something more entertaining for Thursday!

106)　～にかけては　・　～にけけても
on the point of ~,
when it comes to~,

Piling higher still on the mountain of grammar that reminds you powerfully of other grammar, this one is - again - pretty self-explanatory. The two handy points that will help you differentiate this one are as follows: 1. It can only be used at something you excel at, and 2. it always follows a noun. The second point, now that I think about it, is apparent given my examples. One couldn't say "when it comes to run, I'm the fastest!". Still, those grammatical points don't always transfer, so I'll go ahead and clarify.

Ex.　レジュメの内容に関してどう書けばいいかわからない。「ゲームすることにかけては俺が誰にも負けないから、ゲームを作ること多分同じだ！」と書いたら会見者が笑って、「冗談でしょう！出て行け！」と返事する。


107)　～にかわって　・　～にかわり
In place of ~,
Instead of ~,
On behalf of ~, (for people)
In lieu of ~,

I've actually known a close version of this phrase before, but I've always used "の代わりに", which is great to know if you don't already. Xの代わりにY, "Instead of X, Y". How is this grammar point different than my old fall-back? After a lot of research, I have some decent answers. First of all, these phrases are most commonly used to replace people in the sense of "on behalf of so-and-so, I'd like to present this award!". BUT, it can be used with inanimate objects, too, in the event that it's not a one-time replacement, but a general transition. "DVDs are being used in place of VHS these days," might be a good example.

Ex.　ある仕事の場合で経験のかわって熱情と才能が足ります。その仕事探すぞ！
NOTE: This sentence has been found wanting by Japanese peers! Check out the comments for in-depth clarification from one of our regulars, blue!


108)　～に関して　・　～に関する
Concerning ~,
About ~,
Regarding ~,

Another one I feel like I've known for a long time. Just as the other two examples above show, it's like ~について, though perhaps a little more formal. Use after a noun, and if you use に関する, use another noun after it, too.
Ex.　求職に関しては、早く探すことがとても大切です。給料をまだもらっているの間に、新しい仕事を得るほうがいいから。

109)　～に決まっている
It goes without saying that ~
It's quite certain that ~

This one you could probably figure out even without the hint. If something is "already decided", there's no room for debate, as is the case of this grammar point. Use this when there is very little room for doubt. Since it can basically be tagged onto any parts-of-speech without modification, it's also ridiculously simple to use. BEHOLD.

Ex.　JETプログラムの契約の更新限界は五年ですけど、僕は三年間続けると決めた。ということは、あと１年で終わりなので、求職をしなければならないに決まっている。


110)　～に比べ（て）
Compared to ~,
In contrast to ~,

I was surprised to find this one in the grammar book, especially since the definition and synonyms were completely blank. Why? Because the word IS the grammar point. "比べる", or "くらべる", means simply to compare. Furthermore, since it can only be used with nouns, it's not especially complicated.

Ex.　日本に来るのは運命だった。JET除いて別の仕事に応募しなかった。前の仕事を探すこと比べて今はまた話が別です。