1級 Grammar: 21-25

ADMINISTRATORS' NOTE:

We're doing our best to prepare for, and hopefully, to help you prepare for the 日本語能力試験１級, but please remember: 1級, by its very nature, consists of grammar that is difficult, highly nuanced, and most of the time, rarely used in regular conversations. That's why it's important that you use our posts as references, to be compared with other study sources, and even more important that you CHECK THE COMMENTS after each post. We're lucky to receive corrections and clarifications from native speakers and other foreigners more knowledgeable than we, and they don't always make it back into the body of the post. Thanks, and 頑張って！

1級 Grammar 21-25

My turn on the grammar bus again. This week, I'm feeling pretty good. My work life is coming together nicely, I have enough money to buy food, I'm back on a good Japanese study schedule, and most importantly, my new place is finally all furnished and habitable. Which means that I don't have to live in Brett's apartment anymore. Which means that now would be a good time for some conscience cleaning:

Confessions of a Freeloader!
居候の自白

21. ～ずにはすまない
~definitely must do
~definitely have to do

This is to be used in situations where there's room for internal debate, but in the end there's only one right thing to do. Or as the book explains, 「～しないですめばいいけれどダメだ。やはり、しなければならない」という意味。

Use it like you would with any ～ずに construction, by attaching it to the stem of a verb in ～ない form, with the exception of 「する」which becomes 「せずに」.

Ex. ブレットのアパートに泊まっていた間に、起こった事件が多すぎたので、ブレットに自白せずにはすみませんよ。

22.～そばから
~ as soon as
~right after

If you're anything like me, you're getting sick of grammar points that mean "as soon as" or "right after." There's tons of them, and it's hard to keep the nuances straight. Nonetheless, I'll attempt to explain this one.

It's used for things that happen at almost the same time, but the first part of the sentence MUST occur just before the second part. Also, the two parts should be opposite concepts, like "clean up" and "get messy," or "hear something new" and "forget it." You couldn't use it for "leave the house," and "started raining" for example.

And last, you use it for things that are habitual, not one time occurrences.

Use it with the dictionary form of verbs.

Ex.　例えば、ブレットがビールを買ったそばからそれを私が飲んでしまうことです。飲んだ後、彼に怒られないように、寝ている彼の布団の中に空き缶を放り込みました。次の日、彼が起きると、「お前がまた夜中に起きて暴飲して、酔っ払った」と私が嘘をつきました。

23. ～すら　・　ですら
~ (not) even
～さえ

Links to ～さえ will help explain this one. It means "even" or "not even" as in "Even children can understand," or "Without even water to drink," or "Not even weeds grow here." The difference between さえ and すら, is that すら is an even more formal word, used mostly in writing.

Attach it to nouns.

Ex. そしてブレットがアメリカに帰っていた２週間の間、郵便物を集めることを彼に頼まれました。しかし、手紙などが多くて、毎日集めるのが面倒くさかったので、彼のポストに、「ひらがなすら読めない外国の方がこちらに住んでいますので、郵便物を停止してください」と書きました。


24. ～ただ～のみ
~ only

「ただ～のみ」　is a formal expression or one for written use that emphasizes the sole nature of something. Use it like a very strong version of 「だけ」 or 「しかない。」

Ex. そして、彼がまだ居なかったクリスマスの頃に不在通知が届きました。「アメリカからの荷物10個を数回も配達しに参りましたが、お客様がいらっしゃらなかったので、現在、北郵便局にてお預かりしています。お渡し方法はただ取りに来て頂くのみとなっております。どうぞよろしくお願いします。」僕はその通知を彼に伝えることを忘れました。

25. ～ただ～のみならず
~ not only

Again, like many of these points, 「ただ～のみならず」 is a stronger form of more basic grammar, intended for use in writing, which make my example sentences all that much more difficult.


Ex. ある日、彼の大家さんより、メッセージも届きました。
「スタベルさんへ、
こちらのビルの部屋を借りている方は、ただスタベルさんのみならず、子供が居る家族もいらっしゃるので、夜遅くまで、パーティをしたり、音楽を流したり、風俗のお姉さんたちを呼んだりすることをご遠慮ください。
秀島大家より。」
ブレットがアメリカから戻ってこないうちに、私がそのメッセージの紙を彼の寝室で燃やしました。
伝言を伝えなかったこと、そして、あなたの家を燃やしたこと、ごめんなさい。

2級 Grammar 186-91

It figures we would plow through dozens of grammar points in the past few weeks only to stall out with a paltry six to go. The good news? Here they are! The bad news? The test is in only 13 days. By now anybody taking the test should have gotten their voucher and be all set to go. As we enter these last two weeks and activate hyper-study mode, I believe that we will still be able to put out a few entries... but don't be surprised if they're test-centric.

Enough stalling. Let's slay this giant.

186)　～を問わず（とわず）
Regardless of ~ , ...
Without no concern of ~ , ...
～にかかわらず

It's the same as "にかかわらず" in a lot of ways, though cases where the preceding phrase are two opposite things - "Regardless of rain or sun," "With no concern of skill or lack thereof" - are particularly common.

Ex.　テストが来たら、僕は嬉しい悲しいを問わずに受けます。試験に関するスキルの中に感情がいるわけないだよ。


187)　～をぬきにして（は）　・　～はぬきにして
without ~
leaving out ~

This one hearkens back to the "ぬき" grammar point. The big difference is that this seems to be more in the realm of intangibles, cases where a higher formality is required, and theoretical situations. Can any native speakers verify this?

Ex.　四字熟語や表現などをぬきにして、このブログまだほとんど４０文法についてポストがあります。すごいものだね。


188)　～をはじめ
Starting with ~ and going on to...
~ for starters, and then...

Almost as simple as it seems, save that this expression starts a list of similar things. The book goes on to explain "AをはじめB, C", where A is representative of how the list will continue.

Ex.　今日の勉強予定：漢字練習をはじめ、文法など復讐します。


189)　～をはじめとする
Starting from ~,

This one has a much trickier construction that was woefully under-explained. Grammar point 188 is when you are going to list other objects or actions that follow the first. 189 is used when you're setting up a subject, ie 新幹線をはじめとする交通機関が雪のためストップしていうます。 "Starting with the shinkansen, transportation services are being shut down due to snow."

Ex.　今日をはじめとする僕は本当に毎日の３、４時間ぐらい勉強するはずだが。。。


190)　～をめぐって　・　～をめぐる
about ~
concerning ~

How to discern this from the million other ways to say "about?" This one is particularly suited to problems and topics of discussion, and is probably bandied about willy-nilly when election season comes around.

Ex.　やっぱり今週は来月の試験をめぐる文法例文は多いだね。


191)　～をもとにして
Based on ~,
With reference to ~,

This last one proved a little tricky for me, so to clarify things, I'm going to relay the key point to you all:
「AをもとにしてB」 AはBの材料　・　Bを作るヒントになったもの。
In other words, "A" is a key component in making "B", whether it's because "B" is about "A" or because "A" provides hints or guidance on how to make "B".

Ex.　前の文法例文をもとにして、新しい文をきちんと書きましょう。あれ？もう終わった？

2級 Grammar 181-185

Today was a pretty incredible day for America, and not just from a political standpoint. Anybody who muddled through the examples will have realized exactly who I was rooting for and why I might be tempted to assault you all with a slew of new sentences now that everything is decided. I will, however, refrain. There are dozens of sites already devoted to the subject, but only one site dedicated to providing five Japanese grammar points. Which will be about Nintendo's new handheld, the DSi!

181)　～をきっかけに　・　～をきっかけとして（にして）
Taking advantage of ~, ...
Since ~, I figured ....
Since ~, I may as well ...

Another one that's kind of tricky to provide a direct translation. Something happens that makes it easy for something else to happen, and so you go ahead and do it. "Since I had a kid, I figured I would stop smoking". Only applicable after nouns.

Ex.　新しいDSiの発表をきっかけに、僕の昔のDSヘビーを代わる。




182)　～を契機に　・　～を契機として　・　～を契機にして
See above, add formality

Ex.　日本のDSLiteの販売は下りを契機にこの新しい品物を発表するごとは偶然ではありません。


183)　～をこめて(込めて）
put ~ into it

Okay, I admit that one definition is a little dirty (to me), but it's a good broad definition for this phrase. The key point is that it's mostly used for intangibles, like when you "put some love into your cooking", or "put all your strength into your baseball swing".

Ex.　任天堂に信用を込めてDSi買ってしまった。ちょっと衝動買いなんですけど。。。

184)　～を中心に　・　～を中心として　・　～を中心にして
~ becomes/is the core/center/focus/heart

Snag this sucker onto a noun and it does just what that definition implies - emphasize that noun as the most critical part of something else.

Ex.　DSiはDSLiteと異なることはカメラを中心として、PSPでもこの特徴がない。


185)　～を通じて　（をつうじて）　・　を通して　（をとおして）
Through ~, ...
By means of ~, ...
Via ~, ...

You use this when some third-party helps in accomplishing something. "Through your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!". Again, only on nouns!

Ex.　ベスト電器に働いている友達を通じて、誰もより早く予約できた。

And that's it for today's grammar. Just six more entries to go!

2級 Grammar 176-180

BONUS POST! Chiming in with only about three grammar posts left, in between running around Florida and trying to teach Yuri about American Culture.

176) ～わけだ
~ is naturally the case

This one is useful for indicating when things are "rightfully so." This room is cold? Rightfully so, this is where we keep the transplant organs. Tired of getting cavity searched at the airport? Well it's cavity search するわけだ。 We're on Amber Alert!

Ex. ユリはチョコを食べ過ぎていることを心配しているけど、Ｈａｌｌｏｗｅｅｎはキャンディを食べ過ぎるわけだ。






177) ～わけがない
~ is no reason

Used to specify something there is no cause or no reason for. My book provides a sentence that speaks directly to my previous example sentence: ｢チョコレートばかり食べていたら太らないわけがないだろう。」 Just like in the other わけ constructions, it's used to indicate something that's only natural. There's no reason you WOULDN'T get fat, if all you eat is chocolate.

Ex. Ｈａｌｌｏｗｅｅｎは妖怪か幽霊の格好をし、パーティをする祭日です。だから気持ち悪い顔しても、恥ずかしいと思うわけがないです。







178) ～わけではない
~ it does not mean that
~ not entirely/ not completely

This one is best understood through examples.
人間は働くために生まれてきたわけではない。

梅雨には雨が降るけれど、ザーザー強く降るわけではありません。

「クラスの学生は来ましたか。」
「来ました。でも、全員来たわけではありません。」

Ex. フロリダは暖かい所ですが、毎日はらく泳げるわけではない。

179) ～わけにはいかない
~ impossible to do (although you want to)

This is something the Nirav taught me a long time ago, though I didn't quite get all of the nuances of it until later. The key here is that there's an external force or reason, like a societal restriction or taboo, that prevents you from doing whatever it is. The Nirav example, which I will never forget was: [クラスの前に先生の間違えを正すわけには行かない。」

Ex. 俺とブレットも大分忙しくなってきたので、ブログにＵＰする時間があまりないけど、ここまでしてきたから、途中で止めるわけにはいかない。

180) ～わりに　・　のわりに
~ on the contrary
~ but
~　なのに

The book says,　AのわりにB = Bの状態はAらしくない。

Ex. ユリが和食が大好きという割りに、毎日ハンバーガーを食べているばかり。

2級 Grammar 171-175

Hello, denizens of the net, and welcome to another thrilling installment of The Daily Yoji!

So! It looks like I didn't make good on a lot of the promises of the previous posts. To be completely honest, I really lost track of time last week. And not in the "goodness gracious, is it tea time already? Jeeves, fetch the scones, we've company en route!" sense of the word, but in the "wha...what day is it today? Where am I? I don't remember putting on these pants this morning..." meaning. Some of you might have noted posts went up on days they weren't supposed to, and that was just one symptom of my losing synchronization with reality. What can I say: things here have been pretty busy. With the balloon festival coming up, Saga was working all cylinders, meaning I - after 2 years spreading my roots - was, too. Even this three day weekend that just finished up was more tiring than relaxing.

All that being said, I apologize for the delay, and I know this next week might be a little crazy, too. If not for me, then at least for anybody in America. Why? Election Day.

171)　～ものなら
If だれだれ were able to ~,
If だれだれ could ~,

You tack this on to the potential (ie. 行ける, 食べられる, etc) form of verbs, and it expresses something you would like to do, but probably won't be able to.

Ex. アメリカに投票できるものなら、絶対オバマと票する。しかし不在投票まだ来なかったので。。。


172)　～ものの
~, but...
although ~, ...
~のに

I'm not sure how this differs from ~のに, but I'm going to hazard a guess and say...formality? Expert-on-Japanese commenters - ACTIVATE.

Ex.　オバマは投票結果でかっているものの、十一月の五日までなんか緊張する。。。


173)　～たいものだ
always wanted to ~
always dreamed of ~

When there's something you've always wanted to do or always wished would happen, this is the grammar point for you. It doesn't work for short periods of longing, but rather long-felt desires and dreams.

Ex.　ブッシュは投票されたから、僕はずっと民主党な大統領がいる時代に帰りたいものだ。


174)　～ようがない
There's no way one can ~
~ can't be done.
~できない

The format for this one: verb ます形, minus the "ます", plus ようがない. Besides that, the definition speaks for itself.

Ex.　もしマケインが投票されたら、アメリカは世界の人々の尊敬をもらいようがない。

175)　～ように
in order to ~,
for ~,
~ために

Again, I'm pretty sure anybody who has taken 3級 will recognize this one. Some important usage hints: the ~ will be for something the speaker cannot control, but they're making their efforts regardless. Also, potential and negative forms of verbs pop up a lot with this one. Class dismissed!

Ex.　安心と予報するように、毎日　www.pollster.com　を見てる。やりすぎるかな。。。


A quick note: it just occurred to me that there are, statistically, some people who read this who are probably very conservative-minded. My goal with these examples is never to be inflammatory or to turn readers away, but usually just to get some practice in by stating what's on my mind. Seeing as the past few months have been pretty exhaustive topic-wise, and that today is election day, I hope you'll let it slide. And besides - it should help a little that despite all my partisan example sentences, I still won't manage to get to vote due to an absentee ballot blunder.

On the other hand, if you're a bit more left-leaning - sorry!

2級 Grammar 166-170

And closer still, to finishing both the book and the test. Although sometimes coming up with a topic for these sentences (which was my idea, way back in the day, when Jeff had been doing whatever came to mind. Oh how I wish I kept my mouth shut...) can be a task, I'm pretty glad I've kept coming back to do them. It is actually completely unheard of that I would spend so much time studying for anything, save perhaps the SATs way back in the day. I'll have to go back and review everything in the coming weeks, but it's nice to know it's all gone through my head at least once before. Review is WAY easier than learning new grammar from scratch.

A single glance at today's grammar points was enough to remind me of my one-time fling with the Italian space synth sensation, Koto! Imagine my delight when a few searches revealed that there are TWO bands with the name Mono! And one of them is Japanese Post-Rock! What does that even mean?! Here's a video to find out!(EXCLAMATION POINT!)!



166)　～ものだ（１）
Of course ~
Naturally, ~
Is meant to ~

While the direction translation is hard to nail down, the idea isn't as bad. You tag this onto statements of a general or assumed nature, ie "Of course you should obediently listen to your parents", or "naturally your legs get weaker with age", to cite two book examples.

Ex. 物と言うバンドのポストロックを単に定義するものではありません。


167)　～ものだ（２）
Really ~
Truly ~

Think of this as a "とても" for an entire sentence. Explanation: ACCOMPLISHED.

Ex.　コトと物は共同制作すれば大層ないいものだ。


168)　～ものだ（３）
Was always ~
Was ~ all the time.

The key difference here is that this one can only be tagged onto past tense sentences, and simply serves to illustrate that you did something often in the past.

Ex.　日本の「物」を聞いた前に、イギリスの「モノ」しか聞かなかったものだ。


169)　～もの
～から
～ので
because of ~

As simple as it seems, and most often used when stressing a reason you are doing something. In spoken Japanese, it's shortened to "もん".

Ex.　今前に買ったCDを全部焼いている。「物」と比べられないもので。


170)　～ものか
Definitely do not want to ~
Definitely think ~ is not the case.

Another sentence where you're emphasizing what you do not want to do or don't believe. In spoken Japanese it's shortened to "もんか", and before now I saw/heard it a TON in anime/manga, and though I had somewhat inferred the meaning, this helps quite a bit. And it's so easy to use!

Ex.　「物」に聞いてやめるもんか！死ぬまで聞くぞ！


And that concludes this Tuesday's grammar post. With any luck, we'll have a yoji for you all on Wednesday, and even MORE luck will see an expression topping off Thursday's grammar. See you at Saga Station!

Ok, see you then!

2級 Grammar 161-165

As the date of the test gets closer, my correspondance with Jeff becomes scarcer and more panicked. We have, interestingly, managed to study all the vocabulary that the other person has NOT, so every case of "Do you know XXXX?" just ramps up out depression. Who would've thought a different language would be so full of words?

On that note, today's theme is the test and things we've done for it. Enjoy~


161)　～まいか
won't ~
whether one should ~ or not

This one is hard to pin into a straight translation since every single sentence the book gives pairs it with the affirmative form of the same verb. Example from the book: 二人のけんかを止めようかとめるまいか。 Should I stop those two from fighting or not...? It seems pretty safe to say that this expression is used when you are deliberating doing something or not, and the contruction has the "～よう" construction on the same verb before modifying the same verb again as per the guidelines Jeff laid out in 159/160. It's really simpler than all that - just look at the example sentences.

Ex.　今夜２級の日本語能力試験のために勉強しようかするまいか。

162)　～向きだ　・　～向きの　 (向き＝むき）
Is suiteable/appropriate for ~
Is made/geared for ~
Suits ~

A pretty easy one - just tack it onto a noun and you know what something is made for. For my sentence, I'm going to throw it into the negative.

Ex.　このブログは日本語をちっとも話せない人向きじゃない。日本語もうちょっと知っていて裏を見たい人向きだ。


163)　～向けに　・　～向けの
With ~ in mind
Intended for ~

This one is remarkably similar to the previous one. The only real difference is the "に" on the end, meaning you can tie it into sentences in all the wonderful ways に allows.

Ex.　パソコンでできる勉強が大好きの人向けに作られたAnkiと言うソフトウエアに頼ってしまっている。。。

Fun note: Google image searching "anki" gives you Captain Kirk/Spock slash fiction pictures. I wish I was making that up.

164)　～も～ば　、　～も～　・　～も～なら、～も～
~AND~ apply/are true.

I'm not sure exactly what to make of this, so I'll give you the lowdown on what I DO know. This seems like a way to emphasize the "と" of a list, the same way "こそ" can be used to emphasize the subject of a sentence. For an example, the book's sentence: あの子は１５歳なのに、お酒も飲めば、タバコも吸う。両親が困っているだろう。 There there is no discernable (to me, at least) order of importance/surprise like a lot of the other grammar points stress, but the two things stated DO have to be similar topics. You wouldn't say the kid in the above sentence is drinking AND skateboarding (unless they rank similarly to you).

Ex.　２級テストと言えば、文法も多ければ、漢字もたくさんあるので心配している。


165)　～ものがある
~ deeply/profoundly.

This one can only be added to adjectives and verbs, and the translation I've given doesn't get much more simple than that. The expression does always seem to follow a noun tagged with the "には" particle-pair, but I don't know if that's dumb luck or a rule. Before I maim this with my own example sentence, a bit from the book: 彼女の歌には人を勇気づけるものがある。

Ex.　僕とジェフには二ラブのレベルを目指すことが無理みたいなものがある。それのかわりに一応２級を受けたら十分です。

Man, Nirav - did YOU know about this?

2級 Grammar 156-160

I'm sitting at home alone on a Saturday night, after a lazy day of studying at the beach. Florida is awesome. Don't believe me? Look at this picture of a tiny crab.

But money is stressing me out, because that job I told you I got... even that has been slowing down, so they only need me for like, a handful of hours each week. So to deal with my money problems, I went ahead and bought a bunch of Florida Lotto tickets, and oh man, if I win... 24 million dollars!

What would you do with that kind of cash?

156) ～（より）ほかない
~ is the only way/option/choice
~nothing to do but X

I like this one, cause it's pretty basic and because it's easy to conceptualize for me, in the same way I could deal with ～にほかならない (point 136). ほか is just 他 so when you think about it like that, Ｘより他ない becomes, "better than X, no other," or in sensical English "There's nothing better/other than X."

Ex. 不景気のため、お金の事を気にしているよ。ぜんぜん稼げないので宝くじを買うよりほかない。

157)　～ほどだ　・　～ほどの
~around
~about
~almost

Used for your near hyperboles.
The train was so crowded, the doors can hardly close.
The water is so cold, it almost hurts.
It's almost SHOCKING how good at Japanese I am.

ほどだ or ほどです comes at the end of a sentence; ほどの is when you want to continue the sentence. ほどの takes a noun after it.

Ex. 宝くじを言うと、高校生の時を思い出す。Pabloというバカな知り合いが選んだ番号は６分の５を当たって、むかつくほどの賞品分量をもらった。
How WOULD you say this? He hit 5 out of 6 numbers and won like, 9,000 bucks. It's not that much, I know but... that dude was an asshole. つまり「むかつくほど」.

158)　～ほど
~ as it gets X-er

This is not your basic ほど that you learned back in introductory Japanese. You remember：｢私たちはニラブほど日本語が上手ではない: We're not as good as Nirav at Japanese.」　This one is similar in usage to 「～ば　～ほど」 constructions, like ｢早ければ早いほどいい: the faster, the better.

My book uses it to say things like "As the war stretches on, casualties rise." or "The mark of an experienced mountain climber is that the more experience they have, they more cautiously they'll conduct themselves on the mountain." Japanese follows for both.

戦争が長引くほど死者が増える。
経験がある登山家ほど山で注意深く行動するものだ。

Ex. 「宝くじ切符をいっぱい買う人ほど当たるチャンスが高くなるかな」と思いながら、１０枚を買いました。１０枚なら、当たるべきだろう。

159)　～まい(1)
~ don't intend to
~ will not

This is basically equivalent to つもりではない or しないつもり: it expresses your resolve to not do something. Add it to verbs in dictionary form, or by adding　まい to the ます-less root. (考えます=考えまい.)

Ex. お金持ちになったら、友達や親戚や知り合いが僕にお願いして来る恐れがあるから、当たったら、皆に言うまい。

160) ～まい(2)
~ probably not
~ probably doesn't/won't

Used to make a guess about something that won't happen. Taking this expired medicine PROBABLY won't kill you.
Follow the same rules of construction as above.
Question: Can this be used with 過去形？

Ex. だから、今のうちに｢ジェフは当たりまい」と思っておいてね。私、当るのは当たり前と思っているけど。

Jesus, that's a terrible joke. It probably doesn't even work....

2級 Grammar 146-150

No sooner than I start bragging about being all on the ball with my Japanese studies, and I'm running about half a week late on a grammar post! You have my sincere apologies.

But I managed to find a part time job, and I'm trying to make as much as I can, so I've been taking on a bunch of hours, plus I went to New Orleans this last weekend for a friend's birthday.

So now that I'm catching up, what would you rather I write about: my weekend in New Orleans, or spending eight hours a day conducting telephone surveys?

Yeah. I thought so.

146)　～のみならず
~ not only
~ as well as

This one is pretty straightforward: when you use it, you're placing the emphasis on whatever follows the のみならず clause. X のみならず Y means that while X might be the norm, Y is surprising, or of particular interest. Here's some book examples:

人間のみならず動物もストレス感じるという。

この株は、安定性が高いのみならず、将来性も

Here's mine:
Ex. New Orleans は Mardi Gras　という淫乱な祭りのおかげで有名なので、お酒やパーティが好きな人に人気な旅行先です。しかしながら、New Orleans のパーティのみならず、文化も歴史も‘興味深くいい旅が出来ました。

147)　～のもとで　・　～のもとに
~ at the feet of (under the influence of)

Used to discuss something that abstractly influences, something else. Under the instruction/influence of Brett's hardcore taiko group, he has become a taiko master. that kind of thing.

Ex. New Orleans は元々フランスに設立のもとで展開されたので、New Orleansの料理はフランスに影響されているものです。

148)　～ば　～ほど
~ the more (you) 'x,' the more you 'y'

Again, this seems pretty basic. You can use it with either verbs or adjectives, to stress an increasing change, kind of in the same way you would use につれて(131) or にしたがって(115). The more you drink, the drunker you get; that's liquor: 酒は飲めば飲むほど酔っ払うものです。

Ex. Bourbon Streetという道は賑やか過ぎで、早く面倒くさくなります。そこに時間を過ごせば過ごすほど、冷静なところに行きたくなります。

149)　～ばかりか　・　～ばかりでなく
~ not only
~ as well as

The definition for this one is actually IDENTICAL to the definition of のみならず in every way except one: のみならず doesn't have のみならず listed as a synonym. :)

Ex. 土曜日の夜、New Orleans の有名な殺人事件やお化けの屋敷や幽霊が表すといわれる場所のツアーに行きました。その案内してもらったところは不気味ばかりか、ツアーガイドのお兄さんの話もいけ好かないから、友達のウィルが気持ち悪くなって、倒れてしまいました！救急車を呼ぶことになりました。

150)　～ばかりに
~ for the sole reason

～ばかりに is used to specify the cause of something bad.

Ex. New Orleans　で人がよく飲みすぎるので、医療補助者が「コイツ、飲みすぎたばかりに、倒れただろうな」と思ったけど、その日ウィルは一口も飲みませんでした。

2級 Grammar 136-140

Two weeks in a row on grammar, I've picked back up on all my kanji studies, and I've got four other posts for this site coming. I'm back on my Japanese study game and all thanks to how incredibly unemployed I am. Man it was nice being in Japan, oblivious to how screwed up the American economical and political landscape has become. Let me do my best to tell you about in Japanese...

136) ～にほかならない
~ nothing short of
~ is guaranteed

Use this to make extremely strong statements of equation: War means death. Think of the ほかならない in terms of what it means conceptually: it won't be(come) anything else.

Ex. Palin副大統領の地位は、ファースにほかならない。　

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

137) ～に基づいて　・　に基づく
~ to be grounded in
~to be rooted in
~to be based on

This is a pretty easy one. 基づく means "to be based on; to originate from." You could use this to say that hiragana and katakana are derived from kanji, or that all computer software is based on binary code. Or how about this one?

Ex. 今の不景気はサブプライムローン危機に基づいている。

138) ～によって　・　により
~ according to
~ by means of
~ due to

によって or により is used to identify the cause or the means of something. My book's examples use によって to say "supported by volunteers," and により to say "due to the blackout."

Ex. 不景気により、ずっと探しても仕事はまだできない。

139) ～によっては
~ depending on

I'm not entirely clear on this one, so I could use a little help, but I think that によっては is used to say,　"in this situation, X is the case." I chose to define it as "depending on" because my book's examples lend themselves to that interpretation. Like 「たいてい遅く帰宅しますが、日によっては６時ごろ帰れる場合もあります。」 I read that as, "Usually I head home late, but depending on the day, I can also leave around six." Maybe "...on some days, I can leave around six," would be a better reading. Let's see if I can use it accurately, despite a spotty understanding, and see if Nirav, Clay, or Blue might be able to help iron out the wrinkles.

Ex.　私は 経済のことを心配しているけど、人によってはビジネスは前よりうまく行っているみたい。



140) ～による
~ because of
~ due to
~ is the cause of

Not looking a whole lot different from 138, huh? This is another case where the main difference is in how this phrase can be fiddled with grammatically, and how it finds its way into sentences. It's pretty much the same difference between 132 and 133, wherein this grammar point actually changes the focus of the sentence. The word preceding による acts as something of a modifier, whereas the actual subject is now the noun that follows it. And yes : it can only be followed up by a noun (or noun phrase).

Ex.　外国に住んでいるアメリカ人は、経済による不安を完全に理解できないと思う。

2級 Grammar 126-130

This marks the first day that I have cracked my Japanese study books open since I've returned to America. My prolonged LACK of studying is an ANTI-accomplishment that I can only describe with one word: やばい。 I need to get back on my game and FAST, cause otherwise I'm not gonna be ready for the JLPT in December. So today, I'll bring you the next five grammar points, and let my example sentences explain just why I've been so busy.

126) ～については　・　についても
Take a good long re-read over grammar point 125 in Brett's Tuesday post, because you'll need it for this one and the next. Got it? Good. This usage of について is only an explanation of how to attach particles to make it fit into different situations.
As Brett said について書く or について考える is to write about or talk about. 戦争について本 also works. By attaching は at the end however, you're making your 'about whatever' the subject of the sentence. Does that make sense? 戦争について本　is a sentence about a book. Check this one out: 今、経済について章です。戦争については後で書いてあるのかな？
についてもworks the same way. You're just attaching the idea of "also about:" この本は経済だけではなく、政治についてもいっぱい書いてあります。

Ex. やっぱ、例文を作るのが難しいので、アメリカの生活については後で伝えます。家族のことについても書こうとします。

127) ～についての
Reference the previous point. Anytime you want to use について followed by another noun, you have the option of using it with の. In my book's examples, the nouns that follow are all preceded by honorifics, so I'll assume that this is the way to use について + noun in situations that call for formality.

Ex. Aさん: Jeff様のご両親は日本についてのご質問をたくさんありますか？それとも、日本の事は、もう、詳しくごぞんじますか？
Jeff: いや、それとはちょっと違うですね。私、日本のことをよく話しますが、相手が聞きたいかどうか。。。良く分かりません。

128) ～につき
~because of
~ per

This is used just like なので. You attach it to a noun that serves as the explanation for the clause that comes next. When should it be used instead of なので? As reader Mark let me know in the comments below, it's a formal expression WRITTEN on SIGNS and BULLETINS. All of my book's examples would fit neatly on a sign, flier, or notice.

Ex. 姪子のＫａｌｉちゃんは昼寝中につき、私もじぶんの寝室に限られている。うるさくなって、赤ちゃん起こさないようにね。

129) ～につけ
~ whenever (implies something invariable)

The book, in its ultimate wisdom, defines this as の時、いつも。It's used when you want to say When X happens, Y ALWAYS. X provokes the same reactions, feelings, or outcome, invariably.　There's another usage as well, which involves doubling up on your につけs. If you want to say "In this case, or in that case, the result will always be Y," you can say: 私が料理すると、味が薄いにつけ、濃いにつけかぞくから文句が出る (book's example.)

Ex. フロリダは一年中暖かいので、フロリダに帰るにつけ、毎日、実家のプールで泳ぎます。



130) ～につけても
~no matter what

This one is almost universally used with 何 or 何事 to form "no matter what." そのものだよ。

Ex. アメリカの生活は忙しくて楽しいよ。だが、プールがどんなに気持ち良さそうでも、Ｋａｌｉちゃんがどんなにかわいくても、日本語の勉強はいくらしないといけなくても、何事につけても、マンガを読む時間が一番大事でしょう？

Yes, I am that much of a geek.

2級 Grammar 91-95

Summer vacation is an interesting time to be a teacher in Japan since you get stuck in a weird working purgatory. Teachers still have to come in (or they're supposed to come in, a difference which the staffroom picture at right will help clarify), but their duties are either reduced or nonexistent. Point in case, I am being serenaded right this moment by the rhythmic snoring of my slumbering vice principal, who has been passed out on the couch with a newspaper over his face for the past hour. Many other teachers take catnaps on their desks, a trend which I have learned to do a bit of myself, and nobody sees a problem with it. That we're permitted this much latitude is the only thing that makes summer bearable when you have nothing to do...

Nothing, that is, except talk about summer vacation in 5 grammar points.

91)　～としたら　・　～とすれば
If ~,
In the case that ~,
Since ~,

This is one you'll hear quite a bit in normal speech, and it's not surprising why. The text even lists this point alongside old fallbacks like "なら、ば、と、and もし～たら" without any points on what separates it from them. The one usage point - it is tacked between clauses after sentences using dictionary form, or な adjectives + noun + だ. Piece of cake.

Ex.　教頭先生が居眠りするとしたら、他の教師は帰っていいかな。


92)　～として　・　～としたは
(As) for~,
When it comes to ~,

Again, pretty self-explanatory, with the only condition that you can only use this after a noun.

Ex.　教師になることの悪いところとして、生徒達がいなくても僕らは来なければならない。差別！


93)　～としても
Even in the case that ~,
Even if ~,

Again, an easy one that harks back to the days of 3級. The usage here is the same as any "~っても" construction.

Ex.　でもいいところもあるよ。夏休みだったら朝の十時に学校に着くとしても、全然大丈夫だね。


94)　～とともに
Together with ~,
Along with ~,
In time with ~,

This one is a little trickier than the other ones this week. The first time I was introduced to it was the song 島唄, where you go to cross the sea 鳥とともに on the 島唄の風. Just remember that it might mean together with, but it's for intangibles, and if one thing changes, the other will, too. If you're going somewhere with a friend, then use more standard grammar. However, if you're planning an amazing cross-Japan trip in Spring where you'll ride motorcycles from Kyushu north "in time with" the 桜全線, then とともに is your best friend.

Ex.　夏の初めて学校へ行く日が近くなるとともに、起きる時間は次第に早くする。


95)　～ないことには
~ without
~when you don't have...
~ unless you do...

This one goes like this: Without A, you can't do B. You attach ないことには to a verb, adjective, or noun and it becomes something that is necessary to the second clause. My book example lists "Without knowing the address, there's no way to contact so-and-so, でしょう?"

Ex. ｢夏休み」という時期なのに、先生たちの休みにならない。仕事に行かない日でないことには、ゆっくり休むことができないだろう。

2級 Grammar 81-85

A great man, whom we shall refer to simply as "Nirav," once told me that the great thing about learning Japanese (especially kanji) is that the more you learn, the easier the learning process gets. You process faster, acquire faster, and retain more. I'm feeling like he was right, cause we're hitting the 80s grammar-wise, and recently, they've been seeming simpler and simpler to me.

Or maybe it's just that today's grammar points happen to be easy ones.

Either way, we're gonna breeze through them so I can get back to moving.

81)　～というものだ
~ is. DEFINITIVELY.

I remember a conversation I had when I first got here: someone kept talking about their friend's こと. It was ｢友達のこと」 this and ｢友達のこと」 that, and I had NO IDEA what a こと　was. I was like "Who is this friend, and what are they doing with this こと thing?" 「こと」のことが分からなかった。In reality こと just means "the thing about..." and is just used to highlight the concept you're talking about. 「彼のこと」 is "the thing about him." Or even simpler,　｢彼のことが好き」 is "I like him." こと　just draws a neat little box around the idea of "him" and doing this is EXTREMELY common in Japanese.

～というものだ works kind of the same way, except that you use it in situations to express your own very strong opinion (often oppositional) about what is the DEFINING characteristic of whatever you're talking about. For example, this is what my girlfriend's dad had to say when he found out that I do the bulk of the cooking:

Ex: 掃除と料理してくれることは女性というものだ。

He was joking... kind of.

82)　～というものではない　・　～というものでもない
~ is NOT (necessarily/always) the case.

Kind of like the opposite of the above, but used in the same way that you can use わけではない. Also used to stress a strong (often oppositional opinion). You could tell a rich dude, 「Settling every problem with money というものではない. 」

We often talk about differing attitudes about 飲み放題 (all you can drink) bars or restaurants. Americans might say you pay your money, then try to drink as much as you can to maximize your value. Japanese people might say:

Ex. 安く飲めるからといって、死ぬほど飲むといはない。

83)　～というより
~ rather than
~more than

Used, again to express a sense of disagreement, though not necessarily as strong as the preceeding two.

Ex.
A-san: いつも日本語を勉強してるね。君は本当にまじめだよね！
B-san: ま、まじめというより、興味があります。

84)　～といっても
~ even though

This one, instead of being just another annoying incarnation of "but," gives you a way to introduce facts that conflict with other facts.

Isn't that dude a Republican?
Yeah, but even though he's a Republican, he hates the Bush administration.

Ex.
A-san: いつも日本語を勉強してるね。君は本当にまじめだよね！
B-san: ま、日本語を勉強しているといっても、全く話せない。

(This example reminds of something I always want to try (see below), but in Japanese. The problem is that the person I was talking to would probably just be like, "Yup, just as I suspected.)



85)　～とおり（に）　・　～どおり（に）
~ just as
~ exactly like

You'll hear this one a lot or read it in the 字幕 at movies as 「そのとおり」translates as "Exactly."
The trick with this one is that you can only use it to compare reality with a prediction or expression of that reality. Follow? You can't say "Your cat looks just like my childhood cat" using とおり. You can only say things like: This movie is just as bad as the review. It rained, exactly like the forecast said it was. When someone says, "You think Japanese is hard, huh?" you can say ｢そのとおり」 because what they've guessed about you is exactly true (if it happens to be true, that is).

Ex. 俺が言ったとおりに、今日の文法は簡単だったでしょう。

Book Review: 日本語能力試験 実力アップ Series

People ask from time to time where we get the numbered grammar points from our Tuesday 2級 Grammar sections, so I thought I'd take up some trivia space today and recommend my favorite books.

The 日本語の力試験　実力アップ (JLPT Efficiency UP!) Series is what got me through 3級 with absolutely no problems whatsover, so I figured I'd go for it again this time around. I like it because they're written almost entirely in Japanese, so you have no recourse, no shortcuts...

It's sad, I guess, but growing up in the American school system I learned that the best way to pass tests is not to study the material, but to study the tests themselves. You'd think that knowing Japanese would be enough, but I believe it's actually better to know HOW and what the test is going to ask you. Do a couple of practice tests, and you pick up on patterns; you know what tricks to expect. These books are great for that.

For 3級 there was a book of grammar with practice questions to check your comprehension, and a list of the required kanji in the back. Add to that a book of two mock examinations, and you're all set. The gap between 3級 and 2級 however, is VAST, as you can see by the fact that the same series prints 4 separate books to prepare for 2級: Grammar, Listening, Reading, and Kanji/Vocab.



The Grammar book lists 191 grammar points, each with easy to understand explanations and example sentences, interspersed with practice questions.

The Listening book has drills to help you hear the difference in pronunciations (some that are extremely helpful, like the difference between 8日　(ようか) and 4日 (よっか) and some that are kind of unnecessary, like when じゃない means "isn't it?" and when じゃない means "it isn't." But the main focus of the book is tons and tons of practice for the two types of listening questions on the actual test: those with pictures and those without. It provides lots of helpful hints about things to listen for. On the 3級 test, for example, students listened to a man ordering his coffee and was then asked to describe how he liked it. He ordered by saying 「砂糖をいれずに」 even though 「～ずに」 is a 2級 grammar point. The practice book prepares you for these kind of things.

The Kanji book is my favorite so far. It starts by teaching you kanji that share radicals like (注、柱、駐、主、and, 住) and once you're done with seventy some pages of those, it moves on to kanji that share readings, like (表す、現す、and 著す). I'm about half-way done with this book, practicing by writing them out on flash cards and and then practicing in the same kanji notebooks my elementary school kids use. The better I get at production, the better I get at recognition, which I practice by reading the example sentences provided in the book.

I haven't yet started the Reading book; I'm waiting to finish the Kanji and Grammar, but it seems to be largely the same idea as the Listening. Drill after drill mixed up with tips on what to expect.

And when you're all done with that, there's the same set of practice tests that came with 3級.

If you're planning on taking any of the JLPT tests, you've got about four full months left now. How are you studying?

2級 Grammar 76-80

Juggling my upcoming move with studying for 2kyuu (kanji is destroying me), and plans to meet up and say so long to all the people I've met along the way, plus the fact that Brett is in AMERICA equals less than awesome posts, but for those of you out there who are still following along, it's better to do a little bit of 中途半端 studying every day than stop studying completely until you have the time to do it right. So I'm gonna keep going with the grammar and get as much absorbed (吸収, 2級 kanji) as I possibly can. Thanks for sticking with me.

76) ～てならない
~ cant help but

Used to refer to emotions or feelings or effects that originate naturally and automatically as a reaction to something. It's a strong expression, emphasizing the idea that these feelings can't be repressed or held back. Can be attached to the て form of verbs or い-type adjectives. な-type adjectives take 「でならない」. When it's used with verbs, they'll probably be one of the following verbs:

• 思われる (to be thought)
• 思い出される (to be remembered)
• 悔やまれる (to be regretted)
• 感じられる (to be felt)

You'll notice that all of these verbs are in their passive forms, which ties in with the idea that てならない occurs naturally, on it's own. You don't make an active effort to remember something, it just can't be helped.

Ex 1. この音楽聞くたびに戦争を連想されてしまうので、辛いことを思い出されてならない。
Ex 2. 試験は明日だが、ぜんぜん勉強していないので、不安でならない。

77) ～ということだ　(1)
～そうだ

This is used exactly the same way as そうだ, to indicate that the information in your sentence comes from something that you heard or read, from some source other than yourself. Basic stuffs.

Ex.　「日本は元々安全な国だったけど、現在は危険な状態になっています。」とよく言われていますが、実は日本の犯罪率は減っているということだ。

78) ～ということだ　(2)
~ is understood
~ is apparent
~ is evident

This is easiest for me to remember in the following pattern: A ということは、Bということだ。Taking A as the proof, we can infer B. My book's examples are pretty simple to understand:

• こんなにたくさん星が出ているということは、明日は天気がいいということだ。
• あんなに大きい家を買ったということは、彼は大金持ちだということだね。

Ex.　彼女が最近のデートを全部キャンセルしたということは、もう付き合いたくないということだろう。

79) ～というと　・　といえば　・　といったら
~ if one were to mention...

A special construction used to indicate what comes to mind in terms of something else. You can use it to say anything from "If one were to mention kanji, people think "HARRRRRD!" to "If one were to mention famous crazy people named Tom, Tom Cruise comes to mind."

Ex. アメリカ料理といえば、ハンバーガやステーキなどが代表的だ。

80) ～といったら
~ speaking of
～は

This really can just be used in place of は when you want to stress something really big or すごい in either a good or bad way. Kind of like a "How about that.... It was amazing/terrible!"

Ex. この痛みといったら言葉にできないほどだ。

2級 Grammar 71-75

My heartfelt apologies for the lack of posts this morning and Monday. What with it being 海の日 on Monday, and with Nirav being back in town for a little while, we had a long weekend that necessitated lots of hanging around on the beach and drinking. So now that I'm hung-over, burned bright red, and refreshed, I'm ready for another barrage of grammar points. Let's see what we got!

71)　～つつ(2)　・　～つつも
~ even though (verb)ing
~ even while (verb)ing

Check the notes on grammar point 70, and the link that Clay left in the comments there to make sure that you have the full idea of the uses of つつ. It always expresses a state of continuous action, but in this case, it translates as ～ているのに. It's most commonly used in the following two forms: 「と思いつつ」 and 「知りつつ」; 「even though I was thinking」 and 「even while knowing」.

Ex. 月曜日の｢四字」がまだ書いてないことを知りつつも、日曜日の夜は暴飲してしまい。

72)　～っぽい
~ kind of
~ a little bit
~ ish

This is another one that I guarantee that you've heard a million times, and if you haven't, listen harder. ～っぽい is used when you want to say that something has just a touch of a certain tendency, or "feels/seems a little like." The simplest way to explain it is with examples: a person who still acts a bit childish at times is 子供っぽい. Or if my girlfriend asked me which of two brown bags was cuter, and they both looked the same to me, she might have to explain that one was 赤っぽい, and one was 黄色っぽい, or that one was more 大人っぽい, or just that I was アッス・ホールっぽい, although that last one isn't really considered proper Japanese.

Ex. あの子はちょっとハーフっぽいじゃない？親はどこの人だろうか？

73)　～て以来
~ ever since then

Sounds just like it is. Just attach it to the て form of verbs, and you're good to go. My book gives this example: 「彼女を知って以来、僕の人生はばら色だ; Ever since I met my girlfriend, my life has been rosy.」

Ex. 日本に始めてきて以来、和食に夢中だ。

74)　～てからでないと　・　てからでなければ
~ first... must be done
~ must be done... before

This is a nice shortcut for saying A must be done before B, and it's used especially in situations where if A doesn't happen, B is difficult or impossible.

2級の文法の本を読んでしまってからでないと、合格が難しいです。

75)　～てしょうがない　・　てたまらない
~ to such an extent that it can't be helped

Sorry for the awkward translation, but this might be a good time for those of you who don't already know the phrase しょうがない (or sometimes, 仕方がない) to familiarize yourself with it. It
means, "There's no way" and it's used to mean "There's nothing to be done," about tough situations. You might say it about having to work late, or not liking your sister's boyfriend, or something along those lines.

In this grammar point, however you attach it emotions, desires, or feelings that are so strong that they can't be denied. お腹が空いてたまらない or お腹が空いてしょうがない both mean that you're so hungry that it can't be stopped; there's nothing to be done but eat, presumably.

Ex.　彼女とデートすると、楽しくてたまらない。

2級 Grammar 66-70

So, it looks like The Daily Yoji might have to take another hiatus of sorts in the near future. While Brett will still be at the keyboard, I'm getting ready to go back to America for about three months, and since I'm doing that, I'm planning on taking one last big trip to close out my first two years in Japan. I'll be hitchhiking from Saga to Tokyo and stopping along the way to visit some of the places that I haven't yet had the chance to check out. I hope to still be able to make some kind of Daily Yoji Travelogue posts while I'm on the road, but... oh hey, lemme just tell you about it in 2級 grammar forms!

66)　～ついでに
~ while doing

Yes, there are many, many, many ways of saying "while doing" in Japanese. There are two in this post. Make sure you understand the nuances of each one. ～つでに's nuance is "While you're at it." You use it to say, things like "I wanted to go to 7-11 to pick up some beer, so I figured, while I was at it, I'd pay for my plane ticket = 7-11でビールを買いに行ったついでに、便の切符も買いました。" The part that takes ついでに is your main action, and the part that follows is just... what you did, while you were at it.

For those of you who aren't in Japan, this sentence might require the knowledge that you can pay for pretty much ANTYHING at 7-11, including plane tickets.

Ex. 最後の日本の旅行のついでに、車に乗せてもらっている間にその人の好きな四字熟語をたずねようと思っています。

67) ～っけ
~(what) was it?
～かな。
～か。

Odds are good that you've heard and used this one a number of times. I know I have, but I never expected to see it in a grammar book. It's purely a convention of speech, and I figured it was something similar to "ain't" in English. But while the book acknowledges that it is only for spoken use, it still wants us studying it. Stick this on the end of anything you're asking to reflect your own uncertainty, or use it as a conversation filler when you're trying to remember something. The most common usage you'll hear is just this: 「何だっけ？」

Ex. ぜんぜん習っていない四字熟語を言われたら、ただ意味を忘れている振りをします。「あ、そうですか。それはいい言葉ですようね。でも、どういう意味だったっけ？」

68) ～っこない
~ no way that
~ no chance of

Pretty straight forward, but usually reserved for big things like "hitting the lottery" or "winning the nobel prize. Can be 丁寧ed up by conjugating the ない to ありません.

I'm gonna TRY to use it like THIS:

Ex. どこに泊まるかぜんぜん決めていないので、毎日｢日刊四字」にポストを載せることができっこないです。

69) ～つつある
~to be in the process of (do)ing

This is another 改まった表現, used in more formal or ceremonial speech. With that being said, pretend that I usually talk to you guys very formally in my example sentences.

Ex. 以前、富士山に登りたかったが、何回も｢汚くて、行く価値がない」と言われたことで行くことをあきらめました。しかしながら、現在、富士山再生キャンペーンが行われ、きれいになりつつあるので、また行きたくなりました。

70) ～つつ(1)
~ while doing

As mentioned above, here's another way to say "while doing," this one is used just like ながら, but ながら is more friendly and informal, more common in everyday speech. つつ would be better in writing or when presenting to a group of people or giving a speech (I remember using it in my Habitat Fundraising speech at the cooking class we did.)

Ex. そして、四字熟語を集めつつ、日本の名所を見物します。

2級 Grammar 61-65

Frisbee in Japan has a weird reputation. In spite of the fact that Japan is regarded as one of the top four countries in the sport (and actually won the world championship last year), most of the people here don't know these plastic discs have non-canine applications. Indeed, when I am asked what my favorite sport is, I rarely say "frisbee" since most people think I mean throwing the disc back and forth. Or, if I am lucky, to a dog.

With these grammar points, perhaps I will ennoble this misunderstood sport!



61)　 たとえ～ても
Even if ~,
Though ~,
No matter if ~,

This one is pretty simple and self-explanatory - it operates exclusively in two-part clauses to build sentences that go "even if A happens to such a degree, B will still happen."

Ex. フリスビーは弱気なヤツのスポーツじゃねぇー！たとえ雨が激しく降って疾風が荒れ狂っても、フリスビーをやろう！".


62)　～たところ
When ~,
If ~,

Like a lot of this week's grammar points, this is always a dual-clause grammar point. It's likened to "～たら" with the exception that it's something you only do one time, ie it doesn't apply to routines and other multiple-offenders. Usage is as simple as using past tense and adding "ところ”. Special note: "~てみたところ" is an especially common structure for this grammar point. LIKE SO.

Ex. フリスビーの普通な投げ方は簡単見えるんが、ハマーと言うスローを投げてみたところ、その意見をもうすぐ撤回する。


63)　～たとたん
Right as ~,
Immediately after ~,
Upon ~,

This one is as simple as it sounds - "A~たとたん, B", where "Right as A, B happened". The one condition you have to remember is this grammar point is mostly used for unusual circumstances.

Ex. そのオヤジは「フ・リ・ス・ビーか？でも。。。犬はどこ？」と言ったとたん、俺がディスクを全力で彼の顔に投げつけった。やつめいい気味だった。

64)　～たび（に）
Whenever ~,
Every time ~,

Again, as simple as it sounds, and this one without any apparent catches. SCORE.

When you use it with a noun, use the form "noun + の + たび（に）

Ex. フリスビー大会に参加するたび、次の日体をほとんど動けない。


65)　～だらけ
full of ~
~ all over
covered with ~

The source book I used for this definition made a special note that this phrase is intended only for use with bad things. However, as Clay points out in the comments, 夢だらけ gets millions of results in Google, as does 幸せだらけ. I haven't been in Japan long enough to make linguistic theories, but I'll go ahead and hazard that this phrase has followed an evolution similar to "全然", and is thus freed it from its negative vibe.

Noun+ だらけ = win.

Ex. フリスビーは選手しかにとして厳しくないスポーツじゃない。そのディスクも傷だらけだ。

Now go forth, and spread the good word of the disc to the land!

2級 Grammar 56-60

56)　～ずに（は）いられない
~ to feel the need to do something, based on internal forces

Look at the way this one is structured. We discussed the 「～ずに」 construction briefly in the comments section of 我田引水, and if you add it to the negative potential form of いる, to be, you get: cannot EXIST without doing. You can use this for things that you REALLY want to do like, 「お好み焼きを食べずにいられない。」 but it's designed to communicate a very powerful compulsion. My book lists the following example:

「酒を飲まずにいられない」と言うのはアルコール中毒の症状です。

Here's mine:
Ex. レストランのバイトがきらいになって、朝起きてまた寝ずにいられない。

57)　～せいだ　・　～せいで　・～せいか
~ due to
~ because of
~ fault

「せい」 works just like 「おかげ」 except that 「せい」 can be used to attribute responsibility to positive or negative things, though negative usages are more frequent; 「おかげ」 only works favorably.

Use like this:

Cause(の)で、Effect

EffectはCause(の)せいだ.

You can use either a noun as the cause (in which cause you need the parenthetical の), or you can use it with a verb or adjective in it's usual form.　When you attach the か、you weaken your certainty a bit, like adding a 「だろう」.

Ex. ボスにいつも怒られているせいで、仕事がきらいになった。

58)　～だけ
~ as much as
~ all of
~ everything

This 「だけ」 is not at all to be confused with the one used to mean only. I guess technically it's the same word, but if you think about it "only" terms, you just get your meanings all messed up, which I now realize I have been doing with the phrase "好きなだけ食べてください." It literally means "Eat as much as you like," which is not quite the same as "You don't have to eat everything," which is what I usually try to say. For the mean time, I'm sticking with "ムリしないでください," and learning the real use of this grammar point.

It's used in two main ways. It's attached to verbs in たい form, or other words that express desire to say, as much as you want to: 食べたいだけ、寝たいだけ、欲しいだけ、or 好きなだ。The other main way is to attach it to potential forms (できるだけ) which becomes the same as なるべくに： as much as possible; if possible; as much as you can.

Ex.　ボスに怒られるのは、職場のビュッフェを食べたいだけ食べてみたことです。二週間で五キロ太った。

59)　～だけあって　・　～だけに
~ being the case
~ because of

This one is used to attribute a naturally evident reason for something: She went to beauty schoolだけあって、she's really good at make up. Obviously. If you use the あって form, you need to use it positively. に can go either way.

Ex. だが、まずいだけに、ごはんがいつも残っている。

60)　～だけのことはある
~ see above

This is exactly the same as だけあって or　だけに except that it requires two sentences. The effect is stated, and the reason comes afterwards in a separate sentence. If someone comments on the beauty student's makeup, you can explain it by saying "She went to beauty school だけのことはある.

Ex. 無駄にしたくなかっただけのことはあった。

2級 Grammar 51-55

Today's grammar sentences are brought to you by an event of BIBLICAL proportions: the 大掃除 of Brett's apartment, and man was THAT overdue. Check the examples to get an idea of the kinds of shenanigans that this involved.

51) ～ざるをえない
~ have to
~must

This is the same as しなければならない, with the nuance that the action that must be performed is something that you don't want to do. It's good to think of this one as "しないわけにはいかない: not doing it is not an option."　

~ざるをえない replaces the ない in the negative plain form of verbs.

Ex. Macaroniの箱四個を捨てたくなかったけど、賞味期限が1998年に切れていたので、捨てざるをえなかった。

52) ～しかない
- is the only thing (to do)

しか was a revelation for me when I first learned it, cause it's so easy and so useful. Just put しか in front of a negative verb, and you've turned it into a positive sentence with the added meaning of "only."

How many people came to your party? 二人しか来なかった。Only two.
Can you speak English? 日本語しか喋れない。

This 2級 grammar point adds the fun of VERB + しかない, meaning VERB is the only thing to do (That's true by the way. It is.)

Ex. 3-4年間かかっても、掃除するしかない。引越しすることが出来ないし。

53) ～次第
~ after
~once X is done

Used commonly to ask someone to do something, after something else, and used most with verbs of conclusion. After something is finished (concluded, decided, etc), please do etc.

Check the comments below for an important point on using 次第. And some weird discussion.

Ex. やー、ブレット！掃除が終わり次第、あなたの孫によろしく、ね。


54) ～次第で（は）・～次第だ
~ depending on

I've been waiting for so, SO long to learn how to say "depending on" in Japanese. Don't know why I didn't just ask somebody.　で is attached when you use it to say "Depending on X..." and continue the sentence from there. だ is attached when you end the sentence with "... depends on X."

Ex. 掃除が終わる時の体調次第で、パーティをするかもしれないし、休むかもしれないし、死ぬかもしれません。

55) ～上・上は
～的に
～の点で
～の面で
～に関係することで
~ in relation to
~ concerned with
~ regarding

This one is a bit tricky. It's used to pinpoint the essence or the target of something, in an explanatory fashion. Like:
"They've had a lot of problems related to money: あの二人の間には、金銭上のトラブルがあったようだ。"
or
"He quit for reasons related to health：健康上の理由で止めた."

Ex. 彼女がいること上、アパートを掃除したくなったのかな?

And with that, I've taken care of my both my weekly grammar and my weekly give-Brett-a-hard-time quotas! Wooooot.

Post script:
Google Images let me down. I couldn't find any pictures of the fridge from Minority Report.

Also, here's a sample of real dialogue from the 掃除 session:

"Ow!"
"What?"
"I just cut myself on something in this cabinet."
"Is it bad?"
"No... but this place is like the inside of a Komodo Dragon's mouth. Even if the wound isn't deep, the ancient bacteria are gonna kill me."