2級 Grammar 41-45

Finally - a smorgasboard of grammar to help me express my love for the legendary Italian spacesynth band, Koto!


For full effect, it's recommended you read these notes while the video is playing.


41) ~ことだ
~ is just the thing!
~ なさい
~ ほうがいい
~ is the main point.

This phrase is useful for prescribing advice or remedies. In all the examples I was given, it is used as a response - ie a problem or goal is presented, and then the essential way of dealing with that problem/goal is given with a sentence ending in the dictionary form verb or ない form and ことだ.

Ex. 最近のスターウォーズは映画芸術の悲劇だった。そのシリーズについて新たに知りたいなら、コトの"Jadbah"を聞くことだ。


42) ~ことだから
~は、いつもそうだから
Because it's ~,
When it comes to ~,
If it's ~ we're talking about,

This one's also pretty simple - you just begin with who you're talking about, and then go on to say what the outcome will be BECAUSE it's that person/thing, and the outcome is always this way with that person/thing.

Ex. コトのことだから、高品質の曲ばっかり作るぞ！


43) ~ことなく
without~
~しないで
~ずに

As the above demonstrates, this is a way to say "without doing such-and-such" that sidesteps conjugation. Verb dictionary form + ことなく. Piece o` cake!

Ex. 今までコトを知ることなく生きてきたことが信じられない...


44) ~ことに（は）
~ly,
Very ~ly,
On a ~ note,

This one's simple if you think of it as just starting a sentence with an adverb. "Sadly, I could not think of a better example sentence." The one tricky part of the rule is that if you use a verb, it should be past tense, and should have to do with the state of someone's emotions the same way point 37 does.

Ex. メチャ悲しいことに, コトのプロデューサーのステファノは1992年になくなってしまった。


45) ~ことになっている, ~こととなっている
Be supposed to~ (by appointment or rule)
It is/will be~ (something already decided)

Big thanks to Clay and Nirav for coming through on the translation of this one. At first I thought it meant "To be becoming the sweet-ass band known as Koto", but I was sadly mistaken.

Also, I stole the example sentence from Nirav since my old one was a poor reflection of the actual meaning.

Ex. ここに自分の曲を入れたいけど、コトの曲以外は使わないことになってるから入れちゃいけない。

Bonus Ex. See the comments for a non-Koto-related example on another more common usage of this grammar point!