grammar - chapter 10
A. Noun Modification
Noun modification allows the speaker to describe the noun they are talking about in greater detail by including adjectives or other nouns before the subject of their sentence. Here is how it is done:
A Adjectives: simply attach the adjective to your subject
小さい車 small car
おもしろい本 interesting book
Na Adjectives: use な to attach the adjective to your subject
きれいなへや pretty room
Nouns: use the の particle
みどりの電話 green phone
To ask about additional characteristics of a noun, use the noun modifier/question word どんな (what kind/what sort).
どんな車を買いたいますか。 What kind of car do you want to buy?
At this point, you might be wondering how a modified noun functions within a sentence, and what place it may take in that sentence. Simply put, it continues to function as a noun. For example, if the modified noun is あかい車 (red car), and the action is 買いたい (want to buy), the complete sentence would be as follows:
あかい車を買いたいます。 I want to buy a red car.
The modified noun (i.e.; あかい車) is known as a noun phrase.
Finally, a note on using colours:
There are two different types of color words in Japanese:
1. Colours that have an adjective form (that is, they end with い)
2. Colours that don't have an adjective form
Noun Modification Practice
Noun modification allows the speaker to describe the noun they are talking about in greater detail by including adjectives or other nouns before the subject of their sentence. Here is how it is done:
A Adjectives: simply attach the adjective to your subject
小さい車 small car
おもしろい本 interesting book
Na Adjectives: use な to attach the adjective to your subject
きれいなへや pretty room
Nouns: use the の particle
みどりの電話 green phone
To ask about additional characteristics of a noun, use the noun modifier/question word どんな (what kind/what sort).
どんな車を買いたいますか。 What kind of car do you want to buy?
At this point, you might be wondering how a modified noun functions within a sentence, and what place it may take in that sentence. Simply put, it continues to function as a noun. For example, if the modified noun is あかい車 (red car), and the action is 買いたい (want to buy), the complete sentence would be as follows:
あかい車を買いたいます。 I want to buy a red car.
The modified noun (i.e.; あかい車) is known as a noun phrase.
Finally, a note on using colours:
There are two different types of color words in Japanese:
1. Colours that have an adjective form (that is, they end with い)
- みどり(green), むらさき(purple)
- these colours require the particle の in order to modify a noun
- みどりの車 (green car)、むらさきのシャツ (purple shirt)
2. Colours that don't have an adjective form
- しろい (white)、あかい(red), etc.
- these colours modify nouns in the same way A Adjectives do
- しろいへや (white room)、あかいパンツ (red pants)
- however, if the color is used as a stand alone noun, the final い is dropped
- くろです。 It's black.
Noun Modification Practice
B. "One": の
の can be used to replace a noun if that noun is understood through the context of the conversation. It helps to avoid repetitive use of words.
の can be used to replace a noun if that noun is understood through the context of the conversation. It helps to avoid repetitive use of words.
- 大きいもーる ーー> 大きいの
- まじめな学生 ーー> まじめなの
- 山田さんのシャツ ーー> 山田さんの
C. Comparing Two or More Things
Comparing Two Things
Below is the sentence structure for comparison sentences:
{ A [thing/person/place] のほうが} { B [thing/person/place] より} {verb/adjective}
The order can be switched, but the meaning is still the same - both mean that A is more {verb/adjective} than B.
AのほうがBより {verb/predicate}
BよりAのほうが {verb/predicate}
ほう demonstrates that A is the better choice between the two alternatives.
To ask about a choice of alternatives, use the following sentence structure:
{N} と {N} と、どちら(のほうが){verb/adjective} か。
For example: ねこといぬと、どちらのほうがすきですか。 Which do you like (more), cats or dogs?
When the noun phrase includes の (like the "one" particle in GN2), the の on both the modified noun and のほうが are removed, simply to avoid repetition. For example:
くろいのとしろいの、とどちらがいいですか。Which would you like, the white one or the black one?
くろい(のの)ほうがいいです。The black one.
Comparing Three or More Things
So far, this sentence structure is only good for coparing two items. To compare more than two items, use the following sentence structure:
{group name} (の中)で、{noun/noun phrase} がいちばん {verb/adjective}
えいがの中で、コメヂがいちばんすきです。 Out of all movies, comedies are my favourite type.
To ask about a comparison of three or more items, use the folowing structure:
{group name} (の中)で、{question word} がいちばん {verb/adjective}
You cannot use どちら because it is a choice only between two alternatives. Appropriate question words are どれ、何、だれ、どこ、いつ, etc. Though どれ and 何 are used to compare things, どれ is only used when there are specific or countable items.
{group name} can also be exchanged for {noun}の{noun}の{noun} instead.
Comparing 2 Things
Comparing Two Things
Below is the sentence structure for comparison sentences:
{ A [thing/person/place] のほうが} { B [thing/person/place] より} {verb/adjective}
The order can be switched, but the meaning is still the same - both mean that A is more {verb/adjective} than B.
AのほうがBより {verb/predicate}
BよりAのほうが {verb/predicate}
ほう demonstrates that A is the better choice between the two alternatives.
To ask about a choice of alternatives, use the following sentence structure:
{N} と {N} と、どちら(のほうが){verb/adjective} か。
For example: ねこといぬと、どちらのほうがすきですか。 Which do you like (more), cats or dogs?
When the noun phrase includes の (like the "one" particle in GN2), the の on both the modified noun and のほうが are removed, simply to avoid repetition. For example:
くろいのとしろいの、とどちらがいいですか。Which would you like, the white one or the black one?
くろい(のの)ほうがいいです。The black one.
Comparing Three or More Things
So far, this sentence structure is only good for coparing two items. To compare more than two items, use the following sentence structure:
{group name} (の中)で、{noun/noun phrase} がいちばん {verb/adjective}
えいがの中で、コメヂがいちばんすきです。 Out of all movies, comedies are my favourite type.
To ask about a comparison of three or more items, use the folowing structure:
{group name} (の中)で、{question word} がいちばん {verb/adjective}
You cannot use どちら because it is a choice only between two alternatives. Appropriate question words are どれ、何、だれ、どこ、いつ, etc. Though どれ and 何 are used to compare things, どれ is only used when there are specific or countable items.
{group name} can also be exchanged for {noun}の{noun}の{noun} instead.
Comparing 2 Things
D. ~は~が and Adjectives
This is another way to describe the characteristics of something you're talking about. The structure for this is as follows:
{noun} は {noun's characteristic} が {adjective describing the noun's characteristic} です。
For example:
あの車はデザインがきれいじゃないです。 The design of that car is not nice.
If the particle は is used twice in a sentence, its purpose is to contrast two ideas. For example:
山田さんは飲みましたが、田中さんは飲みませんでした。Yamada drank, but Tanaka didn't.
Describing Clothing
Patterns, Colour, Design
This is another way to describe the characteristics of something you're talking about. The structure for this is as follows:
{noun} は {noun's characteristic} が {adjective describing the noun's characteristic} です。
For example:
あの車はデザインがきれいじゃないです。 The design of that car is not nice.
If the particle は is used twice in a sentence, its purpose is to contrast two ideas. For example:
山田さんは飲みましたが、田中さんは飲みませんでした。Yamada drank, but Tanaka didn't.
Describing Clothing
Patterns, Colour, Design
E. Unfamiliar Topic: ~というのは
{Noun} というのは is used when the speaker thinks that the listener is unfamiliar with the topic, or to ask about something they're unclear about.
おにぎりというのはおいしいです。 What we call onigiri are delicious.
これはかんじというのはですか。 Are these what you call kanji?
This format can also be used to clarify unfamiliar words with the following format:
{unfamiliar word} というのは {known word} のことです。
In other words, the sentence means, "{unfamiliar word} is {familiar word}.}
{Noun} というのは is used when the speaker thinks that the listener is unfamiliar with the topic, or to ask about something they're unclear about.
おにぎりというのはおいしいです。 What we call onigiri are delicious.
これはかんじというのはですか。 Are these what you call kanji?
This format can also be used to clarify unfamiliar words with the following format:
{unfamiliar word} というのは {known word} のことです。
In other words, the sentence means, "{unfamiliar word} is {familiar word}.}
F. Nouns derived from ~さ
さ can be attached to an adjective to make it into a noun. For example:
ひろい (adjective for wide) ひろさ (width)
ながい (adjective for long) ながさ (length)
Sentence examples:
その人の高さはどのぐらいですか。 What is the height of that person?
このぐらいです。 About this tall.
*どのぐらい means "about what size"
さ can be attached to an adjective to make it into a noun. For example:
ひろい (adjective for wide) ひろさ (width)
ながい (adjective for long) ながさ (length)
Sentence examples:
その人の高さはどのぐらいですか。 What is the height of that person?
このぐらいです。 About this tall.
*どのぐらい means "about what size"
G. Keego regular honorifics
Last lesson, we learned about irregular keego honorifics. Regular honorifics can be formed out of most Group I and Group II verbs, as follows:
お+{verb base}+になる / なります
The only exceptions are the irregular verbs that are covered in Lesson 9.
This similar format is used for honorific requests, which you would often here at stores, banks, restaurants or with a telephone operator, such as:
おまちください。 Please wait.
お話ください。 Please speak.
おかけください。 Please sit.
To form requests for Group I and Group II verbs, use the following format:
お+ {verb base} +ください
Some exceptions to this are:
見てください。ーー> ごらんください。 Please look.
ねてください。 ーー> お休みください。 Please lie down.
Honorific requests for Group III verbs:
する ーー> ご・お+ verbal noun +ください
来る ーー> おいでください
Last lesson, we learned about irregular keego honorifics. Regular honorifics can be formed out of most Group I and Group II verbs, as follows:
お+{verb base}+になる / なります
The only exceptions are the irregular verbs that are covered in Lesson 9.
This similar format is used for honorific requests, which you would often here at stores, banks, restaurants or with a telephone operator, such as:
おまちください。 Please wait.
お話ください。 Please speak.
おかけください。 Please sit.
To form requests for Group I and Group II verbs, use the following format:
お+ {verb base} +ください
Some exceptions to this are:
見てください。ーー> ごらんください。 Please look.
ねてください。 ーー> お休みください。 Please lie down.
Honorific requests for Group III verbs:
する ーー> ご・お+ verbal noun +ください
来る ーー> おいでください