1,755 Answered Questions for the topic grammar

Grammar English

06/15/19

What is the difference between effects and affects?
The firework show had great effects or affects?
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06/15/19

What is the nuance when は directly follows a verb in plain form?
It seems like this is a remnant of (or reference to) older forms of Japanese. Is that all there is to it, or does it have special meaning? Examples from... more
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06/15/19

May & "Might": What's the right context?
>- I may not be coming in tomorrow... >- I might not be coming in tomorrow... When should I use "may" and "might"?
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06/14/19

Use of commas with seemingly dependent clauses?
I'd like to know whether or not the following examples are correct in relation to comma usage with independent/dependent clauses. Every time I come across examples to use commas in separating... more
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06/11/19

Is there an apostrophe in a master's degree?
The question asks it all really. When referring to a master's degree, do you use an apostrophe or not? That is, is it "a master's" or "a masters"?
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06/11/19

Why are equal signs used to substitute an English hyphen?
I was reading an article about Idlib and the groups that were there on Wikipedia, and hovered to the language setting to gloss at the title translations. For Japanese, I saw something unusual in... more
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Grammar Phrasal Verbs

06/10/19

Why "go off", as in "alarm went off"?
I was wondering why does something _goes off_, when it in fact does the opposite - _bomb goes off_ - it blows up - _alarm goes off_ - it turns on Why not _goes on_?
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06/10/19

When is と added to onomatopoeia?
While at first I believed it was simply bound to each individual word, I've noticed that the same onomatopoeic word sometimes has と after it and sometimes it doesn't. Here's a case I stumbled... more
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Grammar Japanese

06/10/19

The meanings of ものだ?
Could someone please explain to me the different meanings that ものだ can have at the end of a sentence ? Here are some examples I understand the general meaning of, but I don't understand the... more
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06/10/19

ち suffix I've never heard of before?
Ok, so I've been reading よつばと recently, and I've been seeing a suffix coming up that I cannot seem to find a meaning for. It's not in any dictionary, and I'm not sure if it's a name suffix, or some... more
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Grammar Japanese

06/10/19

What's the difference between 〜以上は and 〜からには?
The textbook I'm currently using defines both of these grammar points as: 〜のだから、絶対にする／しないのが当然だ What is the difference between the two grammar points, can they be used interchangeably like the... more
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06/10/19

What is "koto" used for?
I know "koto" means thing, but I've seen it used like this in my Self-Study Japanese book: *Nihon no koto ga yoku wakarimasu ka.* and *Chiimu no koto o kangaete imashita.* Does this mean... more
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Grammar Japanese

06/10/19

The difference between くらい and ほど in hyperbole?
The following two sentences, I believe, are grammatically okay, however I'm not sure on how they differ in nuance. もう歩けないほど疲れた！ (もうあるけないほどつかれた) もう歩けないくらい疲れた！ (もうあるけないくらいつかれた) Additionally, why... more
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06/10/19

When choose の/こと or というの/ということ?
I'm studying nominalizers and don't understand when to use の/こと and when to use というの/ということ. For example, in the sentence: > こんなによく[遅刻]{ちこく}をするというのは[問題]{もんだい}ですよ。 Could I say: >... more
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06/10/19

When the agent takes を in the causative form?
I've seen a few sets of terminology when referring to the causative form, so for the basic case, I will use the following: `instigator が agent に 〇〇 を ｖ－させる。` In its most basic, text-book form, we... more
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Grammar

06/10/19

Difference between "considered to be" and "considered as"?
Is there any difference between considered to be and considered as? For example: - Adam is considered as a good teacher. - Adam is considered to be a good teacher.
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06/10/19

I think that she thinks that I think she is dumb?
Just trying have some fun with Japanese grammar, but the sentence in the title has me stumped. I just don't understand Japanese particles enough to even know where to begin. Here is my best attempt... more
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Grammar Past Tense

06/10/19

How would you describe the semantic phenomenon that allows this joke?
Groucho Marx had a joke that's long been a favorite of mine: > I've had a wonderful time; this wasn't it. I assume he's using the present perfect to say *I've had a wonderful time.* But, when... more
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Grammar Phrases Clauses

06/09/19

What kind of phrase/clause is "as far as I know"?
I would like to know what kind of phrase/clause "as far as I know" is, and why.
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Grammar Japanese て Form

06/09/19

What's the meaning of 〜ておきます?
What exactly does 〜ておきます mean in this context? 旅行{りょこう}する前{まえ}にホテルを予約{よやく}**しておきます**。 Is this trying to say something like "Before traveling, reserve a room". Is this a suggestion? An order? (If... more
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06/09/19

Does your student struggle in understanding what they read and answering questions?
I am able to help. Over the years, I have assisted students in understanding their schoolwork, promoting correct pronunciation when reading aloud, and working on vocabulary-building, reading... more
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06/09/19

What is the proper use of だろう, is it "masculine", and how is it different from と思 【おも】う?
Like a lot of foreign guys, some Japanese I picked up from imitating the women I spoke to. Certain affectations made me sound unwittingly effeminate in the early days when I had less grasp on the... more
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06/09/19

Are there cases when two or more particles will occur next to each other without intervening lexical words?
Most particles seem to be postpositions but I'm sure I've seen say a noun followed by a location particle followed by "wa" or "ga" or possibly "wo" but when I've tried to use it I've only confused... more
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06/08/19

Usage of commas in Japanese sentences?
This might sound like a strange question, but how does the usage of commas differ when used in Japanese compared to English? I believe `りんご、オレンジとバナナ` wouldn't work, but that it's OK to list like... more
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06/08/19

The differences between ～がたい、〜にくい、〜づらい?
I was wondering what the differences are between these three: ～がたい、〜にくい、〜づらい They all seem to be some sort of variant of "Hard to do ~". But it seems they are used with different verbs and/or... more
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