Visualizing Japanese Grammar Appendix

1. VisualizingJapanese GrammarAppendix Shoko Hamano George Washington University

2. The term “verbal stem form” refers to the form of a verb that is used before masu and its variations. Verbal stem forms します I will do it. しません I won’t do it. しませんでした I didn’t do it. しました I did it. 書きます か I will write it. 書きません I won’t write it. 書きませんでした I didn’t write it. 書きました I wrote it.

3. Stem forms are not limited to the context before masu. To the right are other representative uses of stem forms. Productive patterns based on verbal stem forms 手紙を書き、速達で送った。 てがみそくたつおく I wrote a letter and sent it by express mail. (sequence) レポートの書き方が分からない。 かたわ I don’t know how to write a report. (how to) 彼は、私について悪いことを書きそうだ。 かれわたしわる He is likely to write bad things about me. (intuitive judgment) 本を書きたい。 ほん I want to write a book. (desire) このペンは書きやすい。 This pen is easy to write with. (easiness) そういうことは、書きにくい。 That sort of thing is difficult to write about. (difficulty)

4. And here are some more. Productive patterns based on verbal stem forms メールを書きにコンピューターセンターへ 行った。 い I went to the conputer center to write emails. (objective) 先生は、新しい本をお書きになりました。 せんせいあたら The professor wrote a new book. (honorific) 手紙を書きながら、泣いた。 な I cried while writing the letter. (simultaneous actions)

5. And here are some compound verbs. Productive patterns based on verbal stem forms 作文を書きなおして下さい。 さくぶんくだ Please rewrite the composition. (fixing errors) よけいなことを書きすぎた。 I wrote too much superfluous things. (excessiveness) 日記を書きはじめた。 にっき I began to write a diary. (inception) 答えを書きかけた。 こた I barely started to write the answer. (precarious initial stage) 答えを書き終えた。 お I finished writing the answer. (completion)

6. The table to the right summarizes how to derive stem forms of verbs from dictionary forms. How to form stem forms One-Step Verbs dictionary stem form form borrow借りる か eat食べる た change変える か 借り 食べ 変え • In the case of one-step verbs, delete the last syllable ru. Five-Step Verbs 買い 飲み 作り buy買う か drink飲む の make作る つく • In the case of five-step verbs, change the last syllable to an i-step syllable.

7. You need to memorize the forms for irregular verbs. How to form stem forms Irregular Verbs dictionary stem form form doする come来る く existある し 来 き あり

8. The term “adjectival stem form” refers to the invariable form of an i-adjective that appears before i, ku nai, katta, and ku nakatta. Adjectival stem forms おもしろい It is interesting. おもしろくない It is not interesting. おもしろくなかった It was not interesting. おもしろかった It was interesting. 高い たか It is expensive. 高くない It is not expensive. 高くなかった It was not expensive. 高かった It was expensive.

9. Adjectival stem forms also appear in more than the basic conjugation patterns. • Here are some examples. • The adverbial forms are also known as ku-forms. Productive patterns based on adjectival stem forms 高く　あげた。 I raised it high. (adverb) 高く　なった。 It became expensive. (adverb) お高く　なりました。 It became expensive. (hyper-polite adverb) 高そうだ。 It looks expensive. (intuitive judgment) 高すぎた。 It was too expensive. (excessiveness) 高めだ。 It is on the expensive side. (relative feature) 高さ height (noun)

10. Some of these patterns also allow adjective-like nominals. Nominals that appear in the same frames 簡単になった。 かんたん It became easy. 簡単そうだ。 It looks easy. 簡単すぎた。 It was too easy. 単純さ たんじゅん simplicity 単純ながら while being simple