Grammar Notes

Grammar Notes for Dialogue 2
Grammar Note 1 Ｓ + まで and Ｓ + までに
 

まで ("until") and までに ("by") have been introduced in L. 17 as the particles to specify time boundaries as shown below.

  • 朝、８時まで寝ました。 ("I slept until 8 in the morning.")
  • 朝、８時までに寝ました。 ("I went to bed by 8 in the morning.")

These particles can be preceded by a whole sentence and specify more flexible time boundaries.

 
S1
まで／
までに
S2
  
(1) カードができる まで、 通(つう)ちょうを使(つか)って下さい。 Until the card is made,
please use the passbook.
(2) 先生が来る まで、

しゅくだいをしていました。

 Until the teacher came,
I had been doing my homework.
(3) カードができる までに、 １０日間かかります。 By the time the card is made,
it will take10 days.
(4) 先生が来る までに、 その本を三回読みました。 By the time the teacher came,
I had read the book three times.

Note that S1 must always be in the non-past tense even if the overall event (the tense of S2) takes place in the past as shown in (2) and (4) above. The contrastive marker は can be used after these particles adding the sense of "at least" to the time boundaries.

テストがおわるまで、帰れません。 "Until the exam is over, I can't go home."
テストがおわるまでは、帰れません。 "At least until the exam is over, I can't go home."

じゅぎょうがはじまるまでに、しゅくだいをします。 "By the time the class starts, I will do my homework."
じゅぎょうがはじまるまでには、 しゅくだいをします。 "At least by the time the class starts, I will do my homework."
Grammar Note 2 Listing with Ｓし、Ｓし... ("S1 and further more S2...")
 

So far, we have learned several ways to combine sentences to list concurrent or sequential events and states of similar nature. (Note that the particle と only connects nouns and NEVER connects sentences.)

L. 18 Vて 食べて うたって 飲んで... We eat, sing, and drink...

な-Adjで
Nで

しんせつで おもしろい
 です。 He is kind and funny.

い-Adjくて

 むずかしくて つまらない です。
 It is difficult and boring.
L. 23 Vたり 食べたり、 飲んだり しました。 I did things like eating and drinking.

Lesson 25 introduces another sentence connective し. The し connective lists events and states of relatively independent nature, and it adds a sense of "furthermore" or "on top of that." Note that noun/な-adjective sentences require the copula だ before し.

 
S1
し、
S2
  
Verb ATMはJRの駅にもあります し、 コンビニにもあります。 ATMs are located in JR stations and
they are in convenience stores also.
い-Adj あそこはカレーがおいしい し、 ねだんが安いです。 As for that place, its curry is delicious
and the prices are cheap.
な-Adj
Noun		 この家はしずかだ
今日はいい天気だ
 し、
し、 		まどが大きいです。
風もありません。
This house is quiet and its windows are large.
Today, weather is nice and there is no wind, either.

The し connective can list more than two sentences as shown below.

きょうは寒いし、風が強いし、雪がふっているし…
Today it's cold, windy and is snowing,...

This structure can be used to list implicit reasons for the last sentence as shown in (1) below or used to list explicit reasons as in (2).

(1) きょうは寒いし、風が強いし、雪がふっているし、早く帰ります。
     Today it's cold, windy and is snowing, (so) I'm going home early.

(2) きょうは寒いし、風が強いし、雪がふっているから、早く帰ります。
     Because today it's cold, windy and is snowing, I'm going home early.