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JLPT N2 grammar · unit 24 of 33 · review
Name   Date

J24Review J21–J23

Work from memory — don't look back at the earlier sheets. Write each pattern from its meaning, then write what each pattern in part 2 means.

1    Write the pattern from its meaning
Do something while a situation has not yet changed: before it gets dark, before you forget. Neutral register, used freely in everyday spoken and written Japanese.
V-ない / i-adjくない / na-adjでない + うちに
The moment one thing happens, the next follows immediately. Stiff, literary phrasing found in news reports and novels rather than in everyday conversation.
V-dict + やいなや(書き言葉)
Shows an attempt to do something, or the moment just before an action starts. In the negative (〜ようとしない) it means someone stubbornly refuses. Neutral register.
V-volitional(〜よう/〜おう)+ とする
Offers a tentative reason for something, usually mildly negative: perhaps because of A, B happened. Softer and less certain than 〜せいで. Everyday register.
plain + せいか(N + のせいか、na-adj + なせいか)
A strong judgment that something is wrong and must not be done. Heavier and more moral than 〜ないほうがいい; used in advice, rules and opinion writing.
V-dict + べきではない(する→すべきではない も可)
Adds a second item on top of the first: not only A, but B as well. More formal than 〜だけでなく; frequent in news, business writing and explanations.
N + に加えて(後に「も」が来ることが多い)
An emphatic particle that singles out the word before it: this one and no other, precisely this. Attaches to a noun, usually in place of は or を, though こそが and こそは also occur. Used in both speech and writing.
N + こそ(は・を は落ちる。「こそが」「こそは」の形も可)/ V-て + こそ
Singles out the one real reason: it is precisely because of A that B. Usually paired with a positive or heartfelt point; natural in both speech and writing.
plain + からこそ(N・na-adj は「だからこそ」)
Marks the exact moment at which something else happens, often an interruption or a timely arrival. Used in speech and writing; ところへ feels slightly more like movement toward the scene.
V-dict / V-ている / V-た + ところに(ところへ)
2    What does it mean?
〜てからでないと
〜最中に
〜ばかりに
〜のに対して
〜まい / 〜まいか
〜につき
〜ないことには
〜かと思うと
〜て以来
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Japaneseness.
JLPT N2 grammar · unit 24 of 33 · answer key
ANSWER KEY

J24Review J21–J23

Answers to page 1. If you would rather work without them, print page 1 on its own.

1    Write the pattern from its meaning
Do something while a situation has not yet changed: before it gets dark, before you forget. Neutral register, used freely in everyday spoken and written Japanese.
V-ない / i-adjくない / na-adjでない + うちに
〜ないうちに
The moment one thing happens, the next follows immediately. Stiff, literary phrasing found in news reports and novels rather than in everyday conversation.
V-dict + やいなや(書き言葉)
〜やいなや
Shows an attempt to do something, or the moment just before an action starts. In the negative (〜ようとしない) it means someone stubbornly refuses. Neutral register.
V-volitional(〜よう/〜おう)+ とする
〜ようとする
Offers a tentative reason for something, usually mildly negative: perhaps because of A, B happened. Softer and less certain than 〜せいで. Everyday register.
plain + せいか(N + のせいか、na-adj + なせいか)
〜せいか
A strong judgment that something is wrong and must not be done. Heavier and more moral than 〜ないほうがいい; used in advice, rules and opinion writing.
V-dict + べきではない(する→すべきではない も可)
〜べきではない
Adds a second item on top of the first: not only A, but B as well. More formal than 〜だけでなく; frequent in news, business writing and explanations.
N + に加えて(後に「も」が来ることが多い)
〜に加えて
An emphatic particle that singles out the word before it: this one and no other, precisely this. Attaches to a noun, usually in place of は or を, though こそが and こそは also occur. Used in both speech and writing.
N + こそ(は・を は落ちる。「こそが」「こそは」の形も可)/ V-て + こそ
〜こそ
Singles out the one real reason: it is precisely because of A that B. Usually paired with a positive or heartfelt point; natural in both speech and writing.
plain + からこそ(N・na-adj は「だからこそ」)
〜からこそ
Marks the exact moment at which something else happens, often an interruption or a timely arrival. Used in speech and writing; ところへ feels slightly more like movement toward the scene.
V-dict / V-ている / V-た + ところに(ところへ)
〜ところに / 〜ところへ
2    What does it mean?
〜てからでないと Says the second action is impossible or not permitted until the first one is finished. The main clause is negative or expresses difficulty. Fairly formal; frequent in instructions and business speech. — V-て + からでないと/からでなければ(後に否定表現)
〜最中に Stresses that something happened right in the middle of an ongoing activity, almost always as an interruption. Neutral but emphatic; common in both conversation and writing. — V-ている + 最中に / N + の最中に
〜ばかりに Blames one small cause for a bad, regrettable outcome. The result is always negative, and the speaker usually feels regret. Used in conversation and writing alike. — plain + ばかりに(N である/na-adj な・である + ばかりに)
〜のに対して Places two things side by side as a contrast: whereas A is one way, B is the other. Slightly formal; very common in reports, essays and explanations. — V/i-adj plain・na-adjな(である)・Nである + のに対して
〜まい / 〜まいか Literary negative: firm resolve ('I will never...') or conjecture ('probably not'). Stiff and old-fashioned, mainly in writing, speeches and set phrases like ではあるまいか. — V-dict + まい(II類は V-stem + まい も可、する→すまい)
〜につき Formal 'due to' in notices and signs, and also 'per' with counters. Stiff written style: you see it on shop signs and official announcements, not in casual talk. — N + につき(理由、または単位「〜ごとに」)
〜ないことには Unless the first thing is done, the second is impossible or cannot be known. The main clause is always negative. Neutral register, common in explanation and discussion. — V-ない / i-adjくない / Nでない + ことには(後は否定)
〜かと思うと Two events follow each other almost instantly, usually with surprise or against expectation. Used for events you observe, not for your own plans. Natural in both conversation and writing. — V-た(V-ている)+ かと思うと/かと思ったら
〜て以来 Marks a starting point in the past: ever since X happened, a state or tendency has continued unbroken. Slightly formal; common in writing and polite speech, and normally followed by an ongoing situation. — V-て + 以来 / N + 以来
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