Description

87 phrases

Manner & state29 This set is about states left hanging. っぱなし carries a whiff of neglect — 「電気をつけっぱなしで出かけてしまった」 means you left the lights on and shouldn't have — while まま just marks an unchanged state, as in 「靴を履いたまま部屋に上がらないでください」. Watch きり: 「彼とは十年前に別れたきり、一度も会っていない」 means that parting was the last contact, with nothing since — not merely 'after'.
Degree29 Here degree is painted by comparison, often hyperbole. ほど and くらい stretch to the extreme — 「死ぬほど疲れた」 (dead tired) and 「泣きたいくらい悔しい」 (frustrated enough to cry). But だけあって is different: it credits a result to a deserved reputation, as in 「彼はプロだけあって、演奏が素晴らしい」 — 'he's a pro, so no wonder.' Use it only when the outcome lives up to the cause.
Change29 All three track change, but the mood differs. つつある is neutral — a shift underway, as in 「少しずつ豊かになりつつある」. 一方だ and ばかりだ both mean 'only ever more so,' usually souring: 「地球の環境は年々悪化する一方だ」 and 「生活は苦しくなるばかりだ」. Don't treat them as one — ばかりだ leans on mounting feeling (「焦る気持ちが募るばかりだ」), while 一方だ marks a one-directional trend.

Free · No sign-up · Infinite repeat