N1 Grammar ⑦ ことなく
ことなく / たところで / ようでは — three N1 concession patterns
'He worked without rest.' 'Apologizing now won't get you forgiven.' 'If you can't even understand this, you can't pass.' — ことなく is literary denial; the other two challenge the result.
What you'll learn
- ことなく: 'without doing ~' — formal literary equivalent of ずに or ないで
- たところで: 'even if you do/did ~, it won't help' — futility
- ようでは: 'if things are like this (disappointing) ~' → negative result (criticism)
- Key: ことなく=manner (without); たところで=futility; ようでは=critical condition
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