Lesson 159: 評論を 読む

N2 · Lesson 159 · 20 min — Read a newspaper column with Rin and review the patterns from Lessons 154–158 in one go

No new grammar in this lesson! It's January at くまや. Rin reads a newspaper column called "Between Development and Preservation." Follow him as he reads both sides of the argument, writes a letter to the editor, and asks Kumata to check it. You'll practice the reason, concession and condition patterns from Lessons 154–158 together.

After this lesson, you can:

• Use からこそ・だけに・だけあって・ばかりに to say "precisely because / all the more because / as expected of / all because of"
• Use ことだから・あまり・からには to say "knowing him / so much that / now that ~"
• Use 一方いっぽうで・反面はんめん・ながらも・つつ to show two sides of one thing
• Use にも かかわらず・に しても・に したら to say "despite / even if / from ~'s point of view"
• Use ないことには・ない限かぎり・限かぎり・ものなら to state conditions

Rin writes in!

Grandpa decides to come to Japan in spring. Then the paper runs a column on a road plan… (投書とうしょ = a reader's letter to a newspaper)

The column shows two sides with 一方いっぽうで・反面はんめん and conditions with ないことには・限かぎり. Next lesson: the petition needs a cover…

Reading a newspaper column

The parts in 「」 are the column's original text. Try to spot the patterns from Lessons 154–158! Tap each line to hear the Japanese.

Words in this lesson

• 評論ひょうろん (hyōron): commentary (writing that gives an opinion on social issues)
• コラム (koramu): column (in a newspaper)
• 見出みだし (midashi): headline, title (of a newspaper article or text)
• 開発かいはつ (kaihatsu): development (building new buildings, making new roads)
• 保存ほぞん (hozon): preservation, keeping something as it is
• 投書とうしょ (tōsho): letter to the editor (a reader's opinion sent to a newspaper)
• 筆者ひっしゃ (hissha): the writer, the author of this text
• 意見いけん (iken): opinion, view
• 案あん (an): plan, proposal
• 賛成さんせい (sansei): agreement, being in favor
• 反対はんたい (hantai): opposition, being against
• 町並まちなみ (machinami): streetscape (how a street of lined-up houses looks)
• 価値かち (kachi): value, worth
• 救急車きゅうきゅうしゃ (kyūkyūsha): ambulance
• 不安ふあん (fuan): anxiety, worry
• 失うしなう (ushinau): to lose
• 壊こわす (kowasu): to break, to tear down
• 元もとに 戻もどる (moto ni modoru): to go back to the way it was
• 両方りょうほう (ryōhō): both sides, both
• 相手あいて (aite): the other person, the other side
• 夢中むちゅう (muchū): being absorbed, being totally into something
• 載のる (noru): (for writing) to be printed in a newspaper or magazine
• 文章ぶんしょう (bunshō): writing, text (a whole piece of written text)
• 完璧かんぺき (kanpeki): perfect
• 助詞じょし (joshi): particle (は・が・を・に…)
• 中止ちゅうし (chūshi): cancellation, calling something off

Grammar 1 / 5: からこそ・だけに・だけあって・ばかりに

からこそ = precisely because ~; だけに = because ~, all the more ~; だけあって = as expected of ~; ばかりに = all because of ~ (a bad result)

• からこそ: Plain form + からこそ: precisely because ~ (that is why) ~. It stresses the reason strongly, often with a feeling like "others may see this as a weakness, but to me it is exactly the reason": 外国人がいこくじんだからこそ 見みえる 日本にほんが ある.
• だけに・だけあって: Plain form (nouns attach directly: 町まちだけに・店みせだけあって; な-adjectives use な) + だけに: because ~, the result is even more ~. It works for good or bad results. The same connection + だけあって: as expected of ~, no wonder ~. It is used to praise.
• ばかりに: Plain form (な-adjectives use な: 得意とくいな ばかりに; nouns use で ある) + ばかりに: all because of this one thing, the result turned out badly. It carries regret, and almost never takes a good result.

• 友ともだちだからこそ、本当ほんとうの ことを 言いうんです。 — Precisely because we're friends, I tell you the truth.
• 期待きたいして いた だけに、中止ちゅうしは 残念ざんねんだ。 — Because I was really looking forward to it, it's all the more disappointing that it was canceled.
• 昔むかしから ある 店みせだけあって、いつも 人ひとが 多おおい。 — As expected of a shop that has been open since long ago, it's always crowded.

Grammar 2 / 5: ことだから・あまり・からには

Nの ことだから = knowing that person (or thing), surely ~; あまり = so ~ that ~; からには = now that ~, (I must) ~

• Nの ことだから: Person (or familiar thing) + の ことだから: since it's (that person), surely ~. You guess from what you know about their personality or nature. It is often followed by だろう・はずだ: 先生せんせいの ことだから、もう 知しって いるだろう.
• あまり: Dictionary form / た-form / Nの + あまり: because it's so ~, the result is unusual. What comes before is mostly a feeling or state: 夢中むちゅうに なる あまり、時間じかんを 忘わすれた.
• からには: Plain form + からには: now that ~, then (you must / should) ~. What follows is often べきだ・つもりだ・なければ ならない, a will or an obligation.

• 母ははの ことだから、もう 準備じゅんびして いるだろう。 — Knowing my mother, she has probably prepared already.
• 緊張きんちょうの あまり、何なにも 言いえなかった。 — I was so nervous that I couldn't say anything.
• 約束やくそくした からには、必かならず 守まもります。 — Now that we've promised, I'll definitely keep it.

Grammar 3 / 5: 一方いっぽうで・反面はんめん・ながらも・つつ

一方いっぽうで = on the other hand ~ (contrasting two things, or two sides of one thing); 反面はんめん = (of the same thing) the flip side ~; ながらも = although ~, ~; つつ(も) = while ~ing; knowing ~, yet ~

• 一方いっぽう（で）・反面はんめん: Dictionary form and い-adjectives attach directly (な-adjectives use な, nouns use で ある) + 一方いっぽうで: on the other hand ~. It can contrast two things or show two sides of one thing. The same connection + 反面はんめん: the other side of the same thing is ~, with a stronger stress on the downside. Both are handy for "showing two sides" in opinion writing.
• ながら（も）: ます-stem, い-adjective, noun + ながら(も): although ~, ~ (contrast): 狭せまい ながらも 楽たのしい 家いえ. Note: it looks the same as the ながら meaning "while doing," so decide by the meaning around it.
• つつ（も）: ます-stem + つつ: (1) while ~ing (written style); (2) つつ(も) = knowing ~, yet ~: 悪わるいと 思おもいつつも、また 食たべた.

• この 町まちは 静しずかな 反面はんめん、駅えきから 遠とおい。 — This area is quiet, but on the flip side it's far from the station.
• 小ちいさい ながらも、楽たのしい 家いえです。 — Although it is small, it's a happy home.
• 体からだに 悪わるいと 知しりつつ、また 食たべて しまった。 — Knowing it's bad for my health, I ate it again.

Grammar 4 / 5: にも かかわらず・に しても・に したら

にも かかわらず = despite ~, ~; に しても = even if ~, ~ / whether ~ or ~; Nに したら = for ~, from ~'s point of view

• にも かかわらず: Plain form (nouns attach directly: 雨あめにも かかわらず) + にも かかわらず: despite ~, (the result) is ~. It is more formal than のに and is common in news and opinion writing. What follows is an unexpected fact, not a command or request.
• に しても: Plain form / N + に しても: even if ~, ~. "A に しても B に しても" = whether A or B.
• Nに したら: Person + に したら: seen from that person's position. It is used to show understanding of someone's feelings: 子こどもに したら、夢ゆめの よう だろう.

• 雨あめが 降ふって いる にも かかわらず、試合しあいは 続つづいた。 — Despite the rain, the match went on.
• 冗談じょうだんに しても、それは 言いいすぎだよ。 — Even if it was a joke, that was going too far.
• 店みせの 人ひとに したら、工事こうじは 大変たいへんな ことだ。 — For the shop owners, construction work is hard.

Grammar 5 / 5: ないことには・ない限かぎり・限かぎり・ものなら

ないことには = if you don't first ~, you can't ~; ない限かぎり = unless ~, ~ / as long as you don't ~, ~; 限かぎり = as long as ~ (it stays that way), ~ / ~限かぎり(では) = as far as ~; ものなら = if one could ~

• ないことには: ない-form + ことには: if you don't first ~, you can't ~. The end is always negative or "can't": 食たべて みないことには、わからない.
• ない限かぎり・限かぎり（では）: ない-form + 限かぎり: unless ~, ~. Dictionary form / ている + 限かぎり: as long as ~ (it stays that way), ~. 知しる・見みる + 限かぎり(では): as far as I know, as far as I can see.
• ものなら: Potential form + ものなら: if (one) really could ~, then ~. It talks about something very hard to realize, and is often followed by 〜たい: 行いける ものなら、行いきたい.

• 自分じぶんの 目めで 見みないことには、わからない。 — Unless you see it with your own eyes, you won't know.
• 予約よやくしない 限かぎり、この 店みせには 入はいれない。 — Unless you make a reservation, you can't get into this shop.
• わたしが 見みた 限かぎりでは、問題もんだいは ない。 — As far as I can see, there is no problem.