Lesson 13
Reason: because it's ~ / it's not as if
- 1 〜とあって ~to atte because it is (a special case) ~ 'It is a special day, so naturally this happened' — the reason form that news reports love.
- 2 〜ではあるまいし ~de wa arumai shi it's not as if ~, (so…) 'You're not a child, you know!' — the spoken form for scolding someone or talking sense into them.
- 3 〜手前 ~temae in front of ~ / having said ~ (to save face) 'I've said it, so if I don't do it now I lose face' — the form for being bound by how others see you.
- 4 〜ゆえ（に） ~yue (ni) because of ~ (formal, written) The old, stiff big brother of 「ため」— the 'because' of essays, speeches and formal letters.
- 5 〜こととて ~koto tote since ~ (as an excuse, with an apology) 'Being new, I may have fallen short — please forgive me' — an old-style, polite excuse.
- 6 〜ときている ~to kite iru on top of that it's ~, so naturally… 'Cheap AND tasty — of course it's packed!' — the spoken form that holds up a striking feature as the obvious reason.
Lesson check
All 6 forms of this lesson together — pick the right one from its look-alikes, the way the exam does. 6/8 completes the lesson.
🔒
「三連休＿＿＿、空港は家族連れで混雑している。」(news) — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:A special situation → a natural crowd, in a calm news tone.
N + とあって = because it is a special situation. 「ときている」is emotional casual speech and does not fit the news.
「子ども＿＿＿、それくらい一人でできるでしょう。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:'You're not a child, you know' — a light scolding.
「子どもではあるまいし」= you're not a child, so… The other three mean 'because you are a child' — the opposite.
「必ず来ると約束した＿＿＿、休むわけにはいかない。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:You already said it — not doing it means losing face.
Vた + 手前 + わけにはいかない = having promised, you must do it to save face.
「言葉の壁＿＿＿、日本での生活に苦労する外国人は少なくない。」(newspaper column) — fill the blank.
💡 Hint:The stiff, serious 'because of' of written essays.
N + ゆえに = because of (written). 「ときている」is casual speech, and 「手前」is about saving face.
A letter of apology: 「不慣れな＿＿＿、ご迷惑をおかけしましたことをお詫び申し上げます。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:An old-style polite excuse + apology, in a letter.
な-adj + な + こととて = since ~ (with an apology). お詫び follows — exactly where 「こととて」lives.
Chatting with a friend: 「あの店、安くてうまい＿＿＿んだから、混むのは当たり前だよ。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:Two stacked features — 'just look!' — casual speech.
「ときている」= and on top of that ~, so of course. 「ゆえ」and 「こととて」are written; 「とあって」is a calm news description.
Which sentence is natural?
💡 Hint:What must follow each form?
「手前」followed by a self-binding 〜わけにはいかない is right. 「とあって」cannot take an intention (〜よう), 「手前」is not for natural causes, and 「ではあるまいし」needs advice or criticism, not a plain fact.
Which is most natural as a news sentence?
💡 Hint:A calm description: special situation → natural result.
「とあって」= a special situation and its result, in a news tone. 「ときている」is casual speech, 「ではあるまいし」scolding, and 「手前」about face.
Your score: /8