Lesson 4
Range & limit: only, not only, let alone
- 1 〜といったところだ ~to itta tokoro da at most ~ / about ~ (not much) A modest 'about' that says the number or level is small — 'this much at most, not more'.
- 2 〜くらいのものだ ~kurai no mono da only ~ (does that) / about the only one 'The only one who does that is ~' — a spoken way to point to the one person or thing.
- 3 〜をおいてほかに〜ない ~o oite hoka ni ~nai no one / nothing other than ~ (~ is the best) High praise: 'for this, ~ is the one — there is no one else'.
- 4 〜ならではの ~nara de wa no unique to ~ / that only ~ can offer 'You only get this from ~' — praise for the special, good quality of a place or person.
- 5 〜にとどまらず ~ni todomarazu not limited to ~ / goes beyond ~ News language: something did not stop at one limit but spread to a wider range.
- 6 〜に限ったことではない ~ni kagitta koto de wa nai not just ~ (it's a general thing) 'This is not just a ~ problem' — the reply when one place or person gets all the blame.
- 7 〜はおろか ~wa oroka let alone ~ / not to mention ~ 'Forget the big thing — not even the small thing happened' — usually in a bad situation.
- 8 〜もさることながら ~mo saru koto nagara ~ of course, but even more ~ 'A matters, of course — but the main point is B' — formal language of reviews and speeches.
Lesson check
All 8 forms of this lesson together — pick the right one from its look-alikes, the way the exam does. 6/8 completes the lesson.
🔒
「毎日の勉強時間は、せいぜい1時間＿。」— which says 'not much, this at most'?
💡 Hint:「せいぜい」+ a small number.
N + といったところだ = about ~ at most. 「をおいて」and 「ならでは」are for praise.
「会社でこんなに遅くまで残っているのは、田中さん＿。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:After 「〜のは」the sentence ends here: 'only him'.
〜のは + N + くらいのものだ = only ~. The other three need the sentence to continue.
「この難しいプロジェクトを任せられるのは、彼女＿ほかにいない。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:「ほかにいない」follows — praise for the best candidate.
N + をおいてほかに〜ない = no one other than ~. 「ならでは」takes a noun (の) after it.
「この祭りには、雪国＿美しさがある。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:A good thing found only in snow country.
N + ならではの + N = found only in ~ (praise).
「彼は文句を言う＿、机まで蹴ってしまった。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:Verb (dictionary form) + 'not stopping at…'.
Dictionary form + にとどまらず、…まで = went beyond that. 「に限ったことではない」attaches only to nouns.
「電車が遅れるのは、今日＿。毎朝のことだ。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:The reply 'not just today — always'.
〜のは + N + に限ったことではない = not just ~. After 「にとどまらず」the sentence must continue.
「お金がなくて、旅行＿、外食もできない。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:A bad situation: forget the big thing, not even the small one.
N + はおろか、…も〜ない = let alone ~. 「もさることながら」is for positive evaluations.
「このホテルは、景色＿、サービスがすばらしい。」— fill the blank.
💡 Hint:The view is good, of course — the stress is on the service.
N1 + もさることながら、N2が… = N1 of course, N2 even more. 「はおろか」is for bad situations.
Your score: /8