という点で変わらない

This piece of grammar seems really pointless, but apparently I have to be aware of it. The という点 basically extenuates the difference. Generally speaking its slightly more formal and stricter than other such structures such as 同じです;

博美さんも恵子さんに似ている。
Hiromi and Keiko are similar.

博美さんも恵子さんのヘアスタイルが同じだ。
Hiromi's and Keiko's hairstyle is the same.

博美さんも恵子さんも日本人だという点で変わらないが、どちらもショッピングやファッションなどが好きだから、同じと言うわけではないよ！
Both Hiromi and Keiko are Japanese, but you can't conclude that they are the same because they both like things like shopping and fashion.

ugh this is really difficult to explain isn't it?

I think the という点で変わらない is often used alongside が to indicate the fact that its the case that they are the same, BUT there is some difference which should normally be explained.

に対して

Facing something, or against something...

イギリスでは少年犯罪の問題に対して、イギリスの警察はその問題を戦うために、色々な策を作ることになった。
Faced with the problem of juvenile crime in the UK, the British police have decided to create various policies in order to combat this problem.

しかし、タイムズ新聞によると、その政府に作られた少年犯罪に対して政策は無効そうである。
However according to the Times, these policies that are created by the government to face juvenile crime are ineffective.

わけではない

The word わけ means conclusion and added with ではない means; "one can't conclude that" or in a more literal sense, "it doesn't mean that."

日本語の試験を落ちたけど、日本語が分からないわけではない。
Although I failed my Japanese exam, you can't conclude that that I don't understand Japanese.

Sometimes instead of using わけではない it is possible to say と言うわけではない。This is often a softer way of expressing the above and avoids directness and a personal opinion.

マイクさんはマンガを読んでばかりいるが、お宅と言うわけではないと思う。
Mike does nothing but read manga but I don't think you can't say he is an otaku.

かねない

かねない expresses when something or someone is capable of something, usually in a negative or extreme sense. The form is stem+かねない

ジョンさんは誰か殺しかねなかったので、警察に逮捕をされた。
Because John was capable of murdering someone, he was arrested by the police.

常にテレビを見たら、病気になって、頭痛がしかねない。
If you watch TV everyday, you are capable of becoming ill and getting headaches.

さえ

さえ is often added to the end of a noun (and sometimes verbs) to express the notion of 'even'. It is used to expresses a more than average or beyond the extent of something. However unlike まで it doesn't go to an extreme length.

日本語は三年間勉強しているのに、「こんにちは」や「ありがとう」という言葉（で）さえ、覚えられない。
Even though I have been studying Japanese for three years, I unable to remember even words like 'hello' and 'thank you'.

あれ？リチャードさんさえ、彼女をできた？！
What? Even Richard has a girlfriend?!

ものだ

ものだ expresses the 'thing that' and supplies information based on the notion that the thing which is being discussed is an inevitable eventuality.

男の人はサッカーを見たり、パブでビールを飲んだりするのが好きだことだ。
Guys like watching football and drinking beer.

For some reason, I always want to just use んだから at the end of such phrases to give it a little bit more of a punch when explaining something that is understood by the listener. A good way to translate it would be, "it is the fact that" or "its a thing that is commonly understood as". Hard to translate the exact nuance into English.

日本語は難しいものだね？

せいで

The word せい means act, doing or deed but in the below context it means 'fault' or 'cause'. The usage is entirely subjective and refers to the speaker's opinion about the cause or fault of something or someone. For example;

彼女とショッピング・センターに出かけたせいで、サッカー試合を見られなかったよ。
I was unable to watch the football match, because I took my girlfriend out to the shopping centre.

夕べ食べ過ぎちゃったせいで、今朝気に悪いんです。
I am unwell this morning because I ate too much last night.

Generally the indication is nearly always negative. Offering an explanation for a negative occurrence.

はもちろん

If we understand the meaning of もちろん to mean 'of course', we can understand this grammar point. For example;

日本の料理と言えば、寿司はもちろん、焼き鳥も焼きそばもとうふとがある。
If we talk about Japanese food, there is of course sushi, as well as yakitori, yakisoba and tofu.

The はもちろん starts the sentence with something expected by the reader or listener as a given example, either through context of something or something which symbolises the topic overall. To use it effectively, the first example should be something easily aware to the audience and then the use of Nも to describe other such things.

きっかけ

きっかけ can be generally translated as the 'trigger' or 'impetus' for a desired action or feeling. きっかけ is a noun.

日本語を勉強しているきっかけは、日本に行って、その経験は気持ちだった。
The reason (trigger) that I am studying Japanese is that I went to Japan and it was a pleasant experience.

ながら

When you began beginner Japanese all those many moons ago, you remembered ながら as something symbolising 'whilst doing something'. The meaning here is roughly the same and carries the same nuance in English.

イギリスは小さい国ながら（も）、色々なきれいな所があるし、歴史的な協会がある。
Whilst England is a small country, there are various beautiful places and historic churches.

The grammar is sort of similar to expressing the same thing as でも、のに、けど etc but it appears to be more of a fancy way of constructing things. The も is often included in written speech rather than spoken. I think the usage is the same in English and is perhaps a slightly formalised way of saying things. Anyway its good to know.

おかけで

Simply, 'thanks to' or 'owing to'... Again, like きっかけ it is treat as a noun. For example,

友達の支持のおかげで、お酒を飲むのをやめた。
Thanks to the support of my friends, I quit drinking alcohol.

もともと

A useful adverb and probably more helpful when you see it in kanji = 元々. This means 'originally' or 'starting from'

もともとは大学で中国語を勉強していたが、毎日アニメの番組を見たおかげで、どんどんお宅になって、日本語を勉強することにした。
Originally, I was studying Chinese at university but, thanks to watching anime programmes everyday, I steadily became an otaku and decided to study Japanese.

New week, new grammar:

として

として describes the situation whereby something, acts as or simply in the capacity. For example;

日本語を勉強している人として、毎日勉強するべきだ。
As a Japanese language student, you should study everyday.

日本に住んでいる時、英語の先生として、働いていた。
When I was living in Japan, I worked as an English teacher

と言えば

Breaking this down, its easy to derive its meaning. In most contexts, its meaning suggests, 'if we talk about' or 'talking about' and usually precedes when the topic has been mentioned.

A: ジョンさんは今日の日本語授業に行かなかったと聞いた。
B: うんそうだ、ジョンさんと言えば、まだ東京から来る日本人を付き合っているの？

A: I heard John didn't go to today's Japanese class.
B: Yeah, speaking of John, is he still going out with that Japanese girl from Tokyo?

と言えば always comes when the topic has been introduced and is understand by the listener. The function works very much the same way in English.

Sometimes, the actually subject of the と言えば can be substituted for それ which becomes そう; Using the above example again...

B: そう言えば、まだ東京から来る日本人を付き合っているの？

Here the そう would be understood as John. It can also be used to elicit more information from the speaker. Again, its fairly rudimentary when you compare directly to English.

Speaking of which, do you think English is harder than Japanese?

Ho-ho-ho...

ほど

The use of ほど has several meanings. Firstly you may recognise the following structure;

イギリスの冬はロシアの冬ほど、寒くないよ
English winters aren't as cold as Russian winters.

ほど can be taken to mean, 'as' or 'like' but generally we shall focus on the meaning 'to the extent of'

昨日、頭が痛くなるほど、日本語を勉強した。
Yesterday, I studied Japanese to the extent that my head hurt. (lit. becomes painful.)

If you really love/hate someone you can also use it to good effect.

会うために、東京まで歩くほど、彼女が好きだよ。
I love my girlfriend to the extent that I would walk to Tokyo in order to meet her.

いつ歩いていくるアメリカ人を見ても、道を渡るほどアメリカが大嫌いだよ。
I hate America to the extent that, whenever I see an American walking towards me, I cross the street. (Not really, I love America!)

After being spared one grammar point this week, there is still lots of lovely new stuff to learn.

と限らない

This little function is quite useful and expresses the limit of something. The kanji 限 literally means limit, there と限らない means something like 'that is not limited to'. In more natural English we would translate this as 'it doesn't mean that. When used as an adverb 限り expresses, 'as far as', 'as long as' etc etc... For example,

僕が知る限りでは、ジョンさんはまだ大学で日本語を勉強している。
As long as I know, John is still studying Japanese at University.

ＦａｃｅｂｏｏｋとかＳｋｙｐｅを持っている限り日本に住んでいる友達を連絡できる。
I am able to contact my friends in Japan, so long as I have facebook and Skype.

When we use the function と限らない we can express the notion of something not being the way it is, let's have a look;

僕は日本語が上手だとは限らない
It doesn't mean I'm good at Japanese.

~からと言って

This can often follow the above, to devastating effect. It literally means 'just because'. For example,

僕は日本人からと言って、日本語が上手だとは限らない。
Just because I'm Japanese, doesn't mean I'm good at Japanese language.

You can often supplement this with 必ずしも to mean 'not necessarily mean'

日本語ができるし、背が高いからと言って、必ずしも日本に行った時に、日本の彼女ができるとは限らないでしょうね。
Just because you can speak Japanese and are tall, doesn't necessarily mean when you go to Japan, you will get a Japanese girlfriend.

~ずにはいられない

To understand this grammar point, you have to break it down. The first bit '~ずには' comes from the negative form of a verb meaning 'without doing something' (i.e. 食べずには - without eating.) And the second part comes from the neagtive potential form of いる (meaning unable to exist.)

Therefore something like 食べずにはいられない- I am unable to exist without eating (lol!)

A more natural translation would be;

去年日本に行った時に、名物を食べるより、イギリスの料理を食べずにはいられなかった。
When I went to Japan last year, Rather than eating the local specialities, I couldn't help eating British food.

You can form this with になる to express the changing state of something of you becoming to the point of doing this action. For example;

いつBar Oneに行っても、お酒を飲まずにいられなくなってしまう。
Whenever I go to Bar One, I can't help drinking alcohol.

~しかない

This expresses something like 'no option of doing' or 'no alternative to doing.'

先週試験を落ちたから、今から、毎日勉強するしかないでしょう。
Because I failed my exam last week, I have no option but to study everday from now on.

I still feel slightly shit, which is down to several reasons. The first is that I have done very little work over the weekend and really wasted what was supposed to be a great opportunity to get some things done (especially doing some cross-over revision from last year) and secondly, I haven't been to the gym yet (lolz?) and am still eating crap. Okay, the time starts now. This is a new leaf and I'm ditching all the crap. Maybe...

On a final note, I was deciding to take a small weekend break somewhere in Europe on the first weekend of December - but after looking at some of the prices (£148 to Lille and about £87 to Brussels) I think I will decide against it. I am not working at the minute, so its very much draining my finances. I think I might just go to London for the day and do some shopping. Which reminds of me going to York last December and walking from the train station to my previous home in Endcliffe Village - which despite its huge distance was somewhat enjoyable. I am a strange fellow.

Onwards and upwards. I just have to rote memorise these 600 kanji, learn some new grammar, type up my translations notes and lexicology notes, read some stuff on the Ainu and finish off the segement of the Japanese translation. And all this in one day. Because I couldn't be arsed to do any work this week. YAAAARRRGGH!

Conditionals are great, and more than likely you are used to hearing them in everyday speech. If I was a millionaire I would become rich etc etc. If Boro can win a match, I wouldn't be sad every fucking day etc etc.

なら

なら is sorta weird because its used in a similar sense to ば and たら however again the nuance is slight. Unlike the former two, なら expresses a similar sort of nuance to the following;

日本へ行く時に、新しい服を買うつもりだ。
日本へ行った時に、新しい服を買うつもりだ。

What do you mean, you don't know the difference? !!! Well, the first would imply that you intend to buy clothes before you go to Japan, whereas the latter would suggest you will buy new clothes after you go to Japan.

なら is sorta similar, in the sense it implies the required action and preparation before you do something in the conditional sense.

今夏中国に行ったら、「紫禁城」に訪ねたほうがいいです。
If you are going to China this summer, you should visit the "Forbidden City."
今夏中国に行くなら、お金をためたほうがいいです。
If you are going to China this summer, you should save some money (before you go.)

Get it?

Japanese is full of these implied meanings that underly the sentence.

ばいい

Sounds like a Japanese sheep doesn't it? This is a great little thing to use and effective once you know how to use. Sort of like the Rhyno gun on Ratchet and Clank.

If you understand the conditional ば to mean If (something) and the いい is good. Then of course the overall meaning would be "If X is Y, then it is good." Or there abouts. This type of construction tends to be used along with another conditional. For example,

道に迷ったら、交番に行って、けいかんを聞けばいいです。
If you get lost, all you have to do is, go to the police box and speak to the police officer.

My translation would be;

If you get lost, go to the police box, speak to the policeman and all is good. ^o^♪

I suppose for anyone deciding to study at Sheffield my advice would be;
日本語は難しくなったら、先生に話しに行けばいいですね。
If Japanese becomes difficult, all you need to do is go and speak to sensei.

ばよかった

Same as the above, but this expresses the regret at having not performed that action. Hence;

先生に話しに行けばよかったんだなぁ。
I wish I had gone and spoken to sensei. >o<

ばほど・だけ

This is hard to explain, at least for me. Its like, the more you do something, the more something happens. たとえば time;

日本語は勉強すればするほど、やさしくなる。
The more you study Japanese, the easier it becomes.
毎日運動すればするだけ、けんこうになる。
The more you exercise you do everyday, the fitter you will become.

Because many sentences in this type would require a resulting or changing state, になる and にする are often used. The basic construction of the sentence is;

XはVerb conditional+Verb dictionaryほど・だけ

I'm struggling to use this one, even though it is damn effective.

Volitional forms

The volitional kinda expresses funnily enough the speakers volitional or desire to perform a given command, or as expressed in Japanese (Let's do!):

はい！頑張りましょうね！^o^

This form is useful for certain constructions in Japanese.

ようとする

ようとする basically has two meanings.

The first meaning is to express the attempted action of something (and more often not, an unsuccessful attempt at that action.)

夕べ好きな番組を見るようにしたが、テレビが壊れていた。
Last evening I tried to watch my favourite programme, but the TV was broken.

The second meaning is to express the idea of something about to happen. It can be used as a conditional or a resultant clause with と　and たら・ば

ドアを開けるようとすると、妻が部屋に入って来た。
As I was about to open the door, my wife entered the room.

ようと思う

ようと思う expresses the idea as you would have guessed of thinking of performing a certain action.

今夏日本へ行こうようと思う・思っている
This summer I think/ I'm thinking of going to Japan.

Note the difference between the standard dictionary form of と思う and　the present continuous　と思っている. The nuance is slight and the latter perhaps suggests a continuing thought of performing the desired action. Its too hard for me to explain.

ように言う・頼む・進める

This is kinda similar as above and the verb should give you a clue. It basically means to ask someone to do something or suggest/request, depending on the verb. It can also be lovingly used with the passive form to create some great little phrases.

ウエートレスにシェフの名物を注文するようにすすめられた。
I was recommended to order the chef's special by the waitress.
医者に毎日果物や野菜を食べように言われた。
I was told to eat fruit and vegetables everyday by my doctor.
午前四時だので、友達に寝ように言った。
Because it was four in the morning, I told my friend to go to bed.

I seemed to have stumbled on this link whilst looking for Japanese related stuff.

Amazing. It gives a nice overview of the hell I have to go through. At Sheffield we started with around 60 and thus we expect an average of 15 to return based on previous results. Needless to say I am bricking it, a small portion of me is fearful, the other is spurring me on to prove myself. I am totally committed to this thing, but you just can't help questioning your own sanity sometimes.

Leeds also have a seemingly brutal dropout rates. And its these dropout rates which is concerning the government as less and less people are both considering doing degrees in Japanese and more importantly completing them.

I am now deprived of sleep, and need to crack on with these verbs (I am temped to leave the 600 or so and focus on the more important ones) and of course, the dreaded な adjectives (which I've done about 75% of so far.) Oh shit. I forgot about those kanji compounds as well.

Oh Japanese you foul mistress you! The only thing motivating me now to learn such an obscene amount of stuff in the remaining 6 weeks I have, is that I do not wish to fall behind and want to gain a head start over the rest when I get back. My brain is forgetting all kinds of crap now. Like how does this form end, and how do you form causative passive etc (させられた？) what are the nuances to remember, what is the Japanese word for spinach? Arggggh! My head is going to explode.

Thankfully, my chats with Japanese people over the web is keeping my need to remember Japanese primed and ready. Perhaps, I am using it everyday now - which can only be a good thing. But, like I say I am learning more than I need to know and am even attempting some complex stuff that will piss sensei off...