Lesson 7. Grammar Item #2

Tom has long hair. (Lit., Talking about Tom, his hair is long.)

· is long à ながいです

long [/i/-adjective]-LV [Present]

· Tom’s hair is long. (Talking about Tom’s hair, it is long.)

à トムさんのかみは　ながいです。

· Tom’s hair is long. [Making no phrase topic of the sentence]

à トムさんのかみが　ながいです。

Can we make Tom the topic of the sentence? Sure!

______________________________________________________

Topic particle /wa/ indicates that the /wa/-attaching phrase 1) is the topic, and 2) can also grammatically functions as subject corresponding to /ga/-phrase, object corresponding to /wo/-phrase, or possessor phrase of subject or object. If it grammatically functions as possessor phrase of subject, then it corresponds to /no/phrase modifying /ga/-phrase.

______________________________________________________

N.B. Actually, we have already learned this sentence pattern when we learned the sentence pattern of としょかんは　こうえんのひだりです ‘The library is to the left of the park’ (Lit., ‘Talking about the library, its location is the left of the park’).

１）トムさんは、かみが　ながいです

a) Takeshi is tall. (Lit., Talking about Takeshi, his spine is high.)

b) Takeshi is smart.

c) Takeshi has big eyes.