Good day everyone, i’m currently self-studying the Tobira books (i have finished Genki 1 and 2), but in the exercise of the first chapter i came across this question:
**“25行目の「リラックスする」のは、誰ですか？”**
I don’t understand the role of the particle の right before subject particle は in this case, what would be the difference if i simply remove it, and which one would be grammatically correct ? Another question in the same exercise doesn’t have this の:
“**16行目の「その木」の「その」は何を指していますか？**”
I would be grateful if someone would explain this to me, thanks.
3 comments
>25行目の「リラックスする」のは、誰ですか？
We’re not sure exactly why の can be used this way, but it’s basically a stand in for the relative clause 「を言った人」. You can take the の out of the sentence, and the grammar is still correct, but the meaning changes from “Who is the person who said ‘relax’ on line 25” to “Who is ‘relax’ on line 25”.
>16行目の「その木」の「その」は何を指していますか？
This one doesn’t need a の after 「その」 because there’s no need to abbreviate a relative clause.
“What does the “sono” in “sono ki” point to on line 16?”
It nominalizes the verb before it. Without it, it couldn’t be marked with は. The sentence is using the quoted verb as is as a verb, and talking about who is doing it.
Bunpro has an explanation for this usage:
https://bunpro.jp/grammar_points/16
In the second sentence, the quoted text fragments are used as nouns because the sentence is about the words themselves.
1.の-は （連語）
〔準体助詞「の」に係助詞「は」が付いたもの〕
用言を名詞化して文の題目とする。…ことは。…ものは。「言う―易しいが行う―むずかしい」「大きい―三メートルにもなる」
2.その
2.1.《連体》
「それ」と指し示せるような関係に立つ意を表す語。
2.2.
話し手の手には触れず、相手から遠くではない位置にあることを表す語。
「―本は先生のだ」
2.3.
その⑴に述べた位置を占める物・人・事に関係する意を表す語。それの。
「―右側だ」
2.4.
既に述べた（次にすぐ述べる）事柄に関係する意を表す語。
「―事は皆が知っている」