Non-Past Verb + こともある

The structure [non-past verb + こと {が/も} ある] can be used to express something like, "There are times when..." It is used to describe something that occurs occasionally. Using the particle も can imply that something else also occurs, or that the event described occurs alongside something else.

Note that this grammatical structure is very similar to [past verb + ことがある], which is used to express an experience that you may or may not have.

晩ご飯はたいてい家で食べますが、ときどき友達とレストランに行くこともあります。
I usually eat dinner at home, but sometimes I go to a restaurant with a friend.

文法の説明を読んでも分からないことがある。
There are times when I don't understand a grammar explanation even though I read it.

同じ日の沖縄と北海道の気温の差が摂氏４０以上になることもあります。
Sometimes on the same day in Okinawa and Hokkaido, there can be a temperature difference of over 40 degrees Celsius.

その他に関東地方とか関西地方のように使うこともあります。
In addition, there are times when it's used like "Kanto region" or "Kansai region."

Note that the last sentence is referring to the usage of 地方 in conjunction with other words, like the names of places. This is not a great sentence out of context, but I wanted to note it here since I finally understand it.

Mid-Sentence Stems

A verb stem or an i-adjective stem + く can occur mid-sentence to represent an "and", letting us know that the sentence is continuing. This is pretty exclusive to writing, because in speech people will generally use the て form to connect multiple thoughts in a sentence.

昨日は遊園地に友達と行き、そこでアイスクリームをたくさん食べた。
Yesterday I went to a theme park with my friend, and we ate a lot of ice cream there.

見つけた子犬は白く、とても遊戯的だったよ。
The puppy I found was white, and he was very playful.

一人暮らしだから、寝る前にホラーの映画を見、クッキーを焼くのが好きだよ。
Since I live alone, I like to watch horror movies and bake cookies before going to bed.

クリスマスに祖母はすごくうれしく、皆にプレゼントをあげた。
My grandmother was very happy on Christmas, and she gave everyone presents.

More on ように

Genki II touched on ように and its usage, but there are a couple more uses for it that I'm going to explore now.

In addition to being used to relate the similarity of two things, it can also mean something like "when X is as Y shows..." or "as explained by X..." That's difficult to visualize, so I'll give some Tobira examples.

これはチョコレートのように見えるけれど、消しゴムだから、食べられません。
This looks like chocolate, but since it's an eraser you can't eat it.

先生がおっしゃるように、言葉は毎日勉強しなければ上手にならないと思います。
I think that, as the teacher says, if you don't study the language every day, you won't become good at it.

この本に書いてあるように作れば、おいしいドレッシングできるよ。
If you make it as is written in this book, you'll have delicious dressing.

Its usage in these sentences relates to similarity in a way, since they're essentially saying "when X is done in this manner..."

I'm going to continue studying this point with some external sources, since I need to further improve my understanding. There are additional meanings that Tobira has not mentioned thus far, but I'm sure I'll reach them eventually.

Expresing Fame

A noun phrase or a sentence + こと, followed by で有名 or で知られている can express that a noun is famous for that phrase/sentence, or that it is known for it. These first two examples are from Tobira.

エジプトはピラミドやスフィンクスで有名です。
Egypt is famous for its pyramids and sphinxes.

熊は冬眠することで知られていますが、動物園の熊も冬眠をしますか？
Bears are known for their hibernation, but do bears in zoos also hibernate?

リーさんはきれいな顔で有名だなぁ。
Lee-san is famous for his pretty face.

バージニアは高い山や青々と森で知られているんだよ。
Virginia is known for its high mountains and lush forests.

Adjective Stem + さ

The suffix さ can be attached to the stem of an i-adjective or to a plain na-adjective to make it into the noun version of that word. For example:

大きい -> 大きさ = bigness (size)
重い -> 重さ = heaviness (weight)
便利 -> 便利さ = convenience

この建物の高さは3000メートルです。
This building's height is 3,000 meters.

冬に寒さは大嫌いんだよ。
I hate the cold in the winter.

その犬の重さは50キロくらいですよ。
That dog weighs about 50 kilos.

あの馬の早さはびっくりした。
That horse's speed was surprising.

Made of/Made From - で / から できる

Well, I've started on the first chapter of Tobira. I must say, it's definitely more challenging than Genki, which took a lot of time to explain each grammar point and only had 5-6 of them per chapter. Tobira tends to have 16 per chapter and only includes a small explanation with each point. I'm going to do my best to understand each one though, and that may mean consulting other references along the way. I'm also going to create one post per point to make it easier to keep track of them.

To describe what materials a noun is made of or made from, でできる or からできる can be used. Their use can kind of correspond to the English equivalent - でできる is used to say "made out of", and is appropriate when it's fairly obvious that the item is comprised of that material (like a log cabin, for example). からできる is used to say "made from", and is appropriate when it's not immediately evident, like in describing gasoline or plastic.

Furthermore, both できる and できている can be used, as well. できる is used for general statements, such as "Wine is made from grapes." できている is used for specific statements, such as "This ring is made from dragon glass." It helps to remember that ている is describing a current state.

この家は石でできている。
This house is made of stone.

ケーキはよくバターや粉や砂糖からできる。
Cakes are often made from butter, flour, and sugar.

アリスは木でできる小屋を売る。
Alice sells sheds that are made of wood.

スバルの誕生日のご飯は血からできていた。
Subaru's birthday dinner was made from blood.

Shortened Causative Form

Holy snap, when's the last time I posted here? It feels like it's been ages. Well, I certainly haven't abandoned studying the language, but I've taken a break from formal textbook studies after completing Genki II.

Anyway, I wanted to return to the causative form because there's a slang version that exists, and I'd like to learn it to improve my reading (since it's often used in dialogue). Here are the conjugations for it:

Ichidan Verbs:

• Drop the る and add さす
• 食べさす
• 訪ねさす

Godan Verbs:

• Change the last syllable to the あ equivalent and add す
• 行かす
• 走らす

Exceptions:

• する -> さす
• くる -> こさす

Now, keep in mind that the general pattern used in a sentence with causative verbs is Director は / が Cast に Action.

アヤトはユイに血を飲ました。
Ayato made Yui drink blood.

ヨウスケはテディーに部屋で寝さしてあげた。
Yosuke let Teddy sleep in his room.

あのいじめっ子はいつも私にクッキーを買わしちゃう。
That bully always makes me buy him cookies.

私は妹に虫を食べさすのが好きだよ。
I like to let my little sister eat bugs.