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  1. #1
    Regular Member Male turvy's Avatar
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    Verb Stem → Noun [Grammar Question]


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    I am trying to figure out what the following grammar point is about:

    Verb Stem → Noun

    Examples: 向き、好み

    I am taking this from Aeron Buchanan's Japanese Verbs Chart, so please have a look at the second frame (the green one) if you don't understand what I wrote above.

    Is this about conjugating nouns into the stem form or something like that?. To clarify, I am searching for the grammar rule, if you can help to elucidate this matter or put a link to an explanation it would be most helpful.

    Note:
    The verb stem is the い base or 連用形 base for conjugating verbs, like 書ます,待ます、読ます、食ます.

  2. #2
    禁漁期 Male Toritoribe's Avatar
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    The chart shows the -masu stem of verbs can be used as a noun.
    e.g.
    好む: to prefer/like
    好み: preference

  3. #3
    Regular Member Male turvy's Avatar
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    Ah! I see it now. That's good.

    待ち: Waiting.
    読み: Reading.
    買い物: Purchased goods.
    書き: jisho.org failed this one.

    EDIT: Interestingly, 買うもの can refer to the things a person buys like 彼女が買うものは... so dictionary form + もの is another useful grammar.

    The next item on the chart says もの [noun from verb target], which makes no sense to me. However I can't help to notice that if I add もの to 一段・いちだん verbs it does the same trick for some of them.

    食べ物: food.
    見物: sight.
    借り物: borrowed thing.
    忘れ物: lost article; something forgotten.

  4. #4
    禁漁期 Male Toritoribe's Avatar
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    Those noun forms are often used in compound words. 〜もの can be considered a kind of compound word, too.

    読み物 = a thing one reads(noun from verb target) = a reading material
    書き物 = a thing one writes(noun from verb target) = writing
    読み書き: reading and writing
    立ち読み: standing and reading = browse(in a bookstore)

  5. #5
    Regular Member Male turvy's Avatar
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    Alright. I love doing 立ち読み.

  6. #6
    禁漁期 Male Toritoribe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by turvy View Post
    EDIT: Interestingly, 買うもの can refer to the things a person buys like 彼女が買うものは... so dictionary form + もの is another useful grammar.
    買う in that example is simply an adnominal/attributive clause that is modifying a noun, which is the equivalent to the relative clause in English.
    e.g.
    彼女が買った本
    the book she bought

    買い物 refers to the action "shopping" itself.

  7. #7
    Regular Member Male turvy's Avatar
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    So,

    彼女が買う物は...
    (As for) the things she/'ll buys

  8. #8
    Delusions of Adequacy Male
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    Do yourself a favor and drop that (as for) stuff. It's helpful as an explanation initially to kinda-sorta see what は does, but one shouldn't make a habit out of using it.

  9. #9
    Regular Member Male turvy's Avatar
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    I agree.

    The things she buys…

  10. #10
    禁漁期 Male Toritoribe's Avatar
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    Right.
    Unlike 買うもの or 買った本, a noun that is made from the -masu stem of a verb, e.g., 買い物, 忘れ物, 読み書き, 立ち読み, is usually used as a common noun.

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