Basic Japanese. A Grammar and Workbook

Basic Japanese: A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible reference grammar and related exercises in a single volume.

This book presents 25 individual grammar points, covering the core material which students would expect to encounter in their first year of learning Japanese.

Divided into two parts, the first part outlines fundamental components of Japanese including the writing system, pronunciation, word order, particles and conjugation patterns, while the second part builds on this foundation by introducing basic grammatical patterns organised by the task they achieve.

Grammar points are followed by contextualised examples and exercises which allow students to reinforce and consolidate their learning.

Key features include:

    -clear, accessible format
    -many useful language examples
    -transliteration of all examples
    -jargon-free explanations of grammar
    -abundant exercises with full answer key
    -subject index.

Basic Japanese is suitable both for class use and independent study making it an ideal grammar reference and practice resource for both beginners and students with some knowledge of the language.

Contents:

Part 1: Basic Building Blocks

1. Writing System
2. Pronunciation
3. Numbers
4. Parts of Speech
5. Basic Particles
6. Word Order
7. Ko, so, a
8. Questions and Question Words
9. Conjugation Patterns of Predicates
10. Social Roles
11. Overviews of Grammatical Contexts That Require Certain Forms

Part 2: Grammar By Tasks

12. Expressing Existence, Location, Possession
13. Describing Quantity
14. Describing Time
15. Describing Frequency
16. Giving Invitations and Proposals
17. Giving Advice and Instructions
18. Asking For and Giving or Denying Approvals
19. Expressing Wishes and Desires
20. Comparison
21. Explaining Reasons
22. Talking About One’s Ability
23. Talking About Concrete Events and Abstract Ideas
24. Quotation
25. Expressing a State of Affairs
26. Giving and Receiving
27. Thanking and Apologizing

About the authors:
Shoko Hamano is Professor of Japanese and International Affairs in The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at George Washington University.

Takae Tsujioka is a Japanese Teaching Instructor in The Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures at George Washington University.