硬い / 元気でやっている / 戻られる / 「手紙」 / 自然

[eeky]

Hello,

1. This is an explanation of the use of ～とのことだ:

「～ということだ」よりも硬い表現。

a) What does も mean here? Could it mean "more" -- i.e. the whole thing means "(It is) a more 硬い expression than 「ということだ」"?

(I know that usually when I ask what も means the answer is "too/also", but I'm hoping that just one time it might be different!)

b) Does 硬い mean "bookish" here? I'm confused because the dictionary gives two completely different yet seemingly applicable definitions: "unpolished (e.g. writing)" and "bookish; formal; stuffy".


2. 手紙によると、元気でやっているとのことです。

I'm guessing this means something like "According to the letter, (he is) in good health."

However, I don't really understand 元気でやっている. Is やる = 遣る? What is the function of で?


3. 今週中には戻られるとのことでしたが、予定が変わった のかもしれませんね。

My guess: "Apparently (he) was intending to return this week, but the plans may have changed."

Is 戻られる honorific or passive? I'm guessing it's honorific. Does the past tense of とのことでした refer to the speaker hearing this information in the past? Is the tense "may have changed" a correct interpretation?

I'm not sure if I may have this sentence all wrong...


4. 「手紙」来月、上京なさるとのこと、楽しみにしており ます。

My translation "I hear that you're visiting Tokyo next month; I'm looking forward to it."

Is 「手紙」 a note saying that, stylistically, the sentence is likely to be written in a letter? Or is it somehow actually part of the sentence?


5. 都心には自然が少ないと聞いていたけれど、実際にはけ っこうあることが分かった。

My translation: "I heard that in the city there was not much 自然, but in fact I found plenty."

a) Could 自然 mean "nature" as in animals and plants and stuff?

b) Is it reasonable here to translate 分かった as "I found"?

 

[Toritoribe]

1) a)
Yeah, that も is not "too/also". The meaning "more/less ~ than..." is from より. も emphasizes it.

［連語］《格助詞「より」＋係助詞「も」》「より」を 強めた言い方。

http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/leaf/jn2/228558/m0u/よりも/


b)
Yes. 硬い as "unpolished" would be hardly used in comparative constructions.

2)
It would be common to be written in hiragana やる, except when meaning "to send someone to ~".

［2］ 本来の動詞の使用を避けて言う。

酒・タバコは一切―・らない（＝タシナマナイ）

学生時代にロシア語を少し―・った（＝勉強シタ）

父は駅前で土産物屋を―・っています（＝営業スル）

安月給でとても―・って（＝生活シテ）いけない

「やる」の検索結果 - Yahoo!辞書

６ 何かをすることを、広く、または漠然という。する。行 う。営む。「宿題を―・る」「今度の舞台で大星由良之 介を―・る」「民宿を―・っている」

８ どうにか生活する。「この給料では―・っていけない」

やる【遣る】の意味 - goo国語辞書

で indicates the state of the subject; ～の状態で.(e.g. 裸足で歩く, 笑顔で挨拶する)

元気でやっている: to live in health

3)
Yes, yes, and yes. Your interpretations are all correct.

4)
Hmmm, are there any typos? Might it be 上梓?

5)
都心 is more likely "the center of the city".

a) b)
Yes.

 

[eeky]

Thanks Toritoribe.

Yeah, that も is not "too/also". The meaning "more/less ~ than..." is from より. も emphasizes it.

Is it also possible to say 「～ということだ」よりもう硬い表現 ? If so, is there any difference in meaning?

元気でやっている: to live in health

Should I think of やって as substituting for the verb "to live"?

4)
Hmmm, are there any typos? Might it be 上梓?

I can't find any typos in my transcription. Did you mean 上梓 instead of 手紙? Does the sentence not make sense as I wrote it?

 

[Toritoribe]

Is it also possible to say 「～ということだ」よりもう硬い表現 ? If so, is there any difference in meaning?

No, もう can't be used here. It should be もっと or さらに. (もっと sounds more colloquial.) もっと/さらに emphasizes the meaning more than も. You can also use ～よりももっと/さらに.

～より硬い表現 ＜ ～よりも硬い表現 ＜ ～よりもっと/さらに硬い表現 ＜ ～よりももっと/さらに硬い表現

Should I think of やって as substituting for the verb "to live"?

As for this case, yes.

I can't find any typos in my transcription. Did you mean 上梓 instead of 手紙? Does the sentence not make sense as I wrote it?

No, I meant 上京 might be a typo of 上梓. If so, the sentence is written towards an author, and 手紙 is the title of his/her work.(Since the brackets 「」 are often used to indicate titles.)
OK, then, your translation is correct. 手紙 would say that the sentence is written in a letter. (I don't think it's a common usage of 「」, though.)

 

[eeky]

OK, then, your translation is correct. 手紙 would say that the sentence is written in a letter. (I don't think it's a common usage of 「」, though.)

Oh, I'm so sorry. Despite checking it carefully before (as I thought), I've only just now noticed that I've used the wrong brackets. It is [手紙], not 「手紙」. Groan....