1. 出席者のほとんどがそれに賛成しました。
Translation given: "Almost all of those present were in favour of that."
ほとんどの学生がその会に出席しました。
Translation given: "Almost all of the students attended that meeting."
Why is it ~のほとんど in one sentence, and ほとんどの~ in the other? Is there any subtle difference in meaning, or are the two forms interchangeable?
2. 電車の中では携帯で話すことはできませんが、みんな電 車に乗るとすぐメールを熱心に打っているのにはびっくりしました。
My translation: "It's not possible to have a mobile phone conversation on the train, but I was surprised to see that everyone starts intently typing emails as soon as they board."
Looking at のに, am I right that の nominalises the phrase ending いる, and に is associated with びっくりしました, meaning "surprised at" or "surprised by"?
3. 三人の人に毎週一時間ずつ英会話を教えるアルバイトで すが、...
My translation: "I have a part time job teaching English conversation to three people for one hour each per week..."
Why 三人の人? Is the repetition of 人 some grammatical thing to do with counters?
4. 私たちの生活は、どんどん変わっていくでしょう。
Translation given: "Our lifestyle will continue to change rapidly".
While dictionaries tend to define でしょう as "I think; I guess; I wonder; I hope" etc., I come across examples like this where the translation does not carry any sense of doubt or lack of certainty. I asked a similar question before at つぎであります / のに / でしょう / にはいられない , where it was explained that でしょう was "asking light confirmation". Is this the same kind of use? How would you translate the above?
Translation given: "Almost all of those present were in favour of that."
ほとんどの学生がその会に出席しました。
Translation given: "Almost all of the students attended that meeting."
Why is it ~のほとんど in one sentence, and ほとんどの~ in the other? Is there any subtle difference in meaning, or are the two forms interchangeable?
2. 電車の中では携帯で話すことはできませんが、みんな電 車に乗るとすぐメールを熱心に打っているのにはびっくりしました。
My translation: "It's not possible to have a mobile phone conversation on the train, but I was surprised to see that everyone starts intently typing emails as soon as they board."
Looking at のに, am I right that の nominalises the phrase ending いる, and に is associated with びっくりしました, meaning "surprised at" or "surprised by"?
3. 三人の人に毎週一時間ずつ英会話を教えるアルバイトで すが、...
My translation: "I have a part time job teaching English conversation to three people for one hour each per week..."
Why 三人の人? Is the repetition of 人 some grammatical thing to do with counters?
4. 私たちの生活は、どんどん変わっていくでしょう。
Translation given: "Our lifestyle will continue to change rapidly".
While dictionaries tend to define でしょう as "I think; I guess; I wonder; I hope" etc., I come across examples like this where the translation does not carry any sense of doubt or lack of certainty. I asked a similar question before at つぎであります / のに / でしょう / にはいられない , where it was explained that でしょう was "asking light confirmation". Is this the same kind of use? How would you translate the above?