Verb Stem → Noun [Grammar Question]

T

turvy

先輩

27 Jan 2012

54

1

• 5 Feb 2012

• #1

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 書きます，待ちます、読みます、食べます.

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

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Fifteen-year veteran

22 Feb 2008

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• 5 Feb 2012

• #2

The chart shows the -masu stem of verbs can be used as a noun.
e.g.
好む: to prefer/like
好み: preference

 

T

turvy

先輩

27 Jan 2012

54

1

• 5 Feb 2012

• Thread starter
• #3

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.

 

Toritoribe

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• 5 Feb 2012

• #4

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)

 

T

turvy

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27 Jan 2012

54

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• 5 Feb 2012

• Thread starter
• #5

Alright. I love doing 立ち読み.

 

Toritoribe

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• 5 Feb 2012

• #6

turvy said:

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.

Click to expand...

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.

 

T

turvy

先輩

27 Jan 2012

54

1

• 5 Feb 2012

• Thread starter
• #7

So,

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

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

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• 5 Feb 2012

• #8

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.

 

T

turvy

先輩

27 Jan 2012

54

1

• 5 Feb 2012

• Thread starter
• #9

I agree.

The things she buys…

 

Toritoribe

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• 5 Feb 2012

• #10

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.