Would you check the second half of my exam?

Hello, native English speakers,
I would appreciate it if you would check if my sentences and problems are all right?

問２ 次の文を日本語に訳しなさい。(15)
① I write a letter to my grandfather every Sunday.
② Tom and Jane are studying Japanese very hard.
③ My parents drink a lot of coffee every day.
④ Is your son a junior high school student?
⑤ Mary's daughter doesn't speak English at home.

My answer
①私は毎週日曜日(に)(私の)祖父[/おじいさん]に手紙を書きます[/書いています]。
②トムとジェインは一生懸命[(とても)頑張って]日本語を勉強しています[/日本語の勉強をしています]。
③私の両親は毎日たくさん(の)コーヒーを飲みます。
④あなたの息子は中学生ですか。
⑤メアリーの娘は家で英語を話しません。

問３ [ ]の中から適切な語句を記号で選びなさい。(12)
① [ (ア)Do / (イ)Does / (ウ)Is / (エ)Are ] Mike and Judy high school students?
My answer エ
② I [ (ア)live / (イ)living / (ウ)live in / (エ)living in ] Osaka.
My answer ウ
③ [ (ア)Do / (イ)Does / (ウ)Is / (エ)Are ] your uncle speak English?
My answer イ
④ My son [ (ア)go / (イ)goes / (ウ)going / (エ)is go ] to school by bike every day.
My answer イ
⑤ My aunt [ (ア)like / (イ)is likes / (ウ)don't like / (エ)doesn't like ] coffee very much.
My answer エ
⑥ Do you [ (ア)walk / (イ)walks / (ウ)walked / (エ)walking ] to school?
My answer ア
⑦ My English teacher [ (ア)isn't / (イ)aren't / (ウ)don't / (エ)doesn't ] speak Japanese.
My answer エ
⑧ [ (ア)Are / (イ)Is / (ウ)Do / (エ)Does ] you studying science?
My answer ア
⑨ My father [ (ア)go /(イ)goes / (ウ)is go / (エ)is going ] to Europe every summer.
My answer イ
⑩ [ (ア)Are / (イ)Is / (ウ)Do / (エ)Does ] your father a high school teacher?
My answer イ
⑪ My mother [ (ア)aren't / (イ)isn't /(ウ)don't /(エ)doesn't ] a pianist.
My answer イ
⑫ My sister [ (ア)aren't / (イ)isn't /(ウ)don't /(エ)doesn't ] go to work by bike.
My answer エ

問４ 次の文を、主語を変えずに疑問文にしなさい。(4)
① Tom likes tennis.
② You are a student.
My answer:
① Does Tom like tennis?
② Are you a student?

問５ 日本語とほぼ同じ意味になるように( )に英語を1語ずつ入れなさい。
①私達の娘は２０歳です。( ア )( イ ) is twenty ( ウ ) old.
My answer: Our daughter is twenty years old.
②父は先月私にギターを買ってくれた。 My father bought ( ア ) a guitar last ( イ ).
My answer: My father bought me a guitar last month.
③私の誕生日は２月２９日です。( ア ) birthday is ( イ ) 29th.
My answer: My birthday is February 29th.
④私はよくそのお寺を訪れます。I ( ア )( イ ) the temple.
My answer: I often visit the temple.
⑤私はいつも朝早く起きます。I ( ア ) get up ( イ ) in the ( ウ ).
My answer: I always get up early in the morning.
⑥これらの本は私のです。( ア ) books are ( イ ).
My answer: These books are mine.
⑦私は、前の日曜日に夕食を作った。I cooked ( ア ) last ( イ ).
My answer: I cooked dinner last Sunday.
⑧彼らの両親は全く日本語を話さない。( ア )( イ )( ウ ) speak Japanese.
My answer: Their parents never speak Japanese.

Everything looks fine.

For the final question, if I had been taking the test, I probably would have written 'don't' instead of 'never',

However, thinking about it further, your answer is better, as the Japanese version uses 話さない, not 話せない.

This question is a little 微妙 to me. Using a verb other than 'speak' would be clearer, I think. However, if you want to keep it as is, it is OK.

Hirashin,

I, too, have a question about these two translations:

全く日本語を話さない (not at all)
決して日本語を話さない (never)

Is 全く...ない sometimes used to mean 'never'?

hirashin said:

④ My son [ (ア)go / (イ)goes / (ウ)going / (エ)is go ] to school by bike every day.
My answer イ

⑨ My father [ (ア)go /(イ)goes / (ウ)is go / (エ)is going ] to Europe every summer.
My answer イ

Click to expand...

Two comments:

1) Perhaps it's acceptable since these are beginners, but I don't like answers such as "is go". This is an option that you can eliminate just by looking at the answer itself, and without even looking at how it might be right or not within the sentence concerned. Using "is go" is like offering "goed" (instead of 'went') as an answer choice--you can tell it's a wrong answer just by glancing at it.

Still, I haven't been able to think of an alternative choice to offer--sorry, and good luck!

2) In ⑨, I think answer (エ)is going, sounds okay: My father is going to Europe every summer.

Anyone else?

Thanks for the help, joadbres and Buntaro.

Buntaro said:

Hirashin,

I, too, have a question about these two translations:

全く日本語を話さない (not at all)
決して日本語を話さない (never)

Is 全く...ない sometimes used to mean 'never'?

Click to expand...

The two Japanese sentences you gave seem to be the same to me.

I suppose you say "they don't speak English although they are able to speak it."

Would you tell me the difference between (a) and (b)?
(a) They don't speak English at all.
(b) They never speak English.
I think that a lot of grammar books here say (a) and (b) mean the same.

How about this pair?
(c) I don't know about rugby at all.
(d) I never know about rugby.

Thanks for the help, johnnyG.

Two comments:

1) Perhaps it's acceptable since these are beginners, but I don't like answers such as "is go". This is an option that you can eliminate just by looking at the answer itself, and without even looking at how it might be right or not within the sentence concerned. Using "is go" is like offering "goed" (instead of 'went') as an answer choice--you can tell it's a wrong answer just by glancing at it.

Still, I haven't been able to think of an alternative choice to offer--sorry, and good luck!
{/QUOTE]

Although I teach at a high school, most students I am teaching now [or should I say "I teach now"?]
even don't know the basics of English. Many of them write " He is go", "She isn't come", "Are your father
go to America?" etc... So I guess this kind of choice is necessary.

2) In ⑨, I think answer (エ)is going, sounds okay: My father is going to Europe every summer.

Anyone else?

Click to expand...

I thought you can't say "My father is going to Europe every summer." If you can, I have to correct it.

How about this? You don't like (ウ)?
⑨ My father [ (ア)go /(イ)goes / (ウ)is go / (エ) going ] to Europe every summer.
My answer イ

Click to expand...

hirashin said:

I thought you can't say "My father is going to Europe every summer." If you can, I have to correct it.

How about this? You don't like (ウ)?
⑨ My father [ (ア)go /(イ)goes / (ウ)is go / (エ) going ] to Europe every summer.
My answer イ

Click to expand...

It is possible to say (エ) "is going" with the meaning "will be going", so, yes, it would be best to change this.

The change that you suggested is fine.

hirashin said:

Would you tell me the difference between (a) and (b)?
(a) They don't speak English at all.
(b) They never speak English.
I think that a lot of grammar books here say (a) and (b) mean the same.

How about this pair?
(c) I don't know about rugby at all.
(d) I never know about rugby.

Click to expand...

(a) and (b) are not exactly the same.
(a) usually is understood to mean that they cannot speak English, although it could possibly be used in a context where they can speak English, but don't.
(b) implies that they can speak English, but don't.

(d) is grammatically incorrect.
(c) is OK, but it would be more natural to say "I know nothing about rugby."

Thank you for the help, joadbres. I appreciate it.

Do you ever use "I never know"? I think I've heard "You never know".
How about this?
(e) I never know what he thinks about it
.

hirashin said:

Do you ever use "I never know"? I think I've heard "You never know".
How about this?
(e) I never know what he thinks about it
.

Click to expand...

Yes. You can use that expression for something that periodically recurs, in which you are lacking in the ability to surmise (or anticipate, or guess) each time it recurs. With this usage, "never" does not mean "always, continuously not", but rather "each time, not"
***This is not the type of expression your students need to learn at their current stage of studies.***

Examples:

- I never know what she is going to say.
- I never know how much food I should bring with me.

Your example (e) is OK, but not great. The following sentence is similar, but sounds more natural:

I never know what he will think about my proposals.

Thanks, joadbres.

joadbres said:

Your example (e) is OK, but not great. The following sentence is similar, but sounds more natural:

I never know what he will think about my proposals.

Click to expand...

I guess from your example sentences that future things should be put after "never know".

Then how about these?
(e2) I never know what he will think about it.
(f) I never know if he will come to the party tomorrow.
(g) I never know what I should do to help him.
(h) I/You never know what will happen tomorrow.

hirashin said:

I guess from your example sentences that future things should be put after "never know".

Then how about these?
(e2) I never know what he will think about it.
(f) I never know if he will come to the party tomorrow.
(g) I never know what I should do to help him.
(h) I/You never know what will happen tomorrow.

Click to expand...

As I mentioned, this expression only works for things that are recurring -- not for one-time events. "I never know" means the same thing as "each time it happens, I don't know".

So your example (f) doesn't work.

The other examples work only if you are talking about things that happen repeatedly.

Your example (f) works if you change it to:

(f2) I never know if he will come to my parties.

joadbres said:

As I mentioned, this expression only works for things that are recurring -- not for one-time events. "I never know" means the same thing as "each time it happens, I don't know".

So your example (f) doesn't work.

The other examples work only if you are talking about things that happen repeatedly.

Your example (f) works if you change it to:

(f2) I never know if he will come to my parties.

Click to expand...

I see. Thank you for the useful information. I appreciate it.

hirashin said:

The two Japanese sentences you gave seem to be the same to me.

Click to expand...

Hirashin,

I have a question about these examples:

(1) 一週間に何回ぐらい味噌汁を飲みますか？
(How often do you have miso soup?)

(2) 決して味噌汁を飲みません。
(I never have miso soup.)

(3) 全く味噌汁を飲みません。
(I never have miso soup.)

In Japanese, are both (2) and (3) commonly usable, especially when answering the question (1)? Is there any nuance in the differences in meanings (if any)?

How about (4) 全然味噌汁を飲みません。
(I never have miso soup.)

I am wondering if (2-4) would be better with は than を.

I am wondering if some of the words in my examples are more commonly written in kana then in kanji.

Hello, Buntaro.

決して is not used so often in our everyday conversation, because it sounds a little stiff.
If it is used, it will sound exaggerated jokingly. (Am I making sense?)
So we would usually use 全く or 全然 as a reply to (1).

(3) and (4) sound a little unnatural to me.

In (3), I would add 私は or 僕は at the beginning. You get 私は[/僕は]全く[/全然]味噌汁を飲みません.
But many people would say 味噌汁は全然[/全く]飲みません without saying 私は or 僕は.

You can also put 全然/全く at the beginning, that is, 全然/全く味噌汁は飲みません。

I hope I make sense. Please correct my sentence if needed.

Hirashin

Hirashin,

This is fascinating! When I first took beginning Japanese (many, many years ago) I was taught to say '決して' for 'never' and to say '全然' for 'not at all'. Now it turns out these are not the two most common translations! And I have never heard anyone say anything different to me all these years. (I find this to be amazing.)

hirashin said:

If it is used, it will sound exaggerated jokingly. (Am I making sense?)

Click to expand...

Yes, you are making sense. One way to say this is to say 'If it is used, it will sound sarcastic or snobbish'.

Buntaro, I'm glad you like my information about 決して and 全然/全く.

Here's new information about 決して.
私は決して味噌汁を飲みません is similar to 私は絶対味噌汁を飲みません。They sound as if
the speaker has made up his mind not to eat miso soup.