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How to use

Designed to help you progress once you’re comfortable with the basics. Use it as supplementary material alongside your studies.

Pick a school grade or JLPT level and do this each day:

  1. Handwrite the passage in a notebook.
  2. Read the passage out loud.
  3. Understand the meaning of the passage (if you need help, check the English translation).
  4. Take note of the grammar points (try understanding them in Japanese first; if you need help, refer to the English translation).
N3中3 · Junior High 3September 8, 2026

とまったとけい

あさ、えきのかいさつまえにたつおおきなとけいが、いつのあいだにかはりをとめたままうごかなくなっていた。えきいんのたむらさんは、つうきんきゃくから「ちこくした」とくじょうをいわれてはじめてきづいたという。ぶんかいしてしらべてもないぶにはもんだいがみつからず、かくにんをおこたったばかりにりようしゃにめいわくをかけてしまったのではないかと、たむらさんははんせいした。けっきょく、とけいはよくじつにはなにごともなかったように、ふたたびせいかくにときをきざみはじめた。

文法

  • 「〜まま」は、ある状態じょうたいが変化へんかせず、そのまま続つづいていることを表あらわす表現ひょうげん。
  • 「〜ばかりに」は、あることだけが原因げんいんで、好こましくない結果けっかを招まねいてしまったことを表あらわす表現ひょうげん。
  • 「〜のではないか」は、自分じぶんの考かんがえや推測すいそくを、控ひかえめに述のべる表現ひょうげん。
English

The Stopped Clock

One morning, the large clock standing in front of the station's ticket gate had, without anyone noticing, stopped its hands and gone silent. Station attendant Mr. Tamura only realized it after a commuter complained, 'I was late because of it.' Even after taking it apart to check, no problem could be found inside, and he worried that his failure to check it might have caused trouble for many passengers, simply because he had neglected to look. In the end, the next day, the clock began ticking accurately again, as if nothing had ever happened.

  • "~まま" expresses that a certain state continues unchanged, without any action being taken to alter it, meaning 'as it is/was' or 'remaining in a certain state'.
  • "~ばかりに" expresses that a certain action or state was the sole cause of an unfortunate or regrettable result, meaning 'just because ~' or 'simply due to ~ (a bad outcome occurred)'.
  • "~のではないか" is used to tentatively present the speaker's own thought or guess, softening the assertion, meaning 'I wonder if ~' or 'might it not be that ~'.
All Junior High 3 paragraphs