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Japanese from zero · N1 Lesson 16

The frozen-food plan

〜をおいて〜ない ・ 〜にかかっている ・ 〜を前提として ・ 〜とあって ・ 〜に照らして

In this lesson, you will learn to say that there is no one but a certain person for a job with 〜をおいて 他に 〜ない, that everything depends on one thing with 〜に かかって いる, that a plan rests on an assumption with 〜を前提として, that a special situation brings a natural result with 〜とあって, and that you judge something against a standard with 〜に照らして. It is September, and Mori starts a new project in the trade department: the Shizuoka company's frozen bento, for a supermarket chain on America's West Coast.

By the end you will be able to say

There's no one but Ai who can be trusted with this project.
Whether we succeed depends on the price.
This plan assumes a long-term contract.
Because it's a long weekend, the station is packed.
Judging by past cases, there is a risk.

The grammar in this lesson

  1. 〜をおいて 他に〜ない — no one (nothing) but — Noun + をおいて 他に 〜ない says that one person or thing is the only possible choice.
  2. 〜に かかって いる — depends on — Noun + に かかって いる says that one thing decides how something turns out.
  3. 〜を前提として — on the assumption of — Noun + を前提として (or を前提に) says that a plan or a decision rests on a condition taken as given.
  4. 〜とあって — because it is (a special case) — A noun or a plain form + とあって gives a special situation, and the rest of the sentence says what naturally follows from it.
  5. 〜に照らして — in light of; judged against — Noun + に照らして says you judge something by holding it up against a standard: rules, the law, past cases.