Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 6: 21/23

事無(ことな)くWithout ~ing

Structure

Verb + ことなく

Details

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    Formal

About ことなく

Like ないで 'without', ことなく is an expression used in Japanese following verbs that expresses (B) being done 'without (A)'. However; ことなく is used in more formal situations, and when there is some contrast between (A) and (B). This may appear in one of two ways, which we will discuss in a moment.

ことなく is a mix of こと, and なく, the adverbial form of ない. It will follow the dictionary form of verbs.

The first contrastive use of ことなく illustrates that (A) is something negative, to which (B) should be done as a preventative measure, or was able to be done while avoiding (A).

The second use of ことなく highlights when (A) is something that was or would be wished for, but unfortunately (B) happened without it being realized. In this way, (A) is frequently some kind of unmet desire.

Examples

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    何(なに)ごとも理解(りかい)されることなく終(お)わる。

    It will end without me understanding anything.

    真実(しんじつ)を知(し)ることなく終(お)わる。

    It will end without me knowing the truth.

    遅(おく)れることなく到着(とうちゃく)した。

    To arrive without being late.

    耕(たがや)すことなく種(たね)を植(う)えても、うまくいくはずがない。

    Without tilling, even if you plant seeds, there is no way it will turn out well.

    うちの子(こ)には、散(ち)らかすことなく遊(あそ)ぶという特技(とくぎ)があります。

    Our child has a special skill where they can play without leaving things untidy.

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      ことなく – Grammar Discussion

      Most Recent Replies (3 in total)

      • FredKore

        FredKore

        For this grammar point, since ことなく always goes with a verb and the meaning is [almost] always translated “without [verb]ing”, doesn’t it make more sense to change the reviews so that 1) “without [verb]ing” is highlighted in the English sentence, and 2) the user has to input both the verb and ことなく ?

        I guess I thought of this because when I do the reviews, only the hint “without” shows first, and I keep thinking the answer is なし or ぬき.

      • Pushindawood

        Pushindawood

        @FredKore Hey! Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have opted to just include the “ing” in the highlighted part as the verb does not need to be conjugated in this construction and including the “ing” should help you differentiate this grammar point from なし or ぬき. Let me know what you think. Cheers!

      • FredKore

        FredKore

        Ah! I get it. Right, this is just making it a noun.
        I like the change!

        kinda like this…
        Verb + こと・が・できる
        https://www.bunpro.jp/grammar_points/110

        p.s. this is one of the quirks of English that I’ve realized while studying Japanese – some English verb forms have overlapping usages – “ing” for present progressive “he is running” and verb-to-noun “running is hard”.

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