Structure
Verb[る]+ ばかりだ
Verb[る]+ ばかりで + Phrase
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Standard
About ばかりだ
Occasionally, the adverbial particle ばかり is combined with verbs in their attributive form, to show that (A) is the only thing that is occuring. It may also imply that (A) is happening 'more and more', or that 'it keeps on (A)'. This phrase utilizes ばかり's standard meaning of 'only', and combines it with the auxiliary verb だ (or です).
As can be seen with these sentences, this use of ばかり is paired almost exclusively with verbs that describe some form of change (higher/lower, stronger/weaker, better/worse, faster/slower, etc).
If the speaker would like to express further information in a (B) part of the sentence, だ will simply get changed to its conjunctive form で, before continuing.
Caution
This use of ばかり is primarily seen with negative trends. However, this is not a grammatical rule, and positive trends may also sometimes appear with ばかりだ.
- 毎日夜遅くまで働いているから、疲れがたまっていくばかりだ。Because I work until late at night everyday, I keep getting more exhausted.
-
病院を変えてから、体調が良くなっていくばかりだ。Ever since I changed hospitals, my health keeps on getting better.
Synonyms
Examples
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彼は傲慢になるばかりだ。
He continues to get more arrogant. (only)
おじいさんの健康が衰えるばかりだ。
The state of grandpa's health keeps on declining. (only)
最近、ビットコインの価値が下がるばかりだ。
Recently, the price of bitcoin keeps on dropping. (only)
癌のため、体が弱っていくばかりです。
Because of the cancer, my body continues to get weaker. (only)
夏休みになってから、日本語を忘れていくばかりだ。
I have been continuously forgetting Japanese since summer vacation started. (only)
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ばかりだ – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (8 in total)
wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV
Thanks very much, @nekoyama. Sure enough, I found it in Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar under the 一方 entry, just as you said. It even gives ますます as a related entry, which most certainly would translate as “more and more” in the right context. I stand corrected! I appreciate the other references, too. I can see I need to start consulting more Japanese primary sources.
Looks like I need to add another card to my deck to cover this. I suppose, apart from 一方だ being more formal, the two are otherwise cognatively equivalent when used in this sense? Maybe I can consolidate that into a single card.
mrnoone
Hey @wrt7MameLZE33wlmpCAV
Another difference is that ばかり is generally used with negative trends, while 一方 can be used with both, negative and positive trends.
NEGATIVE
怪我はひどくなるばかりだ。
怪我はひどくなる一方だ。
The injury keeps on getting worse.POSITIVE
アイテムコストが下がる一方だ。
The costs per item keeps on going down.Also, 一方 can be also used with certain nouns expressing trends, while ばかり cannot.
WITH NOUNS
Bitcoin価格は騰貴の一方だ。
Price of bitcoin keeps on rising.Dsingis
I’m having some real trouble understanding the difference between ばかり and つつある.
The review sentences seem so similar, yet I always use ばかり when it wants to hear つつある and vice versa.
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