ばかりだ(Only) continue to, Keep on -ing, More and more

Réponses les plus récentes (8 au total)

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  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.

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  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.

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  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.