Okay, a few things I'm always coming across, doesn't really affect my understanding of the sentence dramatically but find quite annoying and always promise myself I'll eventually ask someone about.

1. First of all, state of being(?) (the question mark is because I'm not sure if する and なる can count as such)

a) I want to know why/how come you sometimes get the likes of:
横になっているものを立たせる

もとが固定しているものの一部　

心の中にある種の気持ちを持つ　

世の中の有様

As far as I can tell these are all representing the idea of 'is' but when should you decide which one to use?

Replacing にある with の to make 心の中の種 produces results in Google. So does substituting している with の to make 固定のもの. What are the differences and when should which be used?

b) How come sometimes these words (mainly する and なる) will be in different forms (ie. present, gerund and past-tense)?

Again, modifying the above examples and Googling them gives results:

大人のイスに子供を固定する物です
交雑より固定したもの

安くてお腹がいっぱいになるもの
廃棄物になったもの

Okay, so I guess the obvious thing is past-tense is indicating... past-tense. But the modified noun being in present tense regardless of the verb is throwing me a bit. (Though it's mainly the gerund vs present-tense that's confusing me the most here).

2. Now nominalising.

多く打消しの表現を伴って用いる

How come 打消す has been nominalised into a noun and NO has had to be used to link it with 表現. Would, for instance, 多く打消す/している/した表現を伴って用いる not have made sense here?

3. Finally, this is about causative. When describing the causative change of nouns when should you know whether to use either させる or にする?

物事を集中させる。・状態を安定させる。
しっかりしたものにする。・強固にする。

I'm really looking forward to seeing everyone's responses!

1) I think you are asking the English equivalent of "What's the difference between 'the fallen building' and 'the building that fell?'"

I think it's a matter of tone.

Quote:横になっているものを立たせる

Not sure how this translates as 'is.' A rough English translation might be 'make stand the thing that's become sideways.'

2) 打消し is a set phrase/noun.

3) させる is being made to/let do something. にする Looking at some more examples it seems to have a 'do like/treat' tone to it.

このかばんを大切にしよう。
おれを馬鹿にするな。
幸せにする。Treating (it) like it's (my) happiness.


Crap now I'm confused

Look here:
http://www.renshuu.org/index.php?page=gr...0la5i447f4

http://community.livejournal.com/jpnese_.../9416.html


My thoughts.

横になっているもの is something that is lying. 横にしているもの is something you or another person laid down for a purpose.

There are too many possible interpretations for もとが固定しているものの一部.

心の中にある種の気持ちを持つ is 心の中に + ある種の + 気持ちを + 持つ. The meaning of ある種の is "a certain kind of." 心の中の種 is "a seed/shoot in my heart/mind."

の in 世の中の有様 often works like an English preposition. For example, her picture = picture of her is 彼女の写真.

As for tenses of なる etc., just because English changes tenses according to the main verb doesn't mean other languages must follow the local rule.

So, for example, イスに子供を固定する物 is something you use for your kids such as a special seat belt. イスに子供を固定した物 is a seat/chair to which a kid is fixed for some mysterious reason. You can change the tense in other examples the same way, but the resulting sentences may not make any sense.

多く打消す/している/した表現を伴って用いる and 多く打消しの表現を伴って用いる mean almost the same. The slight difference might change the meaning of a sentence in some cases.

As for Xさせる vs. Xにする, you use Xさせる when Xする makes sense and you want to mean "have/let/make/force/get/whatever something Xする." Xにする can be used only when Xする isn't a word.

In short, Xさせる is used when you're taking X as part of the verb Xする while you use Xにする when X is a noun.

Hi guys, thanks for all the answers. I keep meaning to reply but I haven't had the chance. I'll hopefully get round to it later (got a few more questions, too!).