Sunday, July 30, 2017

grammar - Embedded question followed by と


What is the grammar behind the use of the quote marker と in this sentence?



雨がいつ降るか大変楽しみにしていましたが、なかなか雨が降りません。


He was looking forward to when the rain would come, but...



Can I also write



雨が降ることを大変楽しみにしていましたが、なかなか雨が降りません。



He was looking forward to the rain coming, but...



and does it change the nuance?



Answer



As you already noticed that the と is used as the quote marker in the first sentence. That means 雨がいつ降るか is written as the person's thought, which makes the sentence more subjective.


On the contrary, the second sentence sounds more objective.


Relatively with or without personal feelings might be the crucial difference between the two sentences.


By the way, just by the single sentence without context, the subject of it is more likely to be "I" rather than "HE".


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