[JLPT grammar] The difference between ものだ and ことだ

Today I am going to share the homework correction quoted from my JLPT N3 course!
The student’s sentence is not correct. Can you find the mistake?

 

[Student’s sentence]

子どものころは、よく姉とけんかしたことだ。

*こどものころは、よくあねとけんかしたことだ。

 



 

[My correction]

子どものころは、よく姉とけんかしたことだ。
→子どものころは、よく姉とけんかしたものだ
When I was a child, I used to fight with my elder sister.

「〜ものだ」 is used to express a sense of nostalgia or fondness when reminiscing about past events, whereas 「〜ことだ」 does not carry that connotation.

Some examples of sentences where “ものだ” is used correctly are:

若(わか)いころは、よくサッカーをしたものだ
I used to play soccer a lot when I was young, those were the days.
*The speaker is feeling nostalgic about their younger days.

大学時代(だいがくじだい)は友達(ともだち)と徹夜(てつや)でゲームしたものだ
Back in college, I used to stay up all night playing games with my friends, good times.

 

I hope my explanation helps you. 😊

 

In the JLPT course, all lessons come with homework, if you submit your homework, I will reply with corrections.
I can break down the Japanese grammar and point out mistakes, explaining the structure and nuances of Japanese in an easy-to-understand way.
You can also ask me any questions as much as you want. I will teach you until you get it!

 

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