くらい/ぐらい②-２

About

くらい・ぐらい, in addition to making approximations, has three more advanced usages:

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  ① "To X extent"

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  ② "X is about the only thing (～は～くらい)"

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  ③ "X is easy/unimportant"

This entry concerns usage ②.

For usage ②, くらい・ぐらい may attach directly to casual form verbs/い-adjectives, to な-adjectives using な, or directly to nouns.

For usage ②, くらい・ぐらい is paired with the は particle to first create a topic, then provide a "limiting" statement about it.

E.g. 食たべれないものはわさびくらいです。 "Wasabi is about the only thing I can't eat."

E.g. 明日あしたは買かい物ものに行いくくらいかな。しおりは？ "Pretty much all I'll do tomorrow is go shopping I think. What about you, Shiori?"

E.g. この問題もんだいが複雑ふくざつなくらいで、他ほかのは簡単かんたんだった。 "This question was about the only hard one (on the test), and the rest were easy."

Summary

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  くらい・ぐらい have three advanced usages: ① "To X extent", ② "X is about the only thing (～は～くらい)", ③ "X is easy/unimportant"

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  For usage ②, くらい・ぐらい is paired with a topic denoted by the は particle

• 

  For usage ②, くらい・ぐらい may attach directly to casual form verbs/い-adjectives, to な-adjectives using な, or directly to nouns