Page 436 - Basic Japanese

Hayakereba hayai hodo ii

desu.

The sooner the better.

Kitchin wa hirokereba hiroi hodo benri desu.
The bigger a kitchen is, the more convenient.

8.17. …shi

The particle shi (perhaps derived from the infinitive of suru,

which is shi ‘doing’) connects clauses with the meaning ‘and
also.’ The verb, adjective, or copula at the end of the clause

preceding shi is either plain imperfect or perfect. You have
already had one way to connect clauses with the meaning

‘and,’ by using the gerund that means ‘does and’ or ‘is and.’
The difference between the use of the gerund and the use

of the plain imperfect or perfect + the particle shi lies in the
tightness of the connection between the two clauses. If

there is some sort of sequence in time or logic between the
clauses in the order in which they are given, then you use

the gerund. However, if you are emphasizing the actions or
properties by randomly listing them for making some point,

then you use shi. When shi is used, the concluding phrase is
often omitted. It is also common to have only one instance

of shi in a sentence. Here are some more examples of shi.

Kono apāto wa yachin ga yasui shi, shizuka da shi, saikō
desu.