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この先生…早くはないけどすごく仕事がていねいだな…

In the sentence above, this is my understanding so far:

Vocabulary

  • この先生【せんせい】 that teacher…
  • 早くない【はやくない】 fast, negative present form
  • けど conj. however
  • すごく adv. immensely
  • 仕事【しごと】 n. work
  • 『が』 subject particle
  • ていねい na-adj. polite, courteous
  • non-formal copula
  • 『な』 sentence ending particle

My question is the following. How does すごく, an adverb, change the noun 仕事 (work)? I don't understand.

It is a sentence from the manga, 'Send my Regards to Black Jack', p. 13 episode 2 (for context):

https://www.sukima.me/bv/t/blackjackniyoroshiku/v/1/s/2/p/13

1 Answer 1

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すごく should be understood as modifying 仕事がていねい. The meaning will be more or less the same as

仕事がすごくていねいだ

Note that ていねい is used with "the other" meaning of "careful, thorough, meticulous, accurate, ..." here.

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  • Are you saying すごく仕事がていねいだ is more colloquial than 仕事がすごくていねいだ? I don't think there is a difference in this regard (すごい is a casual word by itself, though)
    – naruto
    Apr 25, 2020 at 9:11
  • @naruto Oh, my bad! To me it sounds like a more colloquial word order, but if to your native ears it doesn't sound this way I should remove this.
    – Earthliŋ
    Apr 25, 2020 at 12:08

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