ばかりに - Grammar Discussion

English translation:
simply because
just because
simply on account of

Structure:
Verb[ ] + ばかりに
Noun + ばかりに
いAdj + ばかりに
なAdj・な/である + ばかりに

Explanation:
[Aばかりに B, just a simple factor of A leads to undesired result of B, also used to express extreme eagerness(with たい/ほしい)]

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What is the difference between ことから、からこそ、and ばかりに? I’ve been struggling on those three lately

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Hey! Love your Tohru profile pic.
The basic meaning all these 3 points share is that they say ‘Because A, B.’, but the nuance is super different when you take a closer look.

  • ばかりに has an almost critical tone to it as in “just because they did A, they feel like they can get away with B”
  • ことから establishes a logical conclusion in B based from A “based on these facts, he was found guilty.”
  • Finally, からこそ emphazises that exactly because A is happening and nothing else, B can happen. “since its you we’re talking about, of course it can be done.”

It’s not as tricky once you take a closer look. Since you asked these questions, Writeups for all these grammar points have become available, I highly recommend you give those a read!

Does this grammar only use with verb[た]? I’ve seen in question this combined with verb[ない].

Does this grammar point require に? I think I have seen ばかりで used on some occasions.

“Noun + な(1) + ばかりに

Is this a typo? I don’t recall ever using a noun + な in any other grammar. I also don’t see it used in any of the example sentences. の would be correct, right? 例えば、「田中さんの引退のばかりに、仕事場での友達は全然いなくなりませんでした。」ほかのありそうな間違いを除いて、これはわりと正解でしょうか?