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~고서: A Sequential or Causal Relationship
Vocabulary
Nouns:
현 = present, existing
꼴 = look, sight, state
적격 = qualification
누에 = silkworm
의의 = meaning, importance
결론 = conclusion
대책 = countermeasure
응모자 = entries into a competition
Verbs:
뚫다 = to make a hole, to dig through
뚫리다 = for a hole to be made
되찾다 = to take back, to regain
실감하다 = to realize, to feel
교체하다 = to replace
재배하다 = to cultivate
응모하다 = to enter into a contest
Adjectives:
유사하다 = to be similar
따끈하다 = to be fairly hot
전무하다 = to be non-existent
어슴푸레하다 = to be dim, to be faint
Adverbs and Other Words:
샅샅이 = thoroughly looking
Introduction
In this lesson, you will learn another way to indicate that one action happened after another one in time. We will look at how this is similar to other grammatical principles that have been introduced in previous lessons. Let’s get started.
~고서: Sequential or Causal Relationship
In many previous lessons, you have learned many ways to indicate that there is a sequential temporal relationship between two clauses, or a causal relationship between two clauses. Perhaps the most common of the two, respectively, would be ~고 (Lesson 17) and ~아/어서 (Lesson 37). For example:
Sequential Temporal Relationship Using ~고 (Lesson 17)
샅샅이 찾고 문을 닫았어요
= I searched thoroughly and then closed the door
Causal Relationship Using ~아/어서 (Lesson 37)
장치를 설치해서 작동을 시작했어요
= I installed the device and then started it up
You can create either meaning using ~고서. For example:
Sequential temporal relationship that has no obvious cause-effect:
문을 열고서 방에 들어갔어요
= I opened the door and then entered the room
Causal relationship between first and second clause:
운동을 열심히 하고서 건강을 되찾았어요
= After exercising hard, I regained my health
In addition to being less common than its counterparts, ~고서 carries slight nuances in meaning. Specifically, it emphasizes the fact that the first clause precedes the event in the second clause. In a sense, it emphasizes that the action in the first clause is completed before the second happens.
Below are many more examples. I purposely did not separate them into examples of sequential relationships and causal relationships. Often with these sentences it is not entirely clear whether the situation is causal and if it is simply sequential. In order to know for sure, you would need to consider the context of the sentence and evaluate it appropriately. Here are the examples:
누에를 키우고서 실을 뽑았어요
= After raising silkworms, we extracted the silk
따끈한 국을 마시고서 몸이 풀렸어요
= After drinking the hot soup, my body relaxed
부품을 교체하고서 소음이 사라졌어요
= After replacing the part, the noise disappeared
거울을 보고서 자신의 꼴을 확인했어요
= After looking in the mirror, he checked how he looked
어슴푸레한 빛을 뚫고서 길을 찾았어요
= After making my way through the dim light, I found the path
샅샅이 찾고서 결국 서류를 발견했어요
= After searching thoroughly, we finally found the document
현장에 가 보고서 그 위험을 실감했어요
= After visiting the site, I truly felt the danger
응모자를 확인하고서 발표를 시작했어요
= After checking the applicants, we began the announcement
의의를 충분히 이해하고서 행동에 옮겼어요
= After fully understanding the significance, I took action
서류를 검토하고서 그가 적격인지 판단했어요
= After reviewing the documents, we judged whether he was qualified
현 상황을 제대로 파악하고서 대책을 세웠어요
= After properly understanding the current situation, we made a plan
오랫동안 누에를 재배하고서 좋은 실을 얻었어요
= After cultivating silkworms for a long time, we got quality silk
유사한 사례를 찾아보고서 전무하다는 결론을 내렸어요
= After searching for similar cases, we concluded there were none
That’s it for this lesson!