from today's Nikkei

中国・宝鋼　新日鉄に出資要請へ　ポスコにも日中韓連合も視野
Shanghai's Baosteel Group, which is the largest steelmaker in China,announced that it will ask Japan's steelmaker Nippon Steel Corp. to hold a equity stake in the firm.It also will ask Posco,which is the largest steelmaker in South korea,to acquire a equity stake in the company.Thus, the possibility that the three big steelmakers in East Asia would form business and capital alliances has come to be real.

from today's Nikkei

携帯向け放送で新会社　ドコモ・フジなど５社　まず専用番組を制作
It is learned that five companies including NTT DoCoMo,Inc. and Fuji Television Network,Inc. will set up a new firm,which specializes in broadcasting services for cellular phone handsets within the year.At first, the firm likely will produce the programs which are exclusively used in broacasting for the cellular phone handsets.

from today's Nikkei

銀行の投融資　ファンドむけ基準厳しく　金融庁今期から　リスク算定新ルール
The Financial Services Agency likely will revise the rule regulating the bank's calculating their risks in lending the money, and adopt it from this fiscal year ending at March 2007.Under the new rule, the standard and criteria for investments and loans of bankls to fund businesses will be made more tougher.

区切り方の間違い

先日「ぎなた読み」という言葉を紹介しました。文章の区切り方を間違えるとおかしなことになるということを言ったのでした。
今日のThe Daily Yomiuriのtop newsの見出しは、「Gaza truce goes into force」でした。その記事の最初の文章は次の通り：
Palestinians and Israelis agreed Saturday to lay down their arms in the Gaza Strip,and a truce meant to end five months of deadly Israeli-Palestinian clashes took hold early Sunday.

truce：休戦。
and a truce meant to end five months of deadly Israeli-Palestinian clashes took hold early sunday.
の文章ですが、最初はtruceが主語で次のmeant がmeanの過去形で動詞化と思ったのです。ところが、took holdが出てきて何かおかしくなった。結論は、この文章の動詞はtook hold(決まる、決着する)で、主語が、a truce meant to end five months of deadly Israeli-Palestinian clashes です。meantはmeanの過去分詞で、truceを後置修飾している。which is meantのwhich is が省略された形。
間違いやすいパターンのひとつがこれだと思います。主語と動詞がわかれば問題無いのであって、それを混乱させる要因が何かと考えればいいと思うのです。ここでは、動詞の過去分詞が動詞の過去形と同じだったところから、私の頭を一時混乱させたのでした。

from today's Nikkei

設備投資１５％増　勢い続く　素材・電機高い伸び　今年度修正計画　本社調べ
According to a survey of domestic companies' investment volume (in fiscal 2006,on a revised basis,of 1,746 companies) carried out by The Nihon Keizai Shimbun, the total investment would increase by 15%,compared with a year earlier,with its growth continuing. Especially,increase rates are conspicuous in the material and electrical machinery industries.