Lesson 45: Linking conjunctions のに ように ために せいで だって し

のに is related to ので, but it works in the opposite direction: "even though". Like ので, this is more "objective" than other adversatives. のに also loves being attached to the end of sentences, but remember, it's a conjunction.

ええ～、俺の話なのに Oh? Despite my story?

A second use of のに makes an entire phrase be an adverb, modifying the second phrase. You can remember this use of のに by thinking that it adds の to the first phrase on its own, then adds に, whereas the previous use of のに is a compound. What comes before のに here is always an informal non-past expression. Its most common use is "in order to" as in "in the process of".

黙らせるのには些細な威圧でいい A little "coercion" is fine in silencing people.

The は is not always there.

The two uses of のに can be ambiguous, but context always fills in the gaps.

ように essentially means "so as to", as in "walk so as to keep your back hidden". This walks a fine line between "for the purpose of" and "in such a way as", and ように even has the nuance of walking the line between the two.

離れすぎないように歩く Walking in a way to not separate too much

ように has a second use, but it isn't as bad as のに. The second use here just means "in such a way as X". Note that I didn't write "in such a way that X".

当然のように女物だ It's feminine, as it would be. (liberal translation of 女物)

Be careful not to confuse this with the volitional よう plus に.

ために literally uses the noun ため "purpose" plus に to make a conjunction. The example uses a その, but the purpose can be anything attributive.

そのために仲間を殺せ。 For that purpose kill your comrades.

せい is a noun meaning "fault" used to indicate cause/blame/reason. It usually implies that the effect is undesirable in some way.

私のせいだ！ It's my fault!

あの鳥が変なことを言うせいだ　It's because that bird is saying weird things.

せい earns its place here because of せいで, which acts like a conjunction meaning "because of". Like ために, せいで doesn't need a statement as its left-hand argument (e.g. 私のせいで), and doesn't express logical entailment.

し is used to link two statements with a feeling of emphasis. Note that this is not the grammar being used in things like 話し (verb) or なし (adjective).

ちゃんとご飯も食べるし、睡眠も取る

Eating all our meals together and even going to bed together.

("together" in the translation comes from context not shown in this excerpt)