This is the sentence:

> 彼は英語を勉強したことがなく、アルファベットさえ読めない

I would write something like:

> 彼は英語を勉強したことがないのでアルファベットさえ読めない

I understand that you don't necessarily need ので, but why does it terminate the
negative form in く rather than leaving as it should be? For any reason he
wanted to convert it into adverb?
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2016-01-19T11:30:57.740
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2022-01-28T22:21:18.190
2022-01-28T22:21:18.190
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question
verbs adverbs negation
Why this negative form ends in く?
It's the continuative form (連用形) of i-adjectives (形容詞). It's the same as the
て形 in this case. It is just that in formal writing the rule is to use 連用形
instead of て形.
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2016-01-19T11:41:24.803
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2016-01-19T11:41:24.803
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answer
There's no causal link between the two sentences. It just simply says, "He
hasn't studied English; he can't even read the alphabet."

There's no particular reason to assume an inability to speak English would
entail a lack of knowledge about the alphabet.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-01-20T05:30:02.463
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2016-01-20T05:30:02.463
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answer