55607
I often see こと used when listing rules:

>   1. 冷蔵庫の物は勝手に食べない **こと** → Don’t eat my things from the fridge
>
>   2. トイレ掃除は毎日交代でする **こと** → Clean the bathroom every day by turns
>
>

The above examples come from a written list of rules a character in a drama
made for his roomate to follow, which is where my question comes in:

Is [this こと](http://japanesetest4you.com/flashcard/learn-
jlpt-n3-grammar-%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8-koto/) really appropriate on such a casual
scale? My impression was that this structure is only used when outlining
formal written rules. Or are all written commands/rules (regardless of
formality) presented in this format? Also, for clarification this, こと is never
used in spoken language, right?

But then I came across an example of what _seems_ to be the same grammar (but
used in spoken language?) from [this
video](https://youtu.be/l-6bH2XGOUw?t=1m58s):

> 「見ないこと、見ないこと」→ Don't look, don't look

Can someone explain why こと is used in this instance? I have a hunch that the
reason has something to with the fact that he's listing "steps/rules" in the
video (but then again none of the other steps use こと, so maybe not), but I
would really appreciate an explanation.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-01T18:44:20.437
55596
2020-03-01T06:09:00.927
2020-06-17T08:18:27.500
-1
20603
question
grammar politeness particle-こと
こと (Must Do) Confusion
Yes this type of こと looks more or less formal and serious. It makes these
sentence look like an "official rule of the room/family." I don't think it's
overly formal nor grandiose. Other options include "食べないでください" (sounds more
like a polite personal request) "食べないで!" (a casual request), and "食べるな!"
(sounds like the poster was upset).

Using こと in speech is not very common, but it's okay when you want to
seriously ban or enforce something. Parents and teachers sometimes use this
pattern. (I don't think the guy in your video is a good example, though. He is
just reciting the rule to concentrate.)
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-02T04:16:57.807
55607
2018-01-02T04:16:57.807
5010
55596
answer