36958
Two characters are walking a corridor in a school, and the following appears
in two thought bubbles around one of them.

渡り廊下を越えるって事は

向かっているのは特別棟か

How can 特別棟 be a statement about 向かっているの? As far as I know, the の particle
after a verb can mean requiring or giving explanation, or it can make a noun
out of a verb. Can it make 向かっているの mean "the place toward which we're going"?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-24T23:57:21.363
36953
2016-07-25T05:10:09.487
16148
question
particle-の manga
What does the の do in 向かっているのは特別棟?
This pattern is so common that it has a special name, a [cleft
sentence](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/19208/5010).

> 向かっている **のは** 特別棟か。  
>  So **it's** Special Building **that** we're heading to.

`verb + のは + whatever + だ/です` is a basic pattern of cleft sentences, and it's
similar to `it's + whatever + that/who + verb` pattern in English. の here is
something like a dummy pronoun, and 特別棟 is the word that is focused.

Here か is a kind of "surprise" marker ([see the 6th definition under 終助
here](http://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/jn/34861/meaning/m0u/%E3%81%8B/)), which is
used in place of だ because it's a new piece of information the speaker got
just now. (eg. 君か。 "Oh, it's you!")
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-25T04:00:44.990
36958
2016-07-25T05:10:09.487
2017-04-13T12:43:44.397
-1
5010
36953
answer