Is it correct to use のこと with 読む?


Is 「Aのこと読んだ。」a correct sentence? I know that usually「Aについて読んだ。」is the correct
way of saying "I read about A", but I've seen sentences like 「Aのこと考える」and just
wondering if it's correct to substitute 考える with 読む.




Yes, 「Aのこと読んだ。」 is correct, though informal and therefore potentially socially
incorrect, Japanese, as is「Aのこと考える」.

What makes 「Aのこと読んだ。」 and 「Aのこと考える」 informal is the omission of a postposition
that shows the relationship between the noun phrase「Aのこと」 and the verbs 「読んだ」
and 「考える」, and the precepts of Proper Japanese prescribe against such
looseness.

In the case of 「Aのこと読んだ。」 one of the postpostions that can go into the empty
slot is 「について」, so 「Aのことについて読んだ。」 would be a full and proper version of the
sentence. (It could be the object marker 「を」 but 「Aのことを読んだ」would sound
somewhat less natural.)

As for 「Aのこと考える」, the missing postposition can be 「について」, or it can be the
object marker 「を」 as well. 「Aのことについて考える」 and 「Aのことを考える」 are equally fine and
their meanings are more or less the same.

* * *

In case you think 「のこと」 is filling a role similar to that of 「について」, it is
not.

「の + こと」 is a sequence made up of the genitive particle 「の」 plus the noun
「こと」, constituting a part of the **noun phrase** 「Aのこと」 (literally 'A's
things' or 'things of A'). Or 「の」 can be a particle indicating apposition, in
which case 「Aのこと」 (literally) means 'the thing that is you'. See [What is the
こと in sentences such as
あなたのことが好きだ?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/questions/2102/what-is-
the-%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8-in-sentences-such-
as-%E3%81%82%E3%81%AA%E3%81%9F%E3%81%AE%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8%E3%81%8C%E5%A5%BD%E3%81%8D%E3%81%A0)
for more on the semantics of the latter case of 「Xのこと」.

On the other hand, 「について」 is a compound postpostion heading the
**postpostional phrase** 「Aについて」 ('about A').




In any (even slightly) formal situations, 「～～のこと読{よ}んだ」 would surely be
considered incorrect and rather sloppy. You would want to say:

・「～～について読んだ」 or

・「～～のことについて読んだ」

In extremely informal colloquial speech, however, one might hear 「～～のこと読んだ」.
It would still be "incorrect" but it will certainly convey what one wants to
say. It is not the kind of usage that I personally would recommend that
Japanese-learners employ unless they are already on the native-speakers'
level. (But then, if one were already at that level, one would know that the
phrase in question would only be situationally acceptable.)

