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N3
〜かけ（の）／〜かける
Meaning
Attached to the -masu stem of a verb, this expresses a state where an action has progressed partway but is not yet complete. It describes something left midway, as in "a book I'm partway through reading," or that an action was started but then stopped, as in "started to say it but stopped."
Examples
- 机の上に読みかけの本が置いてある There's a half-read book left on the desk.
- 彼は何か言いかけて、口をつぐんだ He started to say something, then held his tongue.