なんか・なんて - Question about proceeding verb/adjective conjugations

I thought I understood this, but some study questions and reading recently threw me for a loop. Can someone help clear this up for me?

Sometimes I see grammar resources, as well as actual writing, using plain-form verbs in various conjugations, as well as unconjugated い adjectives, before the negative-emphasizers なんか and なんて. However, sometimes I see instructions to render them in the -て form and -く form respectively.

What’s the skinny on when I do which? Does it differ between なんか and なんて? Between different connotative uses?

Either simple or complex explanations are fine. Thanks for the help!

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I found this Japanese stack exchange…:

EDIT: or, after reading your post again, maybe this is more what you’re looking for:

http://maggiesensei.com/2013/09/02/how-to-use-なんてnante/

"Some of you might wonder the difference between なんて ( = nante) and なんか ( = nanka)

Basically you can replace なんて ( = nante) with なんか ( = nanka) when it comes after a noun and when you want to emphasize the word showing your strong emotion or belittle someone/something.

However, you can’t replace なんて ( = nante) with なんか ( = nanka) when it comes after a verb or an adjective."

Close, but that’s not quite what my question is about (though it does clear one thing up, about verbs and adjectives never preceding なんか, which makes sense). I understand their meanings; I’m more looking for clarification on the grammar surrounding them. I recently missed a JLPT practice question because it was looking specifically for an answer of 休んでなんて, whereas I’ve also seen 休むなんて and even the normalized 休みなんて before.

(Or maybe the question was なんか and that’s why? But I specifically remember both 休み and 休んで being choices, with the latter being correct, so that doesn’t seem right.)

So I guess my big question now is when, if ever, does the verb specifically need to take the -て form in relation to なんて. And I guess I’d have a similar question about い adjectives going before it, which I think is rare but possible?

So, having gone back to the question I missed, I think I answered this for myself:

Q. 「ちょっとお茶でも飲んで休もうか。」
「お茶なんかいらない。_______なんかいらないよ。」

 1. 休んで
 2. 休む
 3. 休み
 4. 休んだ

In explaining why 休んで is the correct answer on the following page, it offers “Vてなんか” as the correct construction.

So I wound up writing the following note to myself:

~てなんか – Note that, while verbs preceding なんて may take any form, they must take the -て form when used with なんか (more rare).

But if that seems incorrect, please let me know!

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