I think this already explains it because “sentence” in DoJG actually refers to the specific grammatical construction in my opinion. Unfortunately I could not find an explanation of “sentence” in DoJG itself, but drawing from e.g. Genki I, ch. 8, a short form sentence follows one of the patterns
(A long form sentence uses です in cases 2 - 4.)
Page 41 Kadokawa
受験勉強にかぎっては、一日だけ得をしたことになる。
I think I’m getting the gist that Kazuko is reading a reference sheet for a highschool exam (would this be like a summary of what’s been done in class?), and that there’s only one day left? The thing I’m really struggling with is 得をする. “to do benefit”? I’m not getting it…
ぼやとわかってはいても、できるだけ早くみんなに知らせたほうがいいと思ったのである。
I don’t understand the first clause at all. The only dictionary entry for ぼや is a small fire (which makes sense, but then I don’t understand the と), or it could perhaps be an alteration of ぼやっと. If it is that’s good. But then there’s わかってはいても. I’m pretty sure it would be わかる in て-form, particle は, and いる plus the ‘even’ も, no idea how it fits together though 
And I have completed this chapter 
Only two to go!
being able to study more for the exam is the only benefit she got out of the whole day
Even though she knew it was only a small fire, she thought she should alert people to it as soon as possible.
Btw the は where it is, contrasting and drawing attention where it is, emphasizes that because it’s a small fire that doesn’t hurt anyone, you could really just say nothing, but it’s saying even though she knows that (はいても), she still thinks she should alert someone as quickly as possible. It’s emphasizing the contrast between what she knows and what she’s gonna do anyway.
A sense of civic duty!
That’s my reading anyway.
Ohh, that makes so much sense~ Thank you so much for explaining all that 
A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar says that the と (quote) particle means “that.” I don’t think I’ve heard that before, but it makes a lot of sense.
She knows that (it’s a) small fire
Oh yes, to designate indirect speech! That really makes a lot of sense.
I never really thought about the fact that sometimes there are quotation marks before と and sometimes not - direct quotation vs. indirect speech is one of the possible reasons. Thanks for pointing it out!
Sorry I’m replying so long after the fact but thank you thank you thank you!
Ah, I see - I knew 向こう意気 meant aggressiveness, but I was a bit thrown because you wouldn’t really describe “someone’s aggressiveness” as having qualities in that way in English 
This is very helpful insight, thank you! It’s so hard to look something like that up.
Whyyyyyyyy did that not occur to me D:
Illustration for chapter 6 from the Tsubasa Bunko edition.
A small whimsical one of some lavender!
And for chapter 7.
The この私が means something like:
・Someone like me (and not like someone else)
・Only me (and not anyone else)
I can’t remember where I read it. But I’ll look for it again.
I think particularly こんな私 is a form of modesty or even self deprecation. Like こんな私が好きですか would mean something like “you like even someone like me?”.
Chapter 6:
かずおの家は、しゃれた西洋ふうの二階建ての家である。
what does しゃれた mean?
Chapter 7:
end of the chapter, when she’s looking at the fire and is confused about what to do:
ここで立ちすくんだまま、火の手が辺りに広がっていくのを、ただぼんやりと、つっ立って見ていなければならないのだろう？
ここで立ちすくんだまま ：if she just stood there
火の手が辺りに広がっていくのを: and the fire spread
ただぼんやりと： wouldnt that just be… woolgathering/being a blockhead
つっ立って見ていなければならないのだろう: what is this?
しゃれた means stylish
突っ立つ is its own verb, meaning standing around and doing nothing.
なければならない means „I have to“, so she‘s saying „Will I have to just stand here, watch the fire spread and do nothing?“
Probably in the sense of „is there really nothing I can do?“
Psst, @ekadish, could you spoiler the English bits about the fire? I don’t remember too well but I imagine that’s a fairly major spoiler for anyone reading through these threads in future.
はい！ごめんなさい！
Thanks! 
Uff, these two chapters were hard! 
I tried to read both chapters yesterday and did manage to do that (twice at that, once for the gist, then again for vocab), but then I could not concentrate on the thread anymore. 
Anyway, thanks as always. I might still have questions left if I read through the chapters again, this time, but not going to do that. I feel like I gained enough of an understanding that I’d rather continue forward.
(Already 1/3 down! 
)
Not to Necro a thread…
But to necro a thread, I had a question about something someone mentioned earlier but never fully resolved. Pg 39, Kadokawa version:
“和夫も吾郎も、和子の話のあまのきみょうさに、笑ったりするどころではなく、息を飲んで耳を済ましていた。”
The 笑ったりするどころではなく section mentioned by Radish above also confused me. The たりする explination from singolino makes sense, but the rest of that part was unresolved. どころ I found in one of my dictionaries as “particle used to indicate that what precedes it is an extreme example and strongly negates it.” Which makes sense in context, but I can’t for the life of me figure out why なく isn’t negated then. If they aren’t laughing then surely they’re not making a sound either, as that’s what’s being empasized. So why isn’t なく negated?
This thread is sort of ancient at this point so not sure if any help will arrive, but to anyone reading this any help would be appreciated!
QuackingShoe did give an answer for what the sentence actually means in total:
But doesn’t explicitly mention that it’s this meaning of どころ - “this is no time for laughing (and such)”. That’s actually what I was asking about at the time, rather than the たりする construction which I knew.
I’m slightly confused by your question about なく - that is the negation. It’s 笑ったりするどころではない, but then → なく. This is what turns it into “this is not the time for laughing”, the more usual negative way どころ is used as mentioned by Jisho.
Oh, and the threads are here to be necro’d, so post away 
You indeed did not. As Abdul Alhazred said:
That is not dead which can eternal lie.
And book club threads are eternal.
