[MMM]

Originally Posted by Nagoyankee

Thanks MMM!

「何もできはしない」 means "There's nothing (someone) could do." It's more dramatic speech than everyday speech. You will hear it in plays, films, manga/anime, dramas, etc. You would look pretty strange if you said that orally in real life. However, you will see people using this phrase 「～～はしない」 in serious letters.

My own translation of 「農家の窓にはあたたかい灯がとまっている。」 would be:

"Warm light burned in the farmhouse windows."

There's no verb 'wait' in that sentence at all.

Thanks Nagoyankee. I think that "burning" conveys the warmth or serenity I felt was implied, (maybe I was overthinking it).

I had heard 「～はしない」before, but not 「何もできはしない」. I suppose it does sound a bit overly dramatic. This was from the same light novel, and it is from the perspective of a person who basically threw his life away after a tragic event, and was making excuses to himself about his pathetic state.

I'll try and post some more zingers...but if anyone else comes across a sentence or phrase that might make "the masters" think twice, please don't hesitate to share!