[Columbine]

Originally Posted by JapaneseLanguageStudent

For #18, What I wrote is awkward; however, what you wrote isn't what is taught. I must conform to what the books says, to do well on quizzes and exams. The Genki textbook... For #19 and #20, the Genki textbook doesn't use #number#人の人. Therefore, I can't use it.

PLEASE don't think this. Genki teaches you basic grammar but there's no reason you can't learn and use natural Japanese too. Speak with your teacher (I'm assuming that she/he is a native speaker)- if they are worth their salt they shouldn't mind that you're trying other ways of forming sentences- check 'natural' Japanese that you find with them for accuracy and appropriateness and discuss it! Stick your hand up in class and say 'About the homework, I heard Japanese people might say うちは６人かぞくです' I think that as long as you only use language you have passed by your teacher first, then it shouldn't be a problem at all, even on tests.

Originally Posted by JapaneseLanguageStudent

As a beginner, writing and using the kanji for numbers helps me memorize them. Plainly and simply, numerical numbers do not help beginners in the task of memorizing kanji. I must know the kanjis, period. And I hate it, very much, when language-learning study aids use numerical numbers instead of spelling them. I disagree strongly with that practice.

I used to feel like this too, but while it's good for memorisation, it makes your writing look weird because other than 百、千 and 万、the number kanji are rarely seen. It's a little like using roman numerals for everything in english-> It's XI o'clock instead of it's 11 o'clock. Also being confronted with numerical numbers means you HAVE to try and think of them in Japanese. Definitely learn your number kanji, but also learn how to quickly read 12,453 in Japanese too, because you'll more often than not need to say it!

Originally Posted by JapaneseLanguageStudent

For #22, I decided on 田中さんは今パーティーでうたっている。 Note that I tried to make it informal. Is there any way that it could be made more informal? Or is that as informal of a statement as can be? It cannot get more informal, can it?

It can be more informal, but that would much more slangy language, also the use of さん makes that difficult.

Originally Posted by JapaneseLanguageStudent

For #25, I must use 先生.

Bring this up with your teacher- You should certainly NOT use 先生 to talk about yourself and really it's at odds with the sentence too. See if your teacher agrees that he/she wouldn't say 私は先生です if someone asked her お仕事は？. 教師 would be much better. If you said to me in the middle of class 「母は先生です」 it's almost like you're implying that the (or my!) teacher is your mother, or your mother is also your teacher, not that it's your mother's profession.

Originally Posted by JapaneseLanguageStudent

For #32, When you wrote "super-natural", what is it that you mean? Clarify.

Say please. He means it sounds very natural.