The purpose of the Nihongo Sogo Enshu series is to organize and explain grammar in an easy-to-understand manner and have the learner practice how to use it, thereby ensuring he/she uses advanced-level Japanese appropriately. The learner follows a process of discovering a grammar rule while solving a problem, and then confirming the usage through practice. Finally, the learner does comprehensive practice as a summary of what has been learnt.

Covering the usage of "- suru," "- shita" and "- shiteiru" (imperfect, perfect and progressive tenses), this book aims to help the advanced learner understand the rules related to these forms while gaining a firm grounding in their proper usage. The book is also a valuable reference material for those involved in Japanese language education.

The first edition of this book was published 13 years ago, and since then there has been a lot of important research in this field. To this research has been added the knowledge gained in the practical educational work of the authors themselves, to create this newly revised edition.